Jerusalem Reform synagogue egged on Rosh Hashanah in second attack in a month

A Reform synagogue in Jerusalem was targeted for the second time in a month when a group of Jewish youths threw eggs at worshippers arriving for Rosh Hashanah services, in what the congregation described as an escalation in a series of attacks on Reform communities in Israel. 

The incident unfolded Sunday morning at Kol HaNeshama in Jerusalem’s Baka neighborhood, on the second day of Rosh Hashanah. The congregation said its security cameras recorded the youths, including their faces. It subsequently filed a police complaint and provided the footage. No injuries were reported.

Debi Shoua-Haim, one of the congregation’s rabbis, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the group had engaged with several members of the community before the egg-throwing began.

“Some of their questions and comments were homophobic and bordered on harassment,” she said. “They were met with openness by everyone they spoke with, and it is unfortunate that this was their response.”

“We see this as an escalation,” Shoua-Haim added.

Congregation increases security

The congregation is increasing security for Shabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath that falls between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, as well as for services on the fast day itself, she said.

“We would have preferred to keep our doors open to anyone who wanted to come in,” Shoua-Haim said.

The latest incident came a month after vandals broke into Kol HaNeshama overnight, smashing a window, entering the prayer hall, damaging artwork and tearing down Pride flags displayed by the congregation. 

Days later, attackers targeted a second Reform congregation, Darchei Noam in Ramat Hasharon, throwing a heavy paving stone through one of its windows. Rabbi Eli Levin told JTA at the time that he viewed the attacks on Reform communities in Israel as part of a pattern of unchecked hostility toward the movement. 

“The attacks on Reform Jews are carried out by hotheaded, ignorant Jews, and unfortunately there is no one in the political and haredi leadership who will stand up and condemn the act,” Levin said. 

The attacks come amid an ongoing fight over the status of non-Orthodox Judaism in Israel. Earlier this year, lawmakers advanced legislation that would effectively bar egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall. Last year, the governing coalition also considered a bill to narrow eligibility for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return by eliminating the so-called grandparent clause, a move vehemently opposed by Reform and Conservative leaders.

Kol HaNeshama has faced other attacks in the past, some of them targeting its support for LGBTQ inclusion. In 2018, a large rock was hurled into its courtyard while more than 200 people were taking part in Simchat Torah celebrations. No one was injured. In June 2023, the synagogue reported two break-ins within several weeks in which Pride flags were torn down, with intruders entering the sanctuary during one of them.

Shoua-Haim said the congregation had not received any update from police on either of the two recent incidents.

Israel Police did not immediately respond to a JTA request for comment on the status of either investigation.

Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism criticizes lack of arrests 

The Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism said the lack of arrests in the recent cases was emboldening further violence.

“This is not a prank. This is violence against Jews for the way they choose to practice Judaism,” the movement said in a Facebook post. “And when there is no enforcement, violence grows.”

Kol HaNeshama said it drew encouragement from support it had received from neighboring synagogues across the Jewish denominational spectrum. A group of south Jerusalem congregations, including Orthodox ones, signed a letter of solidarity with the synagogue. Members of different streams also joined the synagogue for a Kabbalat Shabbat service.

Despite the repeated attacks, Shoua-Haim said the congregation would not change its approach to Jewish communal life.

“We will continue on our path of openness and acceptance of every person,” she said. “We will continue to promote our values and sustain our community.”