By Rabbi Dow Marmur
JERUSALEM–Most Orthodox Jews are individuals who wish to serve God in a particular way, often at great sacrifice. I respect them whether or not I agree with them. But there are at least three groups that, though in the diaspora at worst only annoying, are often a menace and worse in Israel. At times they seem to be a potential threat to the Jewish state.
1. Extremists (black hats) who, urged by their gurus and in need of acting out their aggressions and frustrations in the guise of piety, will physically attack those who have different views. Rioters outside a municipal parking lot and a high-tech firm in Jerusalem, both open on Shabbat, are two among many recent illustrations.
2. The political parties that are at best lukewarm toward the democratic process yet will use it cynically to gain concessions for their adherents and try to foist their ways on others. The latest is an attempt in the Knesset to impose stricter laws about the sale of chametz on Pesach. Every government panders to them and buys their support.
3. The so-called national-religious movement (knitted kippot), nowadays often linked to the settlers. An example of its activities can be illustrated by the current tendency to use state-sponsored institutions (hesder yeshivot are in the news) to plant seeds of insubordination in the army and thus threaten the very fabric of the state.
Though these groups are still remarkably successful, together they’ve also created a backlash. Whereas a few decades ago, Israel’s secular majority tolerated religious extremists because it didn’t see them as a menace, and even found it convenient to describe them as the authentic exponents of Judaism – which reassured the secularists to have nothing to do with religion – things have changed in recent years because:
(a) The anti-religious stance of secularists has motivated some of their children to rebel by being “born again” Orthodox. (b) The general climate in the country has moved toward a greater appreciation of Judaism, often manifest as traditionalism, “spirituality” and a desire to study Torah. Happily for many of us, secularism ain’t what it used to be.
The conventional division that Reform Jews encountered a few decades ago when they first tried to establish synagogues and other institutions in Israel was between hostile secularists, whom they couldn’t identify with and who despised them, and equally hostile Orthodox Jews from whom they or their forbears had distanced themselves long ago.
In those days it was customary in liberal religious circles to complain about being ignored by the secularists and abused by the Orthodox as the reason for the lack of progress of Reform and Conservative Judaism in the Jewish state. The new situation has changed the religious dynamics in Israel. Liberal Judaism has become an option.
I spent yesterday at a meeting of Reform rabbis held in the very successful Reform congregation in Modi’in. The agenda included an overview of what’s happening in the movement. I came away greatly impressed by the new spirit and energy.
Existing congregations are growing and new ones are being formed. The impact of Reform Judaism on the education system is increasingly noticeable. Most of the some 60 rabbis who have been ordained by the Hebrew Union College are working in Israel. New initiatives are being planned. And all this at a time of severe financial constraints!
We’ve little cause to style ourselves as victims. Without ceasing to oppose the aforementioned groups and acknowledging the danger they constitute, we’ve nevertheless good reason to strongly re-affirm our hope in a pluralistic and democratic Jewish state.
*
Rabbi Marmur is the spiritual leader emeritus of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto. He now divides his time between Canada and Israel.