* A Reform congregation near Tel Aviv broke ground on a synagogue building. Congregation Darchei Noam, with 400 members, began construction June 13 near the Herzliya-Ramat Hasharon border. The groundbreaking comes after an 18-year battle to secure land from the local council, which had refused to grant land to a non-Orthodox congregation. The battle went to Israel’s High Court of Justice, which ruled in favor of the congregation. Only Orthodox congregations receive government funding in Israel, while Reform and Conservative congregations depend on donor support. There are 27 Reform congregations in the country.
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