2024 marks Orly Erez-Likhovski’s 20th anniversary with IRAC. Since joining in 2004 she has become a leading civil rights attorney in Israel and has spoken out prolifically for democracy, equality and pluralism in Israel.  We reflect on Orly’s time at IRAC and the work that she has led us in doing!

• January 2008: Arguing the case that would eventually declare gender segregation on buses illegal, just one day before I gave birth to my son!

• May 2012: Winning the case on behalf of Rabbi Miri Gold which set the precedent for the State to fund Reform rabbis for the first time.

• 2016: The inauguration of the first Reform synagogue funded by the Ultra-Orthodox Religious Services Ministry.

• 2018: Fighting the Nation-State Law in an attempt to insert the principle of equality into the law.

• 2019: Appearing before the Central Elections Committee demanding the disqualification of racist candidates from running for the Knesset, a horrible experience during which right-wing MKs cursed me and screamed at me, and convincing the Supreme Court to disqualify candidates for the first time in 30 years.

• And, of course, taking to the streets against the judicial coup in 2023 and speaking at pro-democracy rallies in Haifa and Jerusalem under the banner, “In the name of Judaism, we will protect democracy.”

The last five months have been some of the most difficult that we have experienced. But especially in such dark days, it is all the more important to look back and appreciate the incredible progress of the past two decades. Together, we have come such a long way since 2004 - in the recognition and proliferation of Reform Judaism in Israel, the immense public support for freedom of religion, the widespread understanding of the importance of women's rights and the need to oppose exclusion of women from the public sphere, and the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.

Over the last year, the current government challenged us with an unprecedented confrontation over Israel's democracy, which simultaneously taught Israelis and Jews all over the world how important our struggles for the soul of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state are.