The images coming out of Israel earlier this week seemed to offer a different, more somber version of the gathering I had attended. On Monday, the government’s coalition in the Knesset approved a provision that removed the Supreme Court’s authority to determine if a government decision is ‘reasonable’, popularly known as the ‘reasonableness clause.’ Most Israelis saw this clause as an important element of checks and balances to ensure government coalitions didn’t make decisions that unreasonably preferenced certain groups or minimized the role of others. While most agree that elements of the Israeli judicial system could benefit from some ‘reforms’, the months of protests seem to represent an awakening among Israelis that the government’s strategies for implementing such reforms don’t align with most Israelis’ understanding of how Israel’s democracy should operate.
Each week, a member of the clergy offers their personal perspective on a topic of their choice, such as the week's Torah portion, aJewish holiday, ritual, custom, or history.
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