Steven Brown responds to ‘Israel is in Danger of Losing American Jewry’
To the Editors:
| Rabbi Waxman may well be correct in her assertion that Israel is in danger of losing American Jewry, but her premise that ethno-nationalism is bad for Jews everywhere puts her in direct conflict with more than 6 million Israeli Jews, secular and religious. Unlike the United States, which was founded as a liberal democracy, Israel was founded as an ethnic democracy. Israel’s 1948 Declaration of Independence clearly demonstrates that the two countries were founded for different purposes.
While it pains Rabbi Waxman that the secular Jews of Israel, whom she views as natural allies, fail to support liberal Judaism, there is no real reason why they should be natural allies. Other than lack of halachic observance, there are few cultural similarities. The non-Orthodox Judaism of which she speaks exists mainly in English speaking countries. In the rest of the world, including Israel, one is either Jewish or not, religious… or not.
There is a saying among many non-observant Israelis that the synagogue they DON’T go to is Orthodox. Thus, many view heterodox demands for religious change at holy sites (like the Kotel) as nothing more than the imposition of a foreign practice. Similarly, the seemingly greater concern for Palestinian welfare than for Israeli security is not going to endear you to Israelis, secular or not. As a reminder, it is the secular (and religious) Zionists who send their kids to the IDF.
This is not to say that the secular agree with much that the Rabbanut says and does. In fact, the difficulty in converting, and the monopoly on marriages and divorces is very much a pain point for them. It will likely result in deep civil discord until a workable solution is found. But appealing to them to change Israel from the Jewish State to an American version of a state with a lot of Jews is never going to succeed. |