Anat Hoffman - Activist in Residence Weekend

“If You See Something, Say Something”

Friday, April 20, 6:30 pm

An invitation to speak up when Israel strays away from its own declared vision. Israel’s Declaration of Independence ensures social and political rights to all of Israel’s inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; and a country that will safeguard the holy places of all religions. There are instances where Israel goes off course. What should diaspora Jews do? In this presentation Anat will suggest an action guide for the perplexed.

“Resilience and Resistance - Keeping the Struggle Alive”

Saturday, April 21, 9:00 am

Teaching Torah Study

What does it take to fight for Tikkun Olam for 30 years? How to find patience for a marathon in a world that is running sprints? It takes resilience to make Israel (or any other homeland) live up to our values and goals. What is resilience? You can get some too.

“Between the Stones and the Hard Place”

Sunday, April 22, 9:00 am

Presenting the Struggle of “Women of the Wall”, a group of Israeli women, who seek the right for Jewish women to conduct prayer services, read from a Torah scroll while wearing prayer shawls, and sing out loud at the Western Wall - Judaism’s most sacred holy site.

Anat Hoffman

Anat Hoffman, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center, guides IRAC in its work to promote Jewish pluralism, tolerance, and equality and to combat racism, corruption, and religious coercion. During Anat’s tenure, she also expanded IRAC’s mission to go beyond the courts and the Knesset, and to engage in helping people directly through social action.

      Previously, Ms. Hoffman served as a Jerusalem City Councilwoman for 14 years, carving out a niche for herself as an untiring warrior for justice and equality. She has dedicated her adult life to the Jewish principle of Tikkun Olam. It is this commitment to social action and justice that has formed her career.

      In a city where women are traditionally consigned to a subordinate role, Ms. Hoffman led in the battles for the right of women to pray at the Western Wall and for women’s equal pay for equal work. Ms. Hoffman pushed relentlessly for the provision of adequate municipal services for the more than 200,000 Palestinian residents of Jerusalem. She has fought long and hard to see that the powerful Orthodox bloc in the City Council does not dictate lifestyle choices for the secular population of Jerusalem. Significantly, too, in a city split by religious differences, she has fought tirelessly for religious pluralism.