[HANASHIR:7917] guitar lead services

[jill <msjill...>]

As a musician and a citizen of Israel, I assure you that all Hotels that
I know and work with   ban the use of guitars and for that matter
microphones on Shabbat as it will in fact jeapordize their hashacha. Its
not a "line".   As understanding as they may want to be, a hotel owner
in most cases would not want to take on the rabbinate and put their
livelihood at risk.  I was surprised to hear of drinks being sold...
with real $$ or charged to the room?    Some hotels may also get around
this if they are staffed by non-Jews, much   like  the "shabbos goy" in
local US synagogues.

There are many of us in Israel working very hard on religious pluralism
and tolerance.  I am a member of a reform  synagogue which meets in a
school for lack of building.  Many of us feel that while we often hear
the outrage of Jews from abroad,  we receive very limited support and
funds in reality.  I have heard many arguments on both sides, but let me
assure you that the average Israeli family can barely make their ends
meet, much less have the needed resources to support building funds.
etc.  Having gone on long enough ( you did ask for our thoughts) if we
are to create change in Israel, it will be at a grass roots level in a
long struggle and within an  understanding partnership from Jews around
the world.  Reform and conservative Judaism will likely  evolve
differently here and it is difficult to import and transplant  that
which has evolved over many years in the US. While I am not endorsing
them,the religious norms in Israel are radically different from the US.

Jill

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Jill Moskowitz
Director North American Desk
Division for Development and Public Relations
Hebrew University of Jerusalem


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