The first Reform congregation in Israel, Har El, celebrated its 50th anniversary last month. In the beginning, services were held in private homes but with time the congregation acquired a building in the centre of Jerusalem, where its sanctuary and other facilities are now located.

In the course of the five decades, Har El has become part of an expanding movement with some two dozen sister congregations and several institutions that represent Progressive (as Reform likes to call itself here) Judaism in the State of Israel. Membership in this and the other congregations is no longer confined to Ashkenazi Jews from Europe and the Americas. Israelis born in the country, some even of Oriental stock, have joined.

Originally Reform rabbis in Israel came from overseas. Today, most are graduates of the Israel program of the Hebrew Union College. Not all work in congregations. Some do other rabbinic things. For example, one, a high-ranking officer in the Israel Defence Forces reserves, is now in charge of the year-long preparation program for young women and men before they go into the army. Another is a prominent spokesperson of the Israel Religious Action Center, the body that has earned admiration in the country for its social justice advocacy. Yet another is now the president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, the umbrella organization of Reform Judaism. Others again are engaged in academic teaching and related activities.

In addition to the narrow congregational model of the Diaspora, leaders of Progressive Judaism in Israel see the whole of society as their constituency. Yet, it would be boastful and inaccurate to report spectacular successes, despite sure signs of progress. Though many Orthodox groups and some secular ones continue to attack Reform Judaism, nowadays even the outbursts are less frequent and more muted. And most Israelis have become well aware of the presence of Reform Judaism in their midst.

The many bar and bat mitzvah celebrations in Reform congregations, and the weddings often performed by Reform rabbis in Israel, suggests that a growing number of Israelis choose Progressive Judaism. Bearing in mind that many thriving Conservative congregations also exist in Israel, and that the general interest in Judaism outside its Orthodox framework is becoming more visible, an ever-diminishing sector of the population says, in that oft-quoted phrase, “The synagogue I don’t go to must be Orthodox.”

Israel as a whole is the beneficiary, for the lives of many citizens have been greatly enriched and the religious profile of the country as a whole is becoming more acceptable to the majority. There is much to suggest that the next 50 years will make Israel an even more comfortable home for all Jews, irrespective of religious orientation.