Two prominent proponents of pluralism in Israel, Rabbi Gilad Kariv and Dr. Yizhar Hess, will discuss what is happening on the ground in Israel during a Nov. 13 panel discussion at the Kaplan Feldman Complex (12 Millstone Campus Drive).
Rabbi Kariv and Dr. Hess are leaders of the Reform and Masorti Movement in Israel.
Rabbi Kariv is the President and CEO of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism. He served in the Israeli Defense Forces’ special Talpiot project of the Intelligence Corps. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at the Hebrew University. In 2012 and 2015, Rabbi Kariv ran for office in the primary elections under the Labor Party.
Recently, Rabbi Kariv led the negotiations on the Kotel issue with leaders of the Conservative Movement, Reform Movement, JAFI, and JFNA, which resulted in a historic decision to create a pluralistic section of the Wall.
Dr. Yizhar Hess is Executive Director of The Masorti Movement in Israel. Hess is a 10th-generation Jerusalemite. Following his military service, Hess earned a B.A. in political science and Hebrew literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. A member of the Israeli Bar, his law degree is from the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya. He also holds an M.A. in Jewish studies from the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem and his Ph.D. on “A Comprehensive Examination of First and Second Generation Masorti Jews in Israel” from Sussex University, Brighton, England.
Hess has a broad range of experience in Jewish communal service. After holding the deputy director position at the Shorashim Centre for Jewish Studies, Hess served as the Jewish Agency’s community shaliach to Tucson, Arizona. On his return to Israel, he worked for the Jewish Agency as director of partnerships. In this capacity, he forged links between the city regions in Israel and the Jewish communities of Washington, D.C., Rochester, N.Y., and South Africa.
Hess is known as one of the leading voices in Israel promoting Jewish Pluralism and represents the Masorti-Conservative Movement in the negotiations with the Israeli government regarding egalitarian prayer at the Kotel.
Registration for the 7 pm panel discussion is available online at JFedSTL.org/events/Pluralism.
For additional information, email KSchmeltz@JFedSTL.org or call 314-442- 3761.