Pluralistic Torah Study in the Knesset Ilana Kraus (Panim) 09.11.2009 Pluralistic Torah Study in the Knesset Ilana Kraus (Panim)   A recent Y-Net video interview spotlighted a unique Torah study environment: the Beit Midrash for Knesset members. Initiated by the Network of Israeli Batei Midrash and MK Zevulun Orlev, Chairman of the Knesset’s Education and Culture Committee, it meets quarterly and focuses on how Judaism relates to topical issues. In light of the current water crisis, the recent session dealt with the topic of asking for rainfall. Fifteen Knesset members, secular and religious, male and female, took part.   The Network placed a large advertisement in Haaretz, which thanked the MKs who attended and invited others to join them. During a week in which the headlines featured sectorial mud slinging as well as assemblies commemorating Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination, this study session and expression of support for Jewish pluralism was a breath of fresh air.   Along with MK Orlev, the Y-Net interview included MKs Anastasia Michaeli (Yisrael Beiteinu), Uri Orbach (Habayit Hayehudi) and even Ayoob Kara (Likud) a Druze, who enjoys Bible study. MK Shai Hermesh (Kadimah) said: “Our generation abandoned the Jewish texts to the religious sector, but we now understand that tradition binds us and belongs to all of us; this opens Judaism up to everyone.”   Indeed, this is the raison d’être of the Batei Midrash Network: to make Jewish culture a living and active component of Israeli society. It incorporates 18 organizations (many of them partners with Panim) from around the country that deal with Jewish-Israeli identity formation. Serving a diverse audience – religious, secular, and traditional; new immigrants and veterans; men and women from all walks of life – they operate a wide range of activities, batei midrash, learning communities, workshops, life-cycle events, seminars for teachers and soldiers, study evenings for the general public, activities for children, families, and schools, training for group leaders, etc.   The Knesset Beit Midrash sessions combine an introductory lecture and text study, with MKs and Network instructors learning together in groups. The Knesset Beit Midrash, with MK’s from different religious backgrounds and different political parties, demonstrates that the study of Judaism belongs to everyone and underscores its significance as the basis for the spiritual and physical existence of Israel.

שבעים פנים לתורה