Temple Emanuel News

Rabbi Sacks and Rabbi Black are in Jerusalem this week for the 39th World Zionist Congress. Please see below for updates from Rabbi Sacks about her experience. 

October 29th:

Good morning from Tel Aviv in Ben Gurion airport! Wow – what an intense 24 hours it has been. I’m posting this video in the middle of Thursday instead of last night, because yesterday, the negotiations and programming at the congress went from 7:30am in the morning to 11:30pm at night. Before I dive into some of the details from the Congress, I need to lift once again, that ALL of this is taking place with the ceasefire still hanging tenuously in the balance. It is hard, and sometimes heartbreaking, to compartmentalize the remaining actions of the war from the work that we are doing…to remember that the border to Gaza is 60 miles from where we were arguing…and yet, precisely because of that fact, the work of yesterday and what will be the work of tomorrow is infused with purpose.

Everything about yesterday played out like a political soap opera – one you wouldn’t believe could be true if you were watching it on a premium streaming service. Some of you may have been following the news about the deals, the surprises, the broken agreements – and I’ll get into that in a moment.

But first, lest we get lost in the drama, I want to emphasize how truly amazing the liberal progressive bloc was last night – AND how well we did with almost ALL of the resolutions. Our voices and our values showed up loud and proud in the room last night, and so much of the work that we came here to do was accomplished – through persistence, through strategy, and through excellent teamwork. I could not be more grateful for and proud of the work done by all of our leaders and delegates from the Union for Reform Judaism, the Association of Reform Zionists of America, and ARZENU – our World Zionist Organization Reform & Progressive Political Voice. In an extraordinary voting plenary last night, we secured resolutions in our favor for a wide range of areas including:

• Establishing mental health support for those impacted by October 7th
• Supporting Hebrew programs throughout countries outside of Israel
• Embracing the DIVERSITY of Zionist Expression and Banning Hate Speech in Jewish and Zionist communities
• Supporting the re-opening of the Egalitarian Plaza at the Western Wall
• Establishing support for an Equitable Draft System in Israel
• Increasing security support for Liberal Communities in Israel
• Helping to address issues of antisemitism in communities around the world
• AND safeguarding the cultivation of women’s leadership in Jewish and Zionist organizations in Israel and around the world

And so, while you hear about and read about the drama of the evening, I want to center what we now get to work on for the next five years – commitments and programs that center inclusivity, support, and the healing of the Jewish people after a very painful two years.

So what happened yesterday? First of all, in the middle of the day, it was decided that rather than spread the negotiations and the voting out over two days, we should do it all in one – vaulting the vote for the resolutions from Thursday to Wednesday evening and guaranteeing a very late night for all.

Furthermore, as I just described, the nature of the some of the resolutions ensured a contentious evening – with many of the resolutions hitting at strong dividing lines. While Tuesday may have been all about UNITY, it was clear that Wednesday was about each group fighting for the Judaism, the Zionism, and the peoplehood THEY most believe in.

The night was LONG – 5 ½ hours of passionate parliamentary procedure – and it wasn’t always polite. There was angry shouting, challenging, shaming, walk-outs, apologies, and deep disappointments on all sides. Some of what happened in that room displayed the VERY real divisions between the streams of Jewish life and will certainly continue to call us to evaluate and affirm our moral commitments.

And then…at the end, we all sang together. Not because the differences are all done, but because we could at least all recognize a common purpose…even if for just a moment.

Is there continuing strife that has serious and wide-reaching consequences? Absolutely. If you would like to read about the historic power-sharing agreement that lasted just a few hours before being thrown into turmoil by a truly chutzpadik leadership appointment…read the articles in the comments below this video.

For now, I bid you l’hitraot from Ben Gurion Airport. I’ll see you soon.

WZC IN THE NEWS:

ARZENU on Behalf of the Global Reform and Progressive Movement Welcomes Power‐Sharing Agreement in …

Yair Benjamin Netanyahu chosen for WZO board role | The Jerusalem Post

Last-minute Demand to Award Netanyahu's Son High-paying Job Puts Power-sharing Agreement at Zionist…

Rabbi Sacks Video - Day 3

October 28th:

Today was the official first day of the 39th World Zionist Congress. It was very clear that the message of this entire day was UNITY. Almost every presenter emphasized that no matter who we are, what we believe, or where we live – we are all part of the Jewish people. I have to imagine that this emphasis on unity, expressed in Hebrew consistently throughout the day as “oneness” – Am Echad – one people or Kehillah Echat – one community – this emphasis might be in response to concerns over a Jewish people that has been fracturing over these past two years precisely on the question of Zionism and what Zionism is perceived to represent. And so, the theme for this whole day, the day BEFORE we are going debate with each other over every word in every resolution, was UNITY.

We spent most of the day all together in plenary sessions hearing rousing and moving presentations. We learned together listening to the work that has been done from the heads of different divisions of the World Zionist Organization. And we cried together as we heard from Orna and Ronen Neutra, parents of Omer Maxim Neutra (z”l) – an American citizen who was killed on October 7th and whose body still remains in Gaza.

