A remark by Supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy that the court’s decisions are not subject to rabbinical approval went straight to the heart of the matter, with irate haredi demonstrators declaring that if they had to choose between the court and their rabbis, the rabbis always would come first.

Just when we thought Orthodoxy/ultra-Orthodoxy (there is now very little daylight between them) in Israel couldn’t sink any lower, it manages to plumb the depths and occupy new moral and spiritual low ground.

Previous generations of Jews of all persuasions could manage to put 100,000 Jews onto the streets for the sake of civil rights and desegregation in the US, or for the sake of peace in the Middle East.

This generation, increasingly dominated by an Orthodoxy that appears to more of a set of a-moral rituals than a major religious stream, seems to determined to outdo previous generations in the number of Jews it can galvanize into a demonstration or a riot. To what end, one may ask? For the sake of such worthy values as desegregation or peace? Not quite. Orthodox Judaism demonstrates and protests in favour of segregation. Not between Jews and non-Jews, or between Jewish men and women, as with previous protests, but between Jewish children and other Jewish children; between so-called Ashkenazi and Sephardi children. Between those of supposedly European descent and those of mainly Middle-Eastern descent.

(In the absence of dissenting voices, I assume that these demonstrators speak in the name of Orthodox Judaism as a whole.)

Zionism’s founding generations are turning in their graves at this unspeakable picture; at the sight of a massive protest IN FAVOUR of discrimination along racial lines similar to that which led to the destruction of European Jewry, this while survivors of that Holocaust are still among us.

Assuming that unequal abilities at school could simply be accounted for by race (oh wait, not “race”; “culture”), why doesn’t the doctrine of “kol Yisrael arevim zeh ba-zeh” (all Jews are responsible for one another) apply here? Why are these paragons of Jewish values not clamouring to help bring their Sephardi brethren “up to their level”, instead of trying to keep them in their place?

Only one question remains: in practice, how do they distinguish between Ashkenazi and Sephardi children, between white and non-white? Do they use the SS model and demand proof of Ashkenazi ancestry back to 1750 (or 1948?). Or do they use the looser South African Apartheid model and take the decision based on the appearance of the child?

I am somewhat saddened (although not particularly surprised) by what has become of Orthodox Judaism. I am even more saddened by what it is doing to Judaism and the Jewish People as a whole, and what is doing to our greatest common treasure, the State of Israel. It is now becoming clear how Israel will end in this century; not with the bang of Iran’s missiles, but with the whimper of the excrement-filled diapers hurled by the ultra-Orthodox, a fitting metaphor for what they bring to Israel.

Sixty-two years after the prophecy of [Herzl’s] Altneuland was realized, we, the generations of those who established the country, know very well that Israel’s salvation did not come from prophets or from diplomats,” said Rivlin, “but from those who dared to stop dreaming and start realizing the dream; in the hands of those who stopped waiting for the establishment of Israel and made the dream a reality.

What a silly, silly thing to say! Herzl was all about diplomacy. Zionism needed equal parts diplomacy and hard work in order to succeed. If not, then why do we still celebrate the Balfour Declaration, the San Remo Conference, the Mandate for Palestine and or United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 (United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine) and regard them as Israel’s founding documents?

If “[daring] to stop dreaming and start realizing the dream; […] [not] waiting for the establishment of Israel and made the dream a reality” were enough, then why didn’t we declare our state in 1939, instead of in 1948, when it was too late for 90% of European Jewry? Maybe diplomacy carries a little more weight than Rivlin imagines.

In the last few years (and particularly since Netanyahu’s unholy alliance took power) we have begun to realise just what diplomatic isolation can mean for a country such as Israel.

Let’s celebrate Israel’s achievements, but let’s not fool ourselves that blood, toil, tears and sweat would have been enough. Without the diplomatic groundwork (Herzl’s “Charter”), it would have all been for nought.

Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, the largest synagogue movement in the county, is calling on Israel to enact a construction freeze in parts of Jerusalem.

He issued the call during remarks to rabbis and members of URJ’s board of trustees on Thursday:

The Union for Reform Judaism, like most American Jewish organizations, supports a united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty. This means that we believe housing units constructed in Jerusalem by Israel are not settlements and they are not illegal. But a great many things that are legal are not prudent or wise – and building in Arab sections of Jerusalem in the current political climate is one of those things. 

This decision to build in eastern Jerusalem is one that is not supported by any Israeli ally, including the United States and Canada. I see no reason why Israel should renounce her claim to all of Jerusalem as Israel’s eternal capital, or her right to build anywhere within Jerusalem’s borders. But there are many reasons why Israel should consider a temporary moratorium on all such building. Such a step would strengthen relations with the United States at a moment when those relations have been frayed; it would be greeted enthusiastically by other strong and loyal allies, such as Canada, that were angered by Israel’s recent action; it would demonstrate a firm commitment on Israel’s part to the American-sponsored peace negotiations; and it would, potentially, breathe life into those negotiations and turn the attention back to where it is most needed — moving forward to a lasting, meaningful peace. Nothing should divert us from this goal.

