Jewish organizations around the world have reacted to the current dramatic situation in Israel regarding the demonstrations against the judicial reforms, as well as the toxic discourse as a result of the political complexity.
The Crif, the umbrella organization of French Jews issued a statement on Monday relating to the political crisis in Israel.
"As the crisis in Israel worsens, Crif reaffirms its absolute commitment to the democratic principles of the State of Israel and its unity." The Crif also called on the Israeli government "to suspend the current reform, [in order] to restore calmness and a dialogue [with the Israeli] society as quickly as possible."
According to the Crif, this request of theirs "is in unison with personalities from the right and the left in Israel and the Diaspora. Given the division generated in the entire Jewish world, these are no longer political measures that we should not comment on but instead measures to preserve the unity of the Jewish people."
European Jewish Congress expressed 'deep concern'
In addition, the European Jewish Congress (EJC) expressed its "deep concern at the latest developments in Israel," and called upon "all sections of Israeli society to restore calm and dialogue," according to a statement they made on Monday.
"Committed to the security and prosperity of the Jewish state based upon the values enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, the EJC, representing the national Jewish umbrella organizations of more than 40 European countries, calls upon the government of Israel to immediately suspend proposed legislation on judicial reform," they said.
The EJC added that "the Jewish State is dear to all our hearts, as is the eternal unity of the Jewish People. It pains us all to witness such division, which can only provide succour to the enemies of Israel and the Jewish People. It is our duty and responsibility to request from all our brothers and sisters, of whatever political hue, to stop the division now and return to dialogue before it is too late."
The Z3 Project of the Oshman Family JCC (OFJCC) in Palo Alto also published a statement, saying that it was "founded to reimagine relations between Diaspora Jews and Israel."
According to the Z3 Project, "we have entered a new moment in how we define Jewish Peoplehood, a third iteration of Zionist ideology that we call Zionism 3.0. For the last decade, we have worked to inaugurate a new era in which our two centers of Jewish life – in North America and in Israel – have a voice in each other’s choices based on our shared heritage and common destiny, and grounded in communication built on mutual respect and shared values."
"At Z3, we believe our role is to promote a stronger relationship between Diaspora Jews and Israelis, not by being partisan, but by convening diverse voices that cross political and religious divides, and bringing them together for learning and dialogue," they said. They concluded that "for the sake of our shared legacy and common destiny, we call on Israel’s leaders and our partners among Diaspora Jewry to work together to de-escalate and resolve the current crisis in Israel."
The Jewish Federations of North America alongside the Conference of Presidents, the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee also released a statement: “We welcome the Israeli government’s suspension of legislative consideration of judicial reform measures.
“The last three months have been painful to watch and yet a textbook case of democracy in action. We respect the political leaders, business executives, community activists, cultural figures, and ordinary Israelis who took to the streets, exercising their love of country, and their passion for democracy.
“As a next step, we encourage all Knesset factions, coalition and opposition alike, to use this time to build a consensus that includes the broad support of Israeli civil society.
“Israel’s political leaders must insist on a more respectful tone and debate. A hallmark of democracy is public consensus and mutual consideration.
“The Conference of Presidents, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, and the Jewish Federations of North America will continue to confer with Israel’s governmental and civic leaders to ensure that the views of American Jewry are represented in the discussion. We are confident the resilience of Israeli democracy will successfully overcome the tremendous challenges it faces.”