In the early afternoon we split into smaller plenaries to examine issues of the moment. I joined a session with a panel entitled, “Between Progressivism and Antisemitism” – discussing the various arenas of life that have been challenged by this issue over the last two years in particular. On the panel were two heads of universities, a federation president from Australia, and the CEO of the Israeli Opera. Each presenter was essentially trying to articulate an answer to two major questions:

• ARE PROGRESSIVISM AND ZIONISM mutually exclusive? To which the answer is (and was for each panelist)…conclusively NO
• IS ALL PROGRESSIVE CRITICISM OF ISRAEL AUTOMATICALLY ANTISEMITIC? To which the answer is (and was for each panelist)…conclusively NO

But each panelist DID in turn lift the disturbing slides into regular antisemitism that they are seeing in each of their areas – universities, the arts, and countries outside of the United States and Israel. Each of them charged all of US to be aware, thoughtful, and sensitive to these distinctions, and to continue to educate and carefully navigate around these areas. This is a daunting task for sure, but one made easier by knowing from this panel that we are definitely not alone.

We concluded the day all together once again. We were honored to be addressed by President Isaac Herzog who thanked all of us for helping Israelis to feel less alone and abandoned over these past two years, especially as they are healing from pain.

We ended the evening with a BEAUTIFUL guest appearance by Yuval Raphael singing her song “A New Day Will Rise.” The song represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, where it finished second with 357 points. The song ask Israelis to believe in growth and hope even as they experience hard times. Not only is the song very moving and Yuval’s voice extraordinary but let’s remember that this song and the country of Israel placed SECOND in the Eurovision contest. Even with all of the disheartening and frightening anti-semitism and anti-Zionism growing in Europe – this song cut through all of that. What a beautiful message of hope and possibility to bring to the congress.

We come to the end of a very full and fulfilling day…a day that tried VERY hard to remind us all about some of the original hopes and dreams of Zionism – ideas of unity that can include diversity, moral clarity based in Jewish values, and a promise of safety and prosperity for not only our people but for all people who live in this land. Clearly, at this liminal moment, this Congress is pushing us to reach back deep into our history and our roots and to fall in love with the promise of possibility all over again.

I hope and I pray that this can be true…we’ll see what happens tomorrow…Good night!

Rabbi Sacks Video - Day 2

October 27th:

Good evening everyone from Israel! I’m sitting here with the lights of the city of Jerusalem behind me. First and foremost, I want to share how emotional it was to walk down the long hallway of Ben Gurion airport today and see only 13 hostage posters remaining. I was filled with both a wave of gratitude for the hostages who have come home alive since I was last here, but also a sense of heartbreaking sadness…because the people smiling from the remaining photos are not coming back to hug their families. Every day, I am still praying for the respectful return of 13 bodies - and even as I write this message, Hamas has announced that it will return ONE of them tonight at 9pm Israel time. I pray that the families of all those who remain in Gaza can finally bury their loved ones in peace

I am here in Jerusalem this week for the 39th World Zionist Congress. Every 5 years, Jewish leaders from every denomination, and from every political perspective, and from all over the world gather in Jerusalem. Often called “The Parliament of the Jewish People,” the World Zionist Congress brings together representatives from Jewish communities around the world to decide on the key issues affecting the Jewish people in Israel and around the world.

The World Zionist Organization was founded by Theodor Herzl in Basel, Switzerland in 1897 at the first World Zionist Congress. Even then, the country’s founders knew that to succeed, the State of Israel had to be a project of the entire Jewish People. The World Zionist Organization and the World Zionist Congress are one way for diaspora Jewish communities to have a say in the important Issues facing the Jewish People and Jewish State. Every 5 years, the Congress elects the new leadership of the WZO, sets its agenda for the upcoming 5 years, and influences the allocation of significant funding of about $1 billion annually – to institutions in Israel and to Jewish institutions all over the world.

So what are some of the topics that we are debating and discussing this year?

Resolutions include significant topics such as…

• What are the official positions of the World Zionist organization about the boundaries and borders  of the state of Israel?
• Increasing support and security for growing liberal Jewish communities in Israel and around the world
• Creating studies and funds for those who need mental health support here in Israel and around the world following October 7th
• Promoting women’s leadership in Jewish institutions here in Israel and around the world
• How to bolster local community efforts to combat antisemitism

These topics hit at the very core of what it is to be a part of the Jewish people right now, and I am honored and proud to represent Reform and Progressive communities from all over the world and to bring Reform and Progressive Jewish values strongly into these conversations.

Today was already a full day…

I landed in Tel Aviv at 9:30am this morning and went straight to Jerusalem to join with other reform/progressive representatives in a day of preparation for the official congress which starts tomorrow. I was back on the Jerusalem campus of Hebrew Union College where I first studied to become ordained, and we review the resolutions all together. Here at the congress, the Union for Reform Judaism creates a bloc with other progressive and reform communities – we all caucus together under the name and the organization Artzenu.

In the evening, we had a full Arzenu caucus gathering, where I was honored to lead songs of peace and the Hatikvah anthem. The evening concluded with a stirring address by Member of Knesset Rabbi Gilad Kariv – a Reform rabbi who brings his values and convictions into the Knesset every day.

It has been a long day…and, I have to say thank you – to all of you. It is because we all voted in the World Zionist Congress that Rabbi Black and I can be here to lift our community’s Jewish values. In the 2025 congress, Americans increased their vote over 80% from the vote count in 2025 and in the United States, the Reform Movement secured the LARGEST number of delegates. It is because of all of YOU that our voices can help shape our homeland.

I can’t wait to share with you what will happen tomorrow.

See Rabbi Sack's video