Wow, this one certainly brought all the proponents of “butch” Judaism and Zionism out in full force. I notice that the knee-jerk response in many of the most vituperative comments is to immediately delegitimize Rabbi (yes, Rabbi) Yoffie and Reform Judaism in general. Reminds me of the haters’ attempts to delegitimize Israel, and about as effective.
So, because Rabbi Yoffie doesn’t live in Israel, serve in the IDF and pay (Israeli) taxes, he has no right to comment on the actions of Israeli politicians? The Israeli government says and does things every day that profoundly affect the lives and safety of Jews everywhere. Rabbi Yoffie (and indeed every other Jew in the Diaspora) absolutely has the right to openly agree or disagree with these acts or statements, whether Israel or Israelis like it or not. The days of the Diaspora simply being a cash cow for the Zionist enterprise are over; it’s about partnership now.
Rabbi Yoffie has no right to speak on behalf of Reform Judaism? I agree with less than half of his public pronouncements, but as the duly appointed head of the URJ, I respect his right to speak on behalf of Reform Judaism in the US. Everyone in Reform Judaism is free to agree or disagree, even to the point of attempting to replace him or leaving the organisation.
Rabbi Yoffie should limit his pronouncements to matters of religion? He is not a pulpit rabbi, who must stay away from politics lest he offend members of his congregation; he is the head of one of the major Jewish religious streams in the US. The boundary between politics and religion is an artificial one; our religious obligations affect the political choices we make. In Israel, ultra-nationalist Orthodox rabbis have been a major driving force behind the Settlement Enterprise, and every religious party has its so-called council of “Torah Sages” (what a sick joke).
Nowhere did Rabbi Yoffie question the right of Jews to live in East Jerusalem; he questioned the wisdom of such steps right now. I see nothing wrong with Israel taking steps to avoid snubbing its single greatest ally, the US. This is simply common sense.
I see little reason for the Diaspora to rally behind a united, undivided Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel when Israel itself is so notoriously bad at setting and observing red lines. We know of at least 2 occasions in the last couple of decades where Israeli leaders have been prepared to compromise on Jerusalem for the sake of peace negotiations. There’s no reason to believe the future will be any different. (Also, if Israel hasn’t been able to “digest” East Jerusalem in the last 40 years, there’s no reason to believe it can do so now.)
Finally, while the settlements may not be the main obstacle to peace between Israel and its neighbours, peace is simply not possible until Israel ends the settlement process.

10- A Libyan government delegation recently arrived in Turkey for discussions on the import of 100 million cubic meters of water annually to the North African country. Sources in the Turkish Energy Ministry say if an agreement is reached on the export of Turkish water to Libya, it will preclude the possibility of exporting water at the same time to Israel. According to reports, Libya is planning to buy large quantities of water from the project set up by the Turks on the Manavgat River. Over the past decade, Turkish companies and businessmen have invested some $150 million in the project which has so far not been put into operation. The governments of the two countries were due to jointly seek shipping companies that could transport the water to Israel. The Water Authority is believed to be in favour of importing water from Turkey, as a supplementary measure to water desalination, despite the high cost involved. However, the Finance Ministry is said to be opposed since the price of imported water would be about 80 cents per cubic meter, as opposed to 50 cents for desalinated water. A Foreign Ministry official in Jerusalem said the two sides had made headway in the negotiations and were currently working on two contracts, one between the governments and the other with the water carrier. Further information on EMWIS website.

Perhaps this will put the final nail in the coffin of a somewhat unrealistic idea; importing water from Turkey by tanker. Israel can then focus its attention on the realistic and the achievable; a massive investment in desalination (coupled, of course with my Med-Kinneret Canal proposal!).

In these places with state-supported synagogues and Hebrew schools, Jewish children are taught that there is only one kind of Judaism.  They see - at public events where the leaders of the Jewish community have a role - only Orthodox rabbis.  Adherence to Orthodox Judaism is sanctioned and institutionalized by nothing less than the state.
 
In these cities and countries, then, is it so surprising that these young people see the only alternative to practicing Orthodox Judaism as leaving Judaism?  Only if they have been fortunate enough to have stumbled across some Progressive Jews, they may find their way to a new minority community and, as we have seen over and over again, find their own sacred place.

On the URJ Facebook page, this blog post was referred to under the title “the struggle of Progressive Judaism worldwide”. Here in South Africa, we have often witnessed the efforts of organised Orthodoxy to deligitimise and sideline Reform Judaism, so I can relate to what’s being said.

I’ve attempted to summarise the issues and some possible responses below. I hope that a coordinated approach along these lines will eventually find a place on the agenda on the WUPJ.

Issues:

- Access to funding from all levels of government
- Appropriate representation on Jewish community bodies
- Access to Jewish community resources
- Exclusion from community publicity and inventories, e.g. schedules of congregations
- The perception (both within and outside the Jewish community) that only one form of Judaism exists; Orthodoxy (the Big Lie of Authentic Judaism)

Possible responses:

- Set up a dedicated Equal Time response team within the WUPJ to tackle these issues, country by country, both proactively and reactively
- The response team should include legal, communications and PR specialists, and should work closely with progressive communities in the affected countries/regions
- Pressure the responsible government entities to provide funding for the progressive community on the same basis as for Orthodoxy
- Demand appropriate representation on Jewish communal bodies and access to community resources, or set up parallel institutions for the alternative streams of Judaism
- Campaign to ensure that progressive Jewish resources (e.g. congregations, schools, camps, etc.) are included on databases or inventories of overall Jewish resources, e.g. on Jewish community Websites
- Publicise and advocate to raise awareness that Judaism is not monolithic or monocultural; that many forms exist and all should be embraced (in the same way that Christianity embraces many churches). This should be addressed to both the Jewish community and the wider audience

This will require funding, which is unlikely to be available immediately. The main thing, however, is to identify and prioritise the issues, identify a range of responses, draw up a budget and begin looking for funding. In the meanwhile, the issues will have to be addressed reactively, on an ad-hoc basis and mainly by the communities concerned.

It’s difficult to think of which countries are not (at least to some extent) affected by these issues (with the exception of the US and possibly the major English-speaking and Western European democracies). It certainly applies to South Africa and Israel, with Israel being a special case.