Rabbi Dov Lipman
One of the highlights of our trip was talking this afternoon with Rabbi Dov Lipman. A native of Silver Spring, Maryland, Rabbi Lipman made aliyah after serving as a school chaperone for the high school where he was a teacher. He was so inspired by the trip that he felt the need to live in this place permanently. While he had made up his mind, he was quite nervous to tell his Bubbe, a Holocaust survivor, that the family would be moving across the ocean. But when she picked up the phone, her first response was to say the Shehechiyanu. Thinking about the call still gives him chills.
Rabbi Lipman noted that getting settled in Israel at the beginning was not easy. And yet each day he felt more comfortable. His first political act came as a response to what he saw in his neighborhood of Beit Shemesh. One day he saw signs that had been pasted around the city that said, "Women should not walk in clothes that are immodest." He felt that it was not appropriate for people to attempt to control how women dress, so one night he went out and spray-painted over all of the signs. The next day, though, new signs came out. This series of events happened three total times. And then one day he went out and spray-painted over only the words "that are immodest." That left a sign that said "women should not dress in clothes." And sure enough, the signs disappeared.
Rabbi Lipman's humor and energy coursed through the presentation. In 2012, he volunteered to work on the Yesh Atid campaign led by Yair Lapid. While an Orthodox rabbi himself, Lipman feels that it is important to protect certain issues in civil society for all Israelis and Lapid was an inspiring figure. The two met for an hour and Lapid noted that they agreed on 70% of the issues. He ultimately asked him to be the 17th seat on the Yesh Atid slate (each party makes a list of 120 seats that could potentially be in the Knesset. The allocation of seats depends on the percentage that the party gets of the overall vote).
After a whirlwind 2-month campaign, Yesh Atid ended up getting the second-most votes in the Knesset and 19 seats, putting him in the Knesset, a shocking reality for the recent immigrant. But with that came a letter that said that a Knesset member cannot also be a citizen of another country. A person who hung an American flag outside of his door throughout his life, this was particularly painful. He went to the embassy and stood in front of the official and had to state word for word that he renounced his citizenship. And while this was tough, this was his opportunity to serve in the government of a state that the Jewish people had dreamed of for thousands of years.
In the Knesset, Lipman was the first member in history to use the language allowance for Hebrew lessons! More than the language itself, his colleagues also needed to teach him some Israeli mannerisms, particularly how to be aggressive and insert himself into discussions, which was far from his first instinct.
Lipman is proud of several of the laws he was involved in drafting, including beginning the process of limiting the use of plastic bags in Israeli supermarkets. He also ensured that those who are taking care of seeing-eye dogs are able to take them on public transportation, an essential part of their training. He noted that because of this relatively mundane law, 25% more dogs pass their test and are able to aid people with visual impairments.
Rabbi Lipman's passion for Israel was electric and he demonstrated how a person's hard work can pay dividends not only for that person but for a whole society. His conviction and passion will stay with us for a long time.
Rabbi Lipman noted that getting settled in Israel at the beginning was not easy. And yet each day he felt more comfortable. His first political act came as a response to what he saw in his neighborhood of Beit Shemesh. One day he saw signs that had been pasted around the city that said, "Women should not walk in clothes that are immodest." He felt that it was not appropriate for people to attempt to control how women dress, so one night he went out and spray-painted over all of the signs. The next day, though, new signs came out. This series of events happened three total times. And then one day he went out and spray-painted over only the words "that are immodest." That left a sign that said "women should not dress in clothes." And sure enough, the signs disappeared.
Rabbi Lipman's humor and energy coursed through the presentation. In 2012, he volunteered to work on the Yesh Atid campaign led by Yair Lapid. While an Orthodox rabbi himself, Lipman feels that it is important to protect certain issues in civil society for all Israelis and Lapid was an inspiring figure. The two met for an hour and Lapid noted that they agreed on 70% of the issues. He ultimately asked him to be the 17th seat on the Yesh Atid slate (each party makes a list of 120 seats that could potentially be in the Knesset. The allocation of seats depends on the percentage that the party gets of the overall vote).
After a whirlwind 2-month campaign, Yesh Atid ended up getting the second-most votes in the Knesset and 19 seats, putting him in the Knesset, a shocking reality for the recent immigrant. But with that came a letter that said that a Knesset member cannot also be a citizen of another country. A person who hung an American flag outside of his door throughout his life, this was particularly painful. He went to the embassy and stood in front of the official and had to state word for word that he renounced his citizenship. And while this was tough, this was his opportunity to serve in the government of a state that the Jewish people had dreamed of for thousands of years.
In the Knesset, Lipman was the first member in history to use the language allowance for Hebrew lessons! More than the language itself, his colleagues also needed to teach him some Israeli mannerisms, particularly how to be aggressive and insert himself into discussions, which was far from his first instinct.
Lipman is proud of several of the laws he was involved in drafting, including beginning the process of limiting the use of plastic bags in Israeli supermarkets. He also ensured that those who are taking care of seeing-eye dogs are able to take them on public transportation, an essential part of their training. He noted that because of this relatively mundane law, 25% more dogs pass their test and are able to aid people with visual impairments.
Rabbi Lipman's passion for Israel was electric and he demonstrated how a person's hard work can pay dividends not only for that person but for a whole society. His conviction and passion will stay with us for a long time.
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