Dear Friends,
The first time I travelled to
Israel was in 1975. I spent 6 months as an exchange student when I was in 11th
grade – learning Hebrew, attending the Leo Baeck High School in Haifa, and
travelling the length and breadth of the land.
I spent my first year of
Rabbinical School in Jerusalem. Since I was relatively fluent in Hebrew by
then, and since all students in my class had to pass the same Hebrew
proficiency exam to be able to move on to our 2nd year, I had a
wonderful time playing music with other Israeli musicians, exploring Jerusalem,
and traveling around the country without having to worry to much about academics.
I worked for the Reform
Movement’s youth programs in Israel for three summers during Rabbinical School
– those experiences taught me how wonderful it is to share Israel with others. Sue and I have led over 14 congregational
trips and I have been part of several rabbinic and leadership missions. All in all, I have travelled to Israel over
30 times over the past 42 years.
Each time I travel to Israel
is unique. Whether I am leading a trip, participating in a mission, studying,
or visiting family and friends, I never cease to be amazed at how this country
– still young as it celebrates its 75th anniversary – always finds a
way to leave a mark on my soul.
This last trip was no
different. Even though it was very short
– I was in Israel for a total of 5 days – with two days travelling back and
forth (I don’t recommend this unless you are a fan of Jet lag…), I still was
profoundly impacted by the experience and learned a tremendous amount.
Last week, I was honored to
serve as a delegate to the “extraordinary” World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem.
So, I’m sure your asking yourselves: “So
what is the World Zionist Congress?”
The First Zionist Congress was
held in 1897 in Basel Switzerland. It came about because Theodor Herzl called
for Representatives from Zionist organizations from around the Jewish world to
come to Basel to debate and decide on the future of the Zionist Movement.
At the end of the Congress,
the delegates achieved four concrete outcomes:
· They adopted the Basel Platform
which stated: "Zionism seeks to establish a
home for the Jewish people in Palestine secured
under public law."
· They agreed upon the design form
the Israeli Flag that we know today
· They affired that Naftali Ingber’s
stirring anthem – “Hatikvah – The Hope” would be the national anthem of the Jewish
people, the Zionist Movement and the Jewish State.
· They agreed to give Herzl the
power to negotiate with the Turks, Germans and other powers to help create a
Jewish State
They also agreed that approximately
Every 5 -6 years, another congress would be held.
Today – The main purpose of
the Congress to set forward an agenda for education and allocation of resources
from the World Zionist Organization – and it’s affiliates – including, ARZA, Haddasah,
B’nai Brith, WIZO, WUJS and all political movements in Israel
Elections are held before
each congress. The number of votes
gathered by each affiliated organization determine the number of
representatives at the congress.
AS such – the number of votes
allocated to each movement determines how the budget of the WZO is allocated.
In recent years, progressive
Jewish organizations have done very well in the voting – thereby allocating
funds for educational programs and institutions both in Israel and in the Diaspora
Since this is Israel’s 75th
birthday – and since the last congress was virtual, the WZO executive decided
to have an “extraordinary” congress that was supposed to have been mostly
symbolic in nature
In the past, when asked to attend
the Congress, I couldn’t fit it into my schedule. This year, when I was asked
to represent our movement, I readily agreed – due to its historic nature.
In addition, given the extremist
far-right Netanyahu ruling coalition, and the plethora of proposed legislation
that could, if passed, radically reshape the democratic, pluralistic and Jewish
nature of the State of Israel, Center and Left Zionist groups felt that it was
essential we introduced resolutions that reflect our values and concerns.
My friends, as we all know, Israel
is in the midst of a crisis as we speak. It truly is a liminal moment in
history. This government is attempting
to reshape the face of Israeli Democracy by stripping the Supreme Court of any
meaningful role as a bulwark against abuse.
If the Reforms suggested by
this coalition were to be set in place, the stage would be set for the creation
of an autocracy – similar to what we are seeing in Hungary, Turkey, and other
hotspots of dictatorship throughout Europe.
