Congregation B'nai Israel - Sacramento

07/07/2025

01/09/2025

URGENT ACTION NEEDED: B’nai Israel’s sister congregation, Congregation Kodesh ve’Chol, desperately needs our help.

Rabbi Galit Cohen-Kedem and her congregation have been working for 15 years to create a vibrant center for Reform Judaism in Holon. They have created a day school and a community but are also in need of a place to be able to meet for Shabbat and holidays.

For the last decade they have worked and negotiated with the Holon municipality to receive a land allocation to be able to build a synagogue. There are 80 orthodox synagogues and numerous Orthodox prayer groups all operating in public buildings in Holon but there is not even a single Reform, Conservative or Reconstructionist synagogue. A few years ago, after overcoming numerous bureaucratic hurdles and court orders Kodesh ve’Chol finally secured an agreement for an allotment of land to build a synagogue.

Now the municipality is backtracking, canceling the allocation for political reasons rather than addressing the needs of its residents. The mayor of Holon, Shai Keinan is violating a court ruling by blocking the construction of a synagogue for the city’s Reform Jewish community. This blatant disregard for the law is driven by his election promise to the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, as he continues the discrimination against the liberal public in the city.

City Hall must remember that municipal lands are public resources, meant to serve all communities, including Holon’s pluralistic and democratic residents.

Our sister congregation needs us now. Email the mayor of Holon today and demand that he honor the agreement, reinstate the land allocation to Reform Congregation Kodesh v'Chol, and help build a pluralistic future for the city!

CLICK ON THIS LINK: https://drove.com/.2N8Y, personalize your message, sign it and share this message with others!

Then send the email to the Israeli Consulate of San Francisco and let them know that American Jews care about a pluralistic Israel [email protected] .

If we want an Israel that reflects our values, we have to help those on the ground who are working to create a more just and pluralistic Israel day in and day out. Helping Kodesh ve’Chol is what we can do today. In the weeks to come please look for more information about the upcoming World Zionist Congress elections and how we can make sure that funding in Israel is directed to the organizations that we believe in.

Shalom,
Rabbi Mona Alfi

See the video below and hear Rabbi Gilad Kariv speaking at the K’nesset in defense of Congregation Kodesh ve’Chol.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0e35avOvmRK1LN4qRgLQa79zw

1 Video

05/31/2023

So grateful to the community leaders who came out to support us. We can not let white supremacy win over our country. We must all stand up for each other. Thank you to the Federation for facilitating our coming together.

Religious and community leaders in Sacramento took a stand against antisemitism and hatred by speaking out in a news conference before Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

05/26/2023

Hi everyone! 🌟 You can support our synagogue by sending Stars - they help us earn money to keep making content you love.

Whenever you see the Stars icon, you can send me Stars!

05/02/2023

Mental health is an issue of great importance to me. Throughout my rabbinate I have seen the steady rise in the mental health crises that is gripping our country. When I first became a rabbi I had no idea how much of my rabbinate would be dedicated to working with families and individuals not only providing support during a mental health crises, but also in helping them find resources to help them.

If you can walk with B’nai Israel’s team this Shabbat morning to help raise awareness for the issue, that would be wonderful. If you can donate to our team so that NAMI can provide resources to those who need it. That would be great. If you can do both, even better!
-Rabbi Alfi

I'm supporting NAMI!