In our most recent column, we spoke a bit about rabbinic courage. The rabbi we spoke about then lives in America, but in this episode of Israel from the Inside’s podcast, we look at a courageous and creative rabbinic voice in Israel. If Judaism were to be refashioned for Israel, in a manner that brought together religious and secular, Ashkenazim and Mizrachim, young and old, and people of all political inclinations, what would it look like? Kehilat Zion, which is led by Rabbi Tamar Elad-Appelbaum may well be it.
Rabbi Elad-Appelbaum is co-founder of the Beit Midrash for Israeli Rabbis, and is also the founder of Kehilat Zion: an Eretz Yisraeli Community in Jerusalem. Her work spans and links tradition and innovation, working toward Jewish spiritual and ethical renaissance. She devotes much of her energy to the renewal of community life in Israel and the struggle for human rights.
In this episode, we speak with Rabbi Elad-Appelbaum. She shares her fascinating beginnings as a young girl in an Orthodox family of North African and French descent, her path to becoming an internationally recognized religious leader in Israel, and her vision of what religious life in Israel could be.
Music credits: Medieval poem by Rabbi Shlomo Ibn Gvirol. Melody and performance by Shaked Jehuda and Eyal Gesundheit. Production by Eyal Gesundheit. To view a video of their performance, see this YouTube:
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A vision of Judaism renewed in the Jewish State: A profile in rabbinic courage