June 6, 2013
http://wordfromjerusalem.com/?p=4678
The pivotal breakthrough which
now seems likely to oblige Haredim to share the burden in terms of
conscription and gainful employment, heralds a belated and dramatic
review of the relationship between the State and Religion. The question
is whether these changes will intensify the trends towards divisiveness
and polarization or lead to mutual understanding and national unity.
So far, the hysteria and
sensationalism surrounding secondary issues such as the Women of the
Wall brouhaha continues to be blown totally out of proportion. There is
surely madness in the air to have women, including prominent secular
activists affiliated with the far left Meretz party, gathering for
prayers at the Kotel, wrapped up in traditionally male tallitot (prayer shawls) and in some cases wearing tefillin (phylacteries). It provide ingredients for a slapstick comedy.
There are of course also
genuine followers of Conservative and Reform Jewish streams who reject
traditional gender separation and are accustomed to egalitarian prayer. A
small number of traditionally observant women also attend
halachically-based women’s services which are not totally egalitarian
but are still frowned upon by most Orthodox rabbis. And prior to 1948,
men and women were not separated at the Kotel.
The case against this agitation
is that the bulk of the 10 million Jews who pray annually at the Kotel
are, at best, uncomfortable and in many cases distressed and outraged at
being disturbed during prayer by women they consider to be acting in
breach of the tradition in which they were nurtured.
It is all very well to insist
on minority rights which, under ideal circumstances, should apply. But
human behavior and especially religious sensitivities of the majority
must also be taken into account. It is unlikely that ‘Women of the Wall’
would flaunt their independent approaches to worship if they knew that
they were offending Christian or Muslim worshipers.
Indeed, the Israeli authorities
have taken sensitivities to the most absurd and extreme level by
actually denying Jews the right to worship on the Temple Mount at any
time and at any location.
The number of active Reform and
Conservative Jews residing in Israel is minimal and thus, until
recently, the average Israeli was disinterested or bemused by these
protests.
However, the issue exploded
after Israelis were shocked by the excessive reaction of the Israeli
police who, pressured by the ultra-Orthodox, arrested and jailed women
for wearing prayer shawls at the Kotel. The ugly and offensive Haredi
demonstrations at the Kotel also created a furor and received such wide
international media coverage that the issue was transformed into a major
Israel-US diaspora confrontation. Public opinion obliged the Prime
Minister to intervene, which led to the acceptance of the Sharansky
proposal to extend the Western Wall plaza to include Robinson’s Arch
specifically to provide access for the ‘Women of the Wall’ to gather and
pray as they desire.
Had both factions to this
dispute not deliberately polarized the situation, we would have been
spared this pain and ridicule. Had the women prayed quietly, with or
without tallitot,
the authorities should have ensured that they be left in peace. Had the
haredim ignored the women and avoided these confrontations, there is
little doubt that, in the course of time, at least the secular leftist
political activists would simply have stopped “praying” at the Kotel.
The ‘Women of the Wall’ issue
also gained public support because it became perceived as yet another
example of efforts by the combined forces of the Haredim and the more
right-wing religious Zionist elements to impose their stringent
interpretations of Jewish law over the entire nation.
Many Israelis also, mistakenly,
bracketed this issue with recent efforts to impose gender separation in
transportation, public functions and in some cases even in the streets.
The current attempts to enforce prohibitions against listening to a
woman singing and the separation of the sexes - even in some sections of
Bnei Akiva, the religious Zionist youth movement - was never the
approach of mainstream Judaism by even the most revered former orthodox
rabbinical leaders such as Chief Rabbi Herzog, Chief Rabbi Goren or
Rabbi Soloveichik.
Needless to say, extremists on
both sides are elated that this Kulturkampf is polarizing the country,
despite the fact that it encourages mutual loathing and intolerance and
deepens the chasm between the Orthodox and nonobservant.
It is clear that the increasing
rigidity and efforts by the ultra-orthodox to impose their standards on
the entire nation, combined with the failure of their rabbis to
encourage their students to carry the burden of the draft and earn a
livelihood rather than being dependent on state welfare, has alienated
the nation against them. They are now often perceived as selfish,
obscurantist, and unwilling to share the burden of civic
responsibilities.
On the other hand, there is no
denying that many of those graduating from the secular school stream,
are utterly ignorant of Judaism or its practice and could be well be
described as Hebrew Canaanites. Much of the ignorance of Jewish
tradition amongst non-observant Israelis is due to the failure of the
Education Ministry to include Jewish heritage in the mainstream
curriculum. Alas, many rabbis have even preferred to have secular
students educated in a totally atheist environment rather than have
Jewish tradition taught in a non-orthodox environment. And in contrast
to the outreach approach of diaspora Jews, Israeli children from
non-observant homes are discouraged from enrolling in the state
religious school stream.
In the early years of the
state, graduates of the secular stream were at least proficient in
Tanach (Biblical studies) but after a number of Meretz ministers headed
the Education Ministry even this was substituted by greater emphasis on
Third World studies and more contemporary subjects.
The appointment of Rabbi Piron
as Minister for Education is likely to restore and infuse Jewish values
and heritage into the secular educational system. His track record
indicates that he will avoid coercion or attempts to enforce religious
belief or observance. The Tali system created by the Conservatives is a
role model which may be emulated.
We are now facing major changes
in the relationship between religion and state. These have the
potential of either intensifying the polarization which has been
dividing the country or alternatively creating an environment in which
Jewish values will be extended to a much wider section of the Israeli
population. The determining factor will be the extent to which both
sides display tolerance and understanding of each other’s sensitivities
and seek to ease rather than exacerbate prevailing divisions.
I see hopeful signs that we are
moving in the right direction. Over recent years there has undoubtedly
been a greater inclination on the part of non-observant Israelis to
become more closely connected to Jewish traditions and values.
That will only succeed in the
absence of coercion and the recognition that whilst the ultra-Orthodox
are fully entitled to impose upon themselves the most stringent
interpretations of halacha, they will only create division and generate
anti-religious attitudes if they seek to impose their way of life on the
entire community.
The writer’s website can be viewed at www.wordfromjerusalem.com.He may be contacted at ileibler@leibler.com
This column was originally published in the Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom
Some of my recent articles:
Claims Conference gets deeper in the Mire (June 2, 2013)
Peres, Abbas, and Kerry: Fantasies and Realities (May 31, 2013)
A Global Tsunami of Anti-Semitism (May 28, 2013)
Claims Conference Leaders must Resign Now! (May 22, 2013)
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