The view from Rabbi David and Simone Sofian’s condominium overlooking Modiin

Modern Modiin a foothold for liberal Jewish practice in Israel

By Rabbi David M. Sofian

Have you heard of a place called Modiin? In Jewish tradition we know Modiin is where the Maccabean revolt broke out. Unfortunately, nothing detailed or clear is found in the usual sources about precisely where the place was. We know it was in the vicinity of Lod and the Mishnah tells us it was to the side that borders Judah. Although we may not know ancient Modiin’s exact location, all who know the story of Chanukah remember this place as the home of the Maccabees and after all, that is what matters.

However, the story doesn’t end here. Picking up on the name and of course the story as found in I Maccabees in the Apocrypha, interest grew about creating a modern Modiin. In the 1980s, the internationally-known architect Moshe Safdie drew up plans for such a modern planned city. Modiin was officially established in 1993 and in 1996 the first residents moved in. The growth there was so rapid that already in 2001 it was granted city status. The modern Modiin is located in the general vicinity of ancient Modiin, in a former army firing zone between the Judean Plain and the Jerusalem Hills midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Today there are more than 70,000 residents.

Simone and I spent last summer living in this place, so we got to know it quite well. Since we weren’t tourists we saw things in a new way. We got to know its parks, the stores, its geography, the cable and Internet companies, the gas and electric companies, the real estate tax office and most importantly many of its people.

People there welcomed us as if we were part of their family and they treated us like you should treat part of the family. Most significantly from my point of view, we became part of an incredibly vibrant liberal Jewish community called Yozma. Yozma is an acronym — Yahadut Zimaneinu, Moresht Ha-am — Judaism for our time, Heritage of our People. It also forms the Hebrew word for “initiative” and is Progressive Judaism’s (Reform Judaism’s) congregation in Modiin. I would like to tell you why this place is so exciting and relevant to this time of year.

A Reform presence

Rabbi Kinneret Shirion, a native New Yorker who had made aliyah years before, took the initiative more than 11 years ago to establish a Reform presence there when the city was brand new. And most significantly she understood that the way to do this was not to open another synagogue but rather first to open a kindergarten. She knew that all Israelis care about getting the best education for their kids just as we do. Her plan was to draw regular Israelis into a liberal synagogue community by first attracting them and their kids to a school with the best regular (secular) education.

Once there they would also learn liberal, egalitarian Judaism, something she believed Israelis wanted. This plan worked so well that now a little more than 10 years later, there are six kindergartens and grades up through third, with two classes per grade. There are at least 450 families formally connected to Yozma in one fashion or another. Inspired by Yozma’s name (initiative) there are services every Friday evening and nearly every Shabbat morning to accommodate all the B’nai Mitzvah.

There is a dynamic second rabbi who is a native Israeli, who is the rabbi to the school and assistant rabbi to the synagogue. In addition to the school and services, there is adult education, conversion classes, youth groups, Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation and social action projects.

Even more remarkably, last May, Yozma opened its new pre-fab structure. This initiative was groundbreaking in both senses of the word. It was so because now the land that the municipality had allocated it seven years ago was being developed. But more importantly, it was groundbreaking because it was the first government-funded synagogue structure to be given to a non-Orthodox religious community.

A real home

Due to this new precedent, several more Reform and Conservative congregations are getting similar buildings. Yozma, the synagogue, finally had a real home.

Given my enthusiasm for Yozma I wouldn’t want anyone to conclude that the other forms of Judaism we all recognize are not present in Modiin. There is a Conservative congregation in Maccabeem, which is part of the Modiin municipality. And there are many, many Orthodox congregations reflecting the diversity within Orthodoxy.

As of yet, there are hardly any ultra-Orthodox in Modiin. And based on my conversations with Yozma’s rabbis, they all seem to get along reasonably well. For example, Yozma and the Conservative congregation jointly observed Tisha B’Av together. Also, all three streams cooperated to call a meeting of religious people to discuss how the municipal government could be more helpful to them.

Who knows whether anything will come from it, but sitting down together can only be a good thing.

Modern-day Maccabees

This month we celebrate Chanukah and so our thoughts turn once again to the Maccabees and their home base, Modiin. The Maccabees were so committed to their Jewish heritage that they took the initiative to not let it die. This year as I think about Chanukah, I am thinking about Yozma. Yozma is a place in modern day Modiin where modern Jews are also taking the initiative by being absolutely committed to their heritage albeit understood from a liberal standpoint.

There, they are working valiantly to keep that heritage alive by bringing Progressive Judaism’s liberal Jewish approach to otherwise non-observant Israelis who desperately need it; by attracting those Israelis who need to deepen their Jewish roots; by bringing liberal Jewish education to their children and then to them; by providing a liberal religious worship experience that is attractive and meaningful to modern Israelis. And they are doing this by being committed to bringing liberal religious values to bear on Israeli society at large through social action and humanitarian projects.

In the sense that Yozma is absolutely committed to a thriving Judaism into Israel’s future, they are modern day Maccabees. Simone and I are proud to consider ourselves part of that community.

Rabbi David M. Sofian is senior rabbi of Temple Israel in Dayton, Ohio.