Joining tens of thousands of Israelis in Jerusalem on Monday to protest against the abrupt and profound changes proposed to the Supreme Court, was inspiring.  Even more so was to join members of the Reform Movement in Israel at that demonstration –. the head of the Reform movement, former Canadian Yair Lootstein, who joined us at Holy Blossom Temple a few months ago, the chair of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) staff, rabbis, congregants. My daughter Rebecca, who made Aliyah more than a decade ago, was also at the demonstration with a group from her law firm. Like many other firms in Tel Aviv and HiTech companies, her firm rented a bus to bring its members to the demonstration in Jerusalem.

My Israeli friends appreciated the presence of a Reform Jew from abroad.  I said to them over and over, no, it is I who thank you: for all you are doing to ensure that the rights of Reform Jews in Israel are preserved, and to ensure that our shared values are protected.

The image which stays with me from that demonstration is the sea of white surrounding the Knesset and the roads which approached it. That sea was made of innumerable Israeli flags. Those flags symbolized the deep love of the demonstrators for their country and their belief in its institutions. At a time when it is easy to be cynical or dispassionate, these people chose to stand up and engage. Our support for our Israeli Reform brothers and sisters, our love of Israel undeterred by the difficulty of this moment, should be felt by them as they stand up for our shared values and protect Israeli democracy.