Ah, the thrill of victory . . .
and for the other team, a record triple-play - wow what a sports night for Cleveland!
I am re-posting (with permission of course!) an entry from BZ at Mah Rabu. I found this so compelling and very well written. It articulates what I have been feeling but have been unable to put into words. I feel enormous tension between being both a die-hard supporter of the existence of Israel and an active Reform Jew married to a rabbi whose Jewish marriage ceremonies are not recognized as legal by the Israeli government. Would it be great if the government began to recognize Liberal Jews as legitimate (or even actual Jews)? Sure. But why would we want to be part of a system that appears to be corrupt, riddled with nepotism and favoritism? Would we get sucked into the religious bickering, infighting and scandal that seems to be the modus operandi of the current system? Read BZ’s excellent post below, and share your thoughts.
As Israel prepares to celebrate 60 years of ambiguity in this department, it’s been a big week for issues of religion and state. And here’s the latest news:
Israel’s Reform Jews dedicated the first non-Orthodox synagogue to receive state funding on Monday, after a long court battle that accented the rift among streams of Judaism in Israel.
The Reform Yozma congregation fought for the better part of a decade for state funding equivalent to what Orthodox congregations receive. After arguing their case twice before the Supreme Court, they got what they wanted: a prefabricated, two-room building on a plot of land in the center of Modiin, a new town between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
“This is a substantial step in recognizing different streams of Judaism in the state of Israel,” said Rabbi Kinneret Shiryon, who leads the 240-family congregation. The government has long funded Orthodox synagogues, even paying rabbi’s salaries.
The Reform movement is trumpeting this as a huge victory. And I can see why it would feel good to finally get a piece of the pie. But I’m not feeling so great about it. I want to see a thriving liberal Jewish culture in Israel, but I fear that this development, insofar as it sets a precedent, is dangerous for liberal Judaism in the long run. (And if it doesn’t set a precedent, then it’s an insignificant anomaly.)
Yes, there are some potential positive results, even for those of us who want to see separation of church and state in Israel. The Supreme Court ruling could set a legal precedent that leads to other rulings weakening the Orthodox monopoly over government functions (e.g. government recognition of non-Orthodox Jewish marriages, or even better, establishment of civil marriage), and could sow seeds of chaos among the Orthodox factions (e.g. if they can’t countenance being part of an apparatus that funds Reform Jewish institutions, and decide to take their ball and go home) leading also to the weakening of state-sponsored religion. But these outcomes seem indirect and unlikely.
Suppose this ruling isn’t a freak occurrence, but rather leads to further funding of liberal Jewish institutions. Then a more likely outcome is, at best, that the Reform movement will find itself in the role of propping up a corrupt system. Yes, the Reform movement might continue to pay lip service to separation of church and state, but deep down, it’s going to have a vested interest in the continued existence of the institution that gives it its funding, so the Reform movement will wake up one morning and find itself allied with the forces of antidisestablishmentarianism.
At worst, the Reform movement itself will become part of the corruption. As liberal Jews, we can read every day in the newspaper about the unethical activities of the Orthodox establishment, and pat ourselves on the back for being untainted by these transgressions. But the real reason that liberal Judaism has steered clear of this rampant corruption isn’t because liberal Jews are congenitally predisposed to be better human beings, but simply because we haven’t been in power. The purpose of laws and governments is to protect us from the darker side of our human nature, and likewise, one purpose of separation of church and state is to protect us from the perversion of religion that inevitably occurs when religious authority is entangled with political authority.
Our tradition is full of warnings about the dangers of mixing religion and state. In the ancient Israelite monarchy, the king was NOT the religious authority; the prophets (who transmitted the words of God) were independent from the king, and were free to criticize the king openly when he went off the right path. One reason the rabbis of the Talmud couldn’t stand the Hasmoneans was because they combined the priesthood with the monarchy, leading to corruption in both religion and government. And it is the prophets and rabbis who are our models today, not the kings.
And now in our time, the Israeli rabbanut has become a latter-day Hasmonean dynasty. If the Reform movement wants to maintain its moral authority, it has to steer clear of this system. A great and knowledgeable prophet (in another tradition) once warned that “all knowledge seeming innocent and pure becomes a deadly weapon in the hands of avarice and greed”. The motive of promoting liberal Judaism in Israel may seem innocent and pure today, but if it becomes entangled with the political authority that has thus far been under Orthodox monopoly, it will become just another deadly weapon.
Taking the high road and avoiding getting mixed up in the mess of established religion seems to me not only to be more moral, but also more convenient. Despite this groundbreaking ruling, the Reform movement’s quest to get government funding for more synagogues is going to be an uphill battle. Instead of starting this fight for funding, wouldn’t it have been a lot easier to just declare victory and go home, and score points with the public by saying “We don’t want any of your dirty money”?
It is no coincidence that liberal Judaism has prospered the most in the United States, where separation of church and state is enshrined in the Constitution. And it is no coincidence that the US is one of the most religious countries in the world, while European countries with established churches have populations that are apathetic to religion, and most Israelis are more interested in New-Age spirituality than in Judaism. Religion is most successful as a moral voice when it is decoupled from coercive governmental authority and patronage machines, and the liberal movements in Israel should be leading the fight to make that a reality, rather than simply trying to be admitted to the club.
