The public is invited to a free Israel Forum at Congregation Beth Torah on Sunday, July 23, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Rabbi Javier Cattapan and Rabbi Scott White will address the history and internal workings of Israeli politics, including the context for the current controversy regarding the authority of the judicial system and the status of the coalition government.
“To state the obvious, nothing in Israel is simple,” Rabbi Cattapan said, “and the internal political situation is made more complex by the absence of a constitution for the state and the conditions which existed at its birth. Agreements were made that have affected the balance of power in ways that I don’t think its leaders could have predicted.”
The rabbis will unpack some of those decisions before taking questions from the audience. A light reception will follow the forum.
The event precedes a 10-month course, “A Fresh Look at Israel and the Mideast,” that Rabbi White will facilitate at Beth Torah beginning in October.
“At 75, Israel is strong enough and secure enough for an objective assessment of its handling of the ongoing conflict with Arabs, inside its border and out,” Rabbi White said. “We’re meeting from 5:30 to 7 [p.m.], so I’m inviting people to bring dinner. We’ll schmooze about current events for the first half hour, then immerse ourselves in the history and current status of the 100-year conflict.”
Rabbi White’s class, meeting in person on the fourth Tuesday of the month, is free and open to the public. Registration is requested by calling the administrative office at (913) 498-2212.
More information about adult education at Beth Torah is available by emailing .
