Our community’s ongoing connection to Israel is grounded in real, living relationships and partnerships with communities and teachers who share our values, challenge our thinking, and join us in striving for a better future. Join us on the second Thursday of each month for Torah from Israel, with each session led by one of BJ’s Israeli partners, bringing their own unique wisdom and perspective.
This month, go beyond the headlines and hear firsthand reflections from BJ’s Israeli partners about the October election. Ronen Koehler and Rabbi Dotan Arieli will give us an ‘inside look,’ sharing their analysis as leaders in different areas of Israeli public life, and helping us understand what the election’s results can tell us about the state of the country.
Ronen Koehler is a lay leader of BJ partner Beit Tefila Israeli in Tel Aviv. His experience includes over 40 years in the Israeli Navy, including 17 years as an active service member and 20 years in executive leadership at two of Israel’s IT flagship companies: Check Point software technologies and Outbrain. Since January 2023, Ronen has been a leader in the Brothers and Sisters in Arms social movement, which is one of the prominent movements in the Israeli civil protest. Brothers and Sisters in Arms changed its focus on October 7 to become the largest civil aid group in Israel.
Rabbi Dotan Arieli joins us from BJ partner HaMidrasha at Oranim, where she is the director of Nigun Nashim at the Elga Stulman Institute for Judaism and Gender, and the head of Leshma, an educational program that promotes gender equality in pre-army programs and beyond. She is a group facilitator in Jewish and gender identity workshops and teaches in programs sponsored by Israel’s Joint Council of Pre-military Academies, the school system, and women’s organizations, and officiates at egalitarian Jewish lifecycle ceremonies. She lives in Kibbutz Sha’ar Ha’amakim, where she serves as a spiritual leader.