As Israel celebrates 60 years, we can dream about what Israel can and should be. I want to see an Israel where Jewish culture is the majority culture (Jewish holidays are national holidays, Hebrew is spoken, etc.) and Jewish values are actualized (society doesn’t stand by while its members are living in poverty), but religion is not legislated or funded by the state, and people are equally free to pursue any religion (or no religion) and any religious stream without government interference.
So the EK kids and I are doing this crazy multi-state “cousins tour,” and I was driving through Connecticut today on my way down to NYC from Boston. I have never seen such gas prices in my life. And, apparently, the people who live in Greenwich are very entitled to all of the highway, and use their horns liberally to tell you so.
And I lived in NYC for a long time, and drove all over the city, and I have NEVER, EVER in my life seen drivers like in Boston. I will say that it even tops Israel, which is saying A LOT.
But other than interstate/city driving issues the trip has been fabulous and fun and my kids are just the best damn travellers on the planet. We’ll be home on Sunday, and I don’t want to think about going back to work!
Hope everyone else is having a lovely holiday!
I will try to do both memes over the weekend!
According to the EmaPizza, who is below me anchored to both me and the floor, I am about 20ish feet up the wall.
Nice close up, don’t you think? This is what happens when you give a 10 year old a camera. You get a lot of pictures of your butt. Thanks alot, EK Son #1 and PizzaSon #1. Now everyone can see exactly how much Graeter’s ice cream I have eaten :-)
Not my best side ;-p
ME: When you asked me to sign my son up for choir, you and I had a conversation that because I don’t have a nanny, and I don’t have a spouse who is home regularly, it might be hard for me to get my son to lots of concerts at night unless we knew far in advance. So tonight, there is no way I am going to find a sitter at this late hour for the other 2 children, and my little one is in bed at 7pm. And even if I could get him TO the concert, I certainly wouldn’t be able to pick him up at 9pm, as both other children will be asleep.
Choir Director: Well, where’s your husband? [CD knows what he does for a living]
ME: Teaching Hebrew high school until 9:30. Again, since we didn’t know in advance, it is pretty hard to rearrange that. This is really frustrating because I feel like my son is being put in the middle, especially since we spoke about this in January when I signed him up. Perhaps next time you could send home a flyer or call in addition to the email, just in case someone doesn’t get it.
CD: Well this is really problematic, because he has a huge solo, and him and 3 other 4th graders are featured in the concert.
ME: Wow. Ok, so what if those 3 other kids didn’t get an email? How do you know they will be coming?
CD: I sent home an email to everyone, it’s not my problem if no one gets it. Look, at this point the performer in me says “The show must go on,” so I guess if I have to pick up your son and take him home that is just what I will have to do.
[note: there is no way on God's green earth I am letting my son get into a car with this woman]
ME: Um, I don’t think that’s a good idea, especially since you don’t live anywhere near us and that seems like a huge imposition. AND it’s not really the point. The drop in communication is the point. I am really frustrated because, again, my son is in the middle here. Not to mention his father would actually like to see him perform and will probably be rather angry as he cannot rearrange his schedule at this late hour. We both of course want to support him, as would his grandparents. I’m sure he’d like us here. I don’t think I should have to jump through hoops to make this happen. This is the third time something like this has happened this year, and I don’t think it is fair to me or my son.
CD: Oh, well, I guess that’s your decision I mean if you aren’t going to let him be in anything that is your decision.
ME: I don’t think that’s what I said. This is not about what I will and won’t let my child do. This is about you being a professional and following up on your communications with parents, and taking responsibility when the ball gets dropped. This is not a huge school with 50 kids in the choir you have keep track of. There are a grand total of 4 fourth graders, and 11 3rd graders. So don’t make this about me.
[note: I'm getting a little pissy at this point]
CD: Well parents in this school have got to take some responsibility themselves. Everyone wants everything handed to them on a platter - everyone thinks they’re entitled to be served because they write some checks.
[note: this is a private Jewish day school and most people pay a majority of the tuition. you're damn right I expect more.]
ME: Ok, this is not productive. I will make every effort to get my son and our family to the school tonight for this concert, and in the future I would appreciate you making sure you have every choir family on the email list, and please follow up with a flyer.
POST SCRIPT: not one of the 4th grade families got an email. the other kids showed up only because I called their parents at 4pm in the afternoon upon having this “exchange” with the choir director. When they expressed their frustration to her, they got the same response. While I do not expect every single thing “handed to me on a platter” because we pay tuition, I certainly expect a different level of professionalism and attention from a small, private school than I would expect from a large, public school.
HUH?????
Actual conversation I had with the school choir director:
ME: So, my son called me on my cell phone at lunch to tell me there is a choir concert TONIGHT at 7:30. Did I miss a flyer?
CD: No, I didn’t send one home.
ME: Ah, did I miss the phone call?
CD: No, I didn’t call, I sent an email.
ME: Oh. I definitely did not get an email.
CD: Well, I can’t help it if not everyone checks their email.
ME: Oh, I check my email. I have a Blackberry. My email checks me. I for sure did not get an email. Are you sure I am on your list?
CD: No.
ME: Um, so how do know if the email got sent to me?
CD: I don’t.
?????
