Yom Ha’atzmaut Workshop with Rabbi Andy Bachman – Israeli Politics and the Current Crisis

Israeli Politics and the Current Crisis:  A Conversation About Where Things Stand Today 

The current Israeli government’s judicial reform crisis has captivated the attention of observers all over the world. While the disagreements over judicial reform are currently on hold, we have an opportunity to examine the parties and players and understand where things stand in the broader context of how Israeli parliamentary democracy works. As Israel prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary of Independence (Yom Ha’atzmaut), join us in this informative session for a look at how Jewish and Arab parties represent their agendas and what role Palestinians, Americans and others play in the day-to-day challenges of Israel.

Rabbi Andy Bachman is founder of Water Over Rocks and the Center for Midwestern Jewish Communities, a unique entity devoted to the preservation of history, memory and civic responsibility.  He is also Senior Consultant to the Jewish Community Legacy Project.  From 2018-2022 he was executive director of the Jewish Community Project of Lower Manhattan, a growing, open, pluralistic center for Jewish life in Tribeca.  He was Senior Rabbi at Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn, New York from 2006-2015, executive director of the Edgar M. Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at New York University from 1998-2004.  He is also the founder of Brooklyn Jews, an innovative social organizing engine for young, unaffiliated Jews and their partners in Brownstone Brooklyn. Andy currently lives in Portland, ME, and is father to three daughters, Audrey, Lois and Minna and a dog, Bob Capa.