Statement from the Reform Movement: Israel’s Election and a Moment for Moral Courage
Israelis went to the polls on Tuesday in record numbers, with turnout reaching 77.7 percent , the highest since 1999. Now comes the hard part: making sense of what the electorate has decided.
Many Israeli and Diaspora Jews hoped for a clear repudiation of the politics and priorities of the past four years. While the current government did not receive the support of the majority of Israelis, there are still votes to be counted and coalitions to be formed, and an alternative government seems difficult to establish. As of this writing, both major blocs are assessing their pathways to leadership, and analysts expect coalition negotiations to take weeks, perhaps months, with another round of elections as a real possibility.
As the various political parties try to mediate the competing claims of this defining moment, the Babylonian Talmud offers guidance to those working through a complex but critical communal dispute.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa says: It is a mitzva to mediate a dispute, as it is stated: “Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates” (Zechariah 8:16). Is it not that in the place where there is strict judgment there is no true peace, and in a place where there is true peace, there is no strict judgment? Rather, which is the judgment that has peace within it? You must say: This is mediation, as both sides are satisfied with the result… Sanhedrin 6b:6-7
How Israel’s parties form a coalition is for Israelis to decide. Our love and commitment to Am Yisrael and Medinat Yisrael will outlast any election. If the outcome deepens our concerns, we will not step back, because Israel needs more from us now, not less.
If you feel disappointed, you are not alone. It does not make you any less committed to Israel, but reflects how much you care. North American Jews carry real anxiety and real attachment at the same time. We are holding the pain of October 7th, the ensuing war, and rising antisemitism here at home. Many of us have also spent years watching an Israeli government pursue policies that do not align with either our vision for the Jewish state or Israel’s own founding principles.
And yet, this election was a powerful statement about the vibrancy and diversity of Israel’s democracy. Millions of citizens, including a record number of Palestinian citizens of Israel, fulfilled their civic duty and made their voices heard at the ballot box. That participation must be celebrated rather than demonized. Parties outside the current governing coalition, which has presided over increasingly polarizing and extremist policies, won a majority of the seats. Israeli citizens even flew home from North America to take part, and we are proud of them. A democracy is only as strong as its citizens’ ability to participate in it, and Israelis showed how seriously they take that responsibility. Whatever coalition emerges, that robust turnout belongs to the story, and so do we.
This is also not only a foreign news story. Israel and the Diaspora are co-creators of the global Jewish community, and our fates are interconnected. What happens in Israel, whether on issues of religious expression and pluralism, the economy, or the military, lands in our home communities. It shapes how millions of Jews experience Judaism and how the next generation relates to Israel. Leading up to this election, Israeli Reform congregations experienced attacks at the hands of other Jews, our Reform rabbis still cannot perform a legally recognized marriage in the Jewish state, and the creation of an egalitarian section at the Kotel was agreed to by the Prime Minister and then shelved. These are not minor religious disputes; they speak to the same issues of democracy and equality that so many Israelis turned out to defend.
The coming weeks and months may force political leaders to join in coalition with people and parties they promised not to. Nobody knows what this will look like, but in moments like this, alliances shift and old assumptions break down. It takes moral courage, agility, and creativity to meet them. We will continue to pay close attention to what any emerging government commits to, advocating for religious pluralism, equality, and democracy.
For years, people on the ground in Israel have been organizing toward a political reality that embraces these values, including our sister movement, the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, and its advocacy arm, the Israel Religious Action Center. We are proud to partner with and learn from them.
As North American Jews, we are not just watching from the sidelines. More than 2,000 Jews from around the world have signed the Reform Movement’s letter calling for a strong, shared Israel-diaspora relationship, and if you haven’t added your name, you can still do so . In addition, our World Zionist Congress bloc has moved significant funding from the Settlement enterprise and toward pluralistic institutions. And through our camps and youth programs, tens of thousands of North American young people build direct relationships with Israelis who share our values. This past summer, we welcomed a record number of Israeli staff to our summer camps, who bring with them a deep commitment and passion for Jewish Peoplehood and Zionism.
This moment isn’t only for leaders and negotiators. As coalition talks unfold, it asks something of each of us, too. Start by learning about the people doing this work. Ask your congregation to bring IRAC and IMPJ into your community through a speaker, a study session, or a partnership.
We want what we have always wanted: an Israel that is Jewish, democratic, and pluralistic, and a peaceful resolution that guarantees security, self-determination, and dignity for both the Israeli and Palestinian people. Our partners in Israel need us to help them further that vision.
The coming weeks and months will test Israel’s leaders. They will test us, too, to stay engaged, committed, and hopeful.
!עוד לא אבדה תקוותנו Our Hope is Not Lost!
Union for Reform Judaism
American Conference of Cantors
Central Conference of American Rabbis