In a special Tuesday session of the House of Torah Study for Knesset Members, headed by Education and Culture Committee Chairman Zevulun Orlev, leaders from the Jewish Federation of New York took part in Torah study with Knesset members. They studies the importance of contributing to society. Knesset members who participated included Danny Danon (Likud), Yaakov "Ketzaleh" Katz (National Union), Shlomo Molla (Kadima), Avraham Michaeli (Shas), Yohanan Plesner (Kadima), Anastasia Michaeli (Yisrael Beiteinu) and more. Texts included the Bible and commentary by the Malbim, Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch, and Rabbi Benny Lau. "Today in the House of Torah Study for Knesset members secular and religious, members of different ethnicities and different ages, and they all came together for an hour of learning united around a shared text to which everyone gave from his wisdom and outlook," said MK Zevulun Orlev (Jewish Home), chairman of the Education and Culture Committee. "In the Bible," he said, "word contribution is mentioned only in a positive context. To our dismay, in our days we need to also speak about 'illegal contributions' an idea which is an oxymoron, but to our shame has flipped into being part of the reality of Israeli politics."
