Supporting Israel

dedication to the holy land

Congregation B’nai Israel is committed to supporting Israel through our own Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA) committee, which supports Reform/Progressive Jews and Judaism in Israel. We often host speakers and programs that help us continue learning about and keeping Israel in the forefront of our minds. CBI also provides yearly trips to Israel, including our Congregational, Confirmation, and March of the Living Trips. Additionally, Rabbi Silvers is actively involved in the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and encourages our members to become involved and attend the AIPAC Policy Conference each year.

If you would like to know more about how CBI supports Israel, please contact Joanna Horowitz.

ARZA

Join the Movement

The Association of Reform Zionists of America or ARZA is the single largest supporter of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism (IMPJ) and the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC). ARZA also provides educational materials about Israel and Zionism for Reform congregations, assists in bringing Reform Jews to Israel, and provides pre- and post-trip programming for congregations and individuals in order to enhance their Israel experience.

The cost to join is just $50 per household (or $18 for students and young adults ages 11-21).

Please support ARZA by including the ARZA dues with your membership payment.

For more information about the ARZA group at CBI, contact Susi Glatt.

march of the living A life-changing experience

For two weeks every spring, as many as 15,000 Jewish teens and adults from around the world meet in Poland on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day. They come together to march in solidarity on a 3-kilometer walk from Auschwitz to Birkenau concentration camps. The actual March of the Living on Yom HaShoah is a silent, deeply emotional tribute to all victims of the Holocaust. Participants spend a week in Poland visiting sacred memorial sites, as well as places of former and current Jewish life and culture. The experience in Poland is profound, as participants learn what was lost but also they get to observe how the small Polish-Jewish community is beginning to flourish again today. It is the march from Holocaust to Rescue, with the trip culminating in Israel to observe Yom HaZikaron (Israel Memorial Day) and Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day), a grand day of celebration which includes a second, joyous March of the Living from the Jerusalem Municipality Complex to the Western Wall.

Each year, students and adults from CBI join March of the Living on this spiritual journey.