May 18, 2026
Again and again, including during the recent war with Iran and Hezbollah, you have demonstrated your support for and commitment to the Jewish State.
Following the ceasefire, political machinations have continued and we are writing to inform you about important developments regarding the coalition’s Kotel Legislation, which threatens those who pray in an egalitarian fashion at the Egalitarian Kotel with a seven year prison sentence.
The legislation which passed a preliminary reading in the Knesset plenum earlier this year is scheduled now to be discussed at a Constitution, Law and Justice Committee hearing on May 20th. We at MERCAZ are working closely with our allies and partners across the Conservative/Masorti Movement and in Israel to make our voices – your voices – heard at this hearing and to stop this legislation from moving further forward before elections later this year. We are grateful to the over 13,000 of you who signed our Conservative/Masorti petition against the legislation – but with this hearing on the horizon, we are asking for your help in spreading this petition further so we can collect even more signatures and strengthen our position before Israeli legislators. Our communities have stood by Israel these trying past few years – and this legislation threatens to undermine the crucial bond between Israel and Jewish communities around the world.
Please share this link with your communities, neighbors, family and friends as well as on social media. You can read more about this legislation and its consequences in this piece here by WZO Vice Chairman Dr. Yizhar Hess.
Thank you for your continued support. Together, we’ll continue to stand up for a Jewish and democratic Israel that’s safe and a welcoming home for every Jew.
Rabbi Hillel Skolnik, President, MERCAZ USA
Margo Gold, President, Masorti Olami
Rabbi Debra Newman Kamin, President, MERCAZ Olami
Rabbi Mauricio Balter, Executive Director, MERCAZ Olami and Masorti Olami
Dr. Yizhar Hess Vice Chairman, World Zionist Organization