I do not say these words
lightly – for I truly believe that Israel is facing a critical watershed unlike
anything that has ever taken place over the past 75 years.
By weakening the power of the
court – there would be no checks and balances on the ability of the Government
to enact legislation that would be undemocratic, theocratic and abusive.
In order to gain a ruling
coalition after the last election, Netanyahu has joined forces with far-right
and fundamentalist firebrands like Itamar Ben G’vir, and Betzalel Smotrich – both
of whom have well documented histories of racist, Kahanist, misogynistic anti-LGBTQ+
and anti-Reform Jewish statements and actions.
In addition to plotting to weaken the Supreme court, members of this
coalition have pledged to expand settlement in the West Bank, cut funding to
non-orthodox institutions and organizations in Israel, remove the rights of the
LGBT population, limit the rights of Palestinians and end any hopes for a
two-State resolution of the conflict.
As such – the center and left Zionist groups – led by our Reform movement – both in Israel and the Diaspora, made the strategic decision to submit multiple resolutions opposing the Judicial reforms, protecting the rights of women and minorities, honor and celebrate the LGBTQ communities and censure the racism that has been both implicitly and explicitly stated by members of the Netanyahu Government.
It’s hard to encapsulate the
many experiences I had at the Conference.
Here a few examples:
· Watching with pride as the
leaders of the Reform Movement in Israel and the US challenged the status quo
and refused to be bullied by the far
right
· Marching to the Supreme Court and
holding a demonstration against the Judicial Reforms
· Watching in anger and dismay as
the Likud coalition, after realizing that they would lose the votes on our
resolutions hijacked the Congress by calling for a voice vote – thereby
stopping any possible action due to limitations of time
· The screaming and shouting on the
floor of the congress – with members of the Far Right calling us names and
insulting us
·
(Show Videos of Pride flags and Rothstein
confrontation here.)
During the course of the
Conference, I kept hearing three key concepts upon which the foundation of the
State of Israel was established 75 years ago:
· Judaism
· Zionism
· Democracy
We use these words all the
time – and yet, depending on who says them, they have radically different
meanings.
JUDAISM:
The modern state of Israel is
a Jewish State. It was founded to create both a place of refuge and a center of
holiness, education and innovation for our people – and it has succeeded in
ways that attendees at that first Zionist Congress in Basel - 126 years ago
could never, in their wildest dreams
have imagined.
Israel has produced poets,
artists, scientists, political scientists and, of course, technological
innovation that literally has changed the world. All of these incredible
successes have been part and parcel of our Jewish identity since Israel’s
inception.
And yet, despite Israel’s
many successes, the question of the role of Judaism - culturally, spiritually, and theologically
has become one of the greatest threats to Israel’s stability – and, some even
posit, its survival.
In 1948, David Ben Gurion –
the first Prime Minister, deliberately avoided the question of how to define
the Jewish character of the nascent State of Israel – other than to establish
the Law or Return which immediately granted citizenship to anyone who has
Jewish ancestry; Questions of “Who is a Jew?”, and “How should Jewish life be
recognized, celebrated and defined,” were put off. The Chief Rabbinate of Israel was granted limited,
but significant authority over life-cycle events and Jewish identity, and the
ultra-orthodox community was allowed to segregate themselves from many aspects
of daily life. – including serving in the Israel Defense Forces.
Over the past few decades,
tensions have risen between the secular and religious communities. Ben Gurion’s
refusal to take up the question of Jewish identity is coming back to haunt us
all.
The current government is
attempting to rewrite the Law of Return so that only Jews who fit a narrow
definition of being Jewish would be allowed access to citizenship. This would exclude any non-orthodox converts
to Judaism and anyone who was not born of a Jewish mother. This has severe implications for diaspora
Jewry.
Those of us who live active
and committed secular, Reform, Conservative or Modern Orthodox Jewish lives
could quite possibly find ourselves without a connection to Israel if some of
these Reforms are passed.
