Today we explored the role that religion plays in Israel society. In the morning Rabbi Unterberg met us in Tel Aviv to talk to us about what it means that Israel is both a Jewish and democratic state. We discussed where Israel fits on the spectrum of possible relationships between religion and government. The United States with almost total separation of church and state and Iran on the extreme opposite of the spectrum with the religious leaders controlling the government seem to be the end points of the spectrum.  Israel might be considered as a mid-point by some.Examples of the "state" power exercised by religious parties  include: banning ELAL flights from flying on Shabbat, marriage, divorce, death and kashrut (religious dietary standards). One of the hottest topics is regarding marriage. People want civil marriages and also want th ability not be married by their non-orthodox rabbi.

Then later in the day, we went to Bina, which is a secular yeshiva(place of Jewish learning). When Israel was first created, the founding leaders wanted to create a strong secular Jewish society. This initial idea from the founding of the State only came to fruition for some in a negative rather than a positive way after the assination of Yitzchak Rabin. When Igal Amir, a u Jew, assinated Yitzchak in 1994, he did so claiming he did this in the name of religion. This turned many secular Jews away from any connection they had to Judaism.  For some it meant they would have to find their own non-Orthodox path to Judaism In reaction to this, many secular Jews, primarily from kibbutzim, founded Bina in 1996 with a focus On learning and social action and only later did it become a yeshiva.

Currently Bina has 200 students in their Tel Aviv location, 30 in the Jerusalem location, 40 young Israelis who take a gap year before the army and 10 international students who take a gap year before college. In addition, there are many secular Israelis who go to Bina while serving in the army to strengthen their Jewish Identity. There are also post college programs and many programs for the greater community. Many people are attracted to this program not only because of the intense and well rounded education, but also because they are attracted to living in South Tel Aviv.

When  by others why the mechiniks (young adults before their army service) are engaged in this year they  respond that the are living in South Tel Aviv , Everyone is either shocked or surprised as Southern tel aviv is populated primarily by  migrant workers and refugees from south Sudan, Eritrea and parts of Asia. This neighborhood is poverty stricken and has high crimes rates as a result of the influx of immigrants. It is a  very "undesireable neighborhood.   Yet, serving such a poor neighborhood is considered a fulfillment of the Jewish passion for tikkun olam, world transformation. With the emphasis on social justice, the students learn about Judaism through the lens of social justice and implement those teachings into their surrounding neighborhood.  With the creation of Bina and the spread of learning thoughout the secular community, there is more grey now. Now there are secular Jews who are connencted to Judaism but not through the conventional sense.

The extreme powers the that chief rabbinate has, upsets many people. The members of Bina have acknowledged that the reason for the homogenous group in charge is partially because many secular Jews have rejected Judaism. Instead of distancing themselves from the seemingly flawed religion, they are beginning to lead a revolution of embracing Judaism throughout the seculular community in Israel.

Women in Israel is a topic that has been discussed multiple times during AFUWOFI lectures.  Today, the second last day of our trip, just as the second day after we arrived, we had a stimulating discussion about women with Hannah Soltz Aharony, specifically about women's health and education.  Hannah is a representative of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, and explained to us both the struggles of all women in Israel, as well as the Federation/Cleveland Jewish community role in improving this situation.

Some questions and answers coming out of the dialogue::

Q: Why do Israeli women seem less independent/free than men?

A: A lot of the reason women tend to hold less leadership roles than men are is the traditions of that woman's culture.  In many religions, including Judaism and Islam, women tend to stay in the home.  They are the head of the family at home, taking care of every person before herself and ensuring that everything runs smoothly.  Meanwhile the husband is the ambassador to the larger work world.  Though traditions are important in a family and a person's connection to their spirituality and ancestry, it is important to empower these women.  Society needs to change their perspective of the role of women.

Q: How many women are there in Israel?

A: There are 2,900,000 women in Israel.  Over the age of thirty, there are more women than men.

Q: What is the life expectancy of women in Israel?

A: The average length of a woman's life in Israel is 83.4 years.  Though the man's is lower at 79.7, this is the 2^nd highest rate in the world, where as the woman's is 9^th.  This is because the women take care of everyone in the family before themselves.  In addition, women go for check-ups less often.  Finally, particularly in relationship to Israeli minorities (Arabs, ethiopian jews, etc) there is more sickness due to a lack of education about many different aspects of health, mainly nutrition.

Q: What needs to change in respect to women and health?

A:  There are three things that need to change in order to improve the current worsening condition of women in Israel.  First, policy.  Medical services need to be more accessible to women throughout Israel, especially in communities such as the Bedouin communities.  Second, the education of service givers needs to be upgraded.  Right now, the medical field approaches diagnosis in a unisex way, leaning toward symptoms men usually have when contracting a disease.  Nurses need to be educated about the symptoms of women versus men in diseases such as heart disease.  Third, the women themselves need to change and become more responsible for themselves..  Women need to become aware about the situation that they are in, and they need to gain knowledge about how to grow out of the situation.  Many women have no higher education and no knowledge about health and, especially, nutrition.  These women need to gain knowledge about these concepts in order to improve their own health, as well as their family's health.

Q: What is the Federation doing to help?

A: The Jewish Federation of Cleveland has a huge role (in giving time, money, and supplies) to many women-oriented organizations in Israel.  These are just a few:

1.     One in Nine: This organization helps breast cancer patients.  It raises the number of women going for regular mammograms in the ultra-Orthodox community, which is currently a small number due to many traditional reasons.

2.     Community Center Association: This organization uses women leadership to promote women's health in Jerusalem within the ultra-Orthodox community.

3.     Hadasah Tipat Halar: This is a program which teaches nurses about women's health (including nutrition and physical activity).  This way, the nurses can pass on this information to their female patients, who can make use of it for both themselves and their families.

4.     Yasmin in the Negev: This organization promotes the health of Bedouin women.

5.     There are many groups which help disabled women among the Arab and Jewish communities with dealing with issues such as low self-esteem and abuse.

At the end of our conversation, an interesting inquiry came about:

Q: Why has every person who has come to talk to us mentioned the ultra-Orthodox and Arab communities?

A: These two communities are the fastest growing groups of people in the nation. .  Because of this, members of these communities need to be empowered and educated about many different concepts.  In this way, they can live healthier and more successful lives.  Also, it is important to the country to educate these groups as lots of taxes goes to their national health insurance.  It is cheaper to educate them and prevent the disease than pay the medical bills.

It is obvious that the women's health issue is a complex one, with no simple solution.  Just as every issue in Israel, the end does not seem to be clear or near.  However, it is because of organizations such as the ones funded by the Jewish Federation of Cleveland that bring us closer to this achievement of overall health improvement in women.  When you, as members of the Cleveland Jewish community, donate money to the federation, you help better the lives of a countless number of Israeli women, and that is priceless.