Miri Gold is the first non-Orthodox rabbi in Israel to have her salary paid by the government.^[1] She was born in Detroit, but in 1977 she immigrated to Kibbutz Gezer along with other North Americans.^[2] When the founder of the kibbutz's congregation (Kehilat Birkat Shalom) left, Gold began leading High Holidays services and preparing children for bat mitzvahs and bar mitzvahs.^[3] Gold entered the Reform movement's Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in 1994, and was ordained in 1999.^[4] At the time she was paid by the congregation, since the Israeli government did not recognize non-Orthodox rabbis.^[5] Gold petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court in 2005 to change this, and in 2012 a ruling by the Israeli attorney general granted her request.^[6][7]