Meeting Our Sister Synagogue

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Alan & Ann Lippel, Rabbah Lastreger and Lou Hammerman. Photo: Nick Levitin

Last night, over dinner, about 35 members of Shomrei met Rabbah Nathalie Lastreger (“Rabbah” is the Hebrew term for a woman Rabbi) the spiritual leader of Minyan Mishpachti Masorti (Masorti Family Minyan) a congregation in the northern Galilee village of Kfar Vradim, Israel.  “Masorti” (Hebrew for “traditional”)  is the name for the Conservative Movement used outside the United States.  Accompanied by congregants and congregational leaders from Minyan Mishpachti Masorti, Rabbah Lastreger recounted her personal journey from an Orthodox Rabbi’s wife to becoming a Masorti Rabbi herself.  She described in detail many of the challenges facing women Rabbis as well as non-Orthodox religious institutions in the state of Israel. In Israel, only orthodox synagogues and Rabbis are recognized and receive state funding. Marriages, ordinations, and conversions (among other things) performed by non-Orthodox Rabbis are not recognized.

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Open Discussion: Israel and the Diaspora

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Shomrei is establishing a partnership with a Masorti community in Israel through a program called Rav Si`ach (“open discussion”). The community is Minyan Mishpachti Masorti (Masorti Family Minyan) a congregation in the northern Galilee village of Kfar Vradim. Their new rabbi is Rabbah Nathalie Lastreger who will visit Shomrei the evening of Wed. Feb. 22. We’ll have a discussion and dairy dinner. Cost $10 per person (to cover food cost) RSVP Here by Feb 18.

Rabbah Nathalie will be in the States at the end of February. She is excited about meeting the Shomrei community in person so as to begin our relationship on a more personal basis.
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