ZIONISM
One of the key takeaways from
my participation in the Extraordinary Congress was the realization that, while
all of the delegates and factions present passionately believe in and support
the Zionist ideal of a Jewish State, the lived experiences, expectations, and
relationship to both the land and people of Israel today varies widely.
Many of us grew up with the
image of a State founded upon socialist principles – embodied by the Labor
Party and the kibbutz movement. Leaders
such as Chaim Weitzman, David Ben Gurion, Golda Meir and others represented the
triumph of the pioneering spirit that rose out of the ashes of the Shoah and
built a nation born out of suffering that would shine as a light to the Nations
– an example of strength and resistance to the Anti-Semitism that plagued our
people throughout our history.
But, while the founders of
Israel were mostly White, Ashkenazi Jews, today’s reality is different.
Sephardic and Mizrachi – North African – Jews, who – for generations were
relegated to 2nd class status in Israel, today have a powerful
political, spiritual, and social voice. Although the pain of the Shoah
resonates throughout the land and is a central canon in Israel’s history, it is
not a universally shared experience. Those Jews who came to Israel from Morocco,
Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt and other places throughout the Levant had their own
generational trauma. Jews from Ethiopia
and, to a large extent, the Former Soviet Union also are raising their voices
and political clout. The image of the White, Ashkenazi kibbutznik politician is
part of history – and, until recently, the Left has been in decline.
This plays out in multiple
arenas. The left wing of Israeli politics is largely Ashkenazi and, until
recently has been overshadowed by populist, anti-Arab and Anti-Palestinian
sentiment. Those who came from countries led by authoritarian leaders often can
find comfort in electing what they know.
DEMOCRACY
Israel is a democratic
country. Full Stop. And yet, the process
of governing in Israel looks very different than what we imagine takes place in
America.
· It’s messy
· It’s loud
· It’s passionate – there’s a lot of
yelling
But Israeli Democracy is
under attack. 75 years ago, after the State was established, war immediately
broke out. Ben Gurion wanted to avoid the messiness of dealing with the
Orthodox and Israel did not have the luxury of setting up a constitutional
convention. To this day, there is no Constitution. The Declaration of
Independence and the basic laws that govern Israel have served as a sort of
Interim foundation for governance. The
only checks and balances that currently exist to prevent authoritarianism from
taking hold has been the Supreme Court – which is now threatened by the
far-Right wing that is in power.
It is for this reason that,
for the past 16 weeks, hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens have been
marching and demonstrating in the streets of every major city in Israel –
demanding accountability and fighting back against what can only be called an
attempted coup – an assault on the Democratic freedoms upon which the Jewish
State was founded.
While I was in Israel, I
attended the pro-Democracy demonstrations in Tel Aviv with 200,000 other
protestors – it’s remarkable that after 16 weeks, the protests have gained
strength – with the only hints of violence coming from the far-right wing
It is clear that, along with
the shouts of the Demonstrations, the voice of Diaspora Jewry is also being heard.
The current Israeli Government has been put on notice that the Jews of the
Diaspora will not remain silent and that we care about what happens in Israel
Tonight, I am asking that our
community join with people of conscience around the world who love and support
the State of Israel and let our voices be heard to uphold Democratic and Moral
principles.
The best way to do this is
to Support the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism - our voice in Israel – that is on the front
lines of fighting for Democracy, Jewish Values and a vision of the Zionistic
ideal that sees a strong Israel – at peace with her neighbors and upholding the
human rights of all citizens – and those under occupation as well.
AS you leave services
tonight, I’m asking you to pick up a postcard (Show slide) with a QR code that links to
the website of the IMPJ. They need our
voices and they need our financial support as well.
While the situation on the
ground is filled with uncertainty and tension, you need to know that I left Israel
feeling hopeful. The passions that have inflamed the country show the divisions
that are intense and worrying. At the same time, however, the ongoing
demonstrations also show that people care, deeply, about the
future of Zionism, Judaism and Democracy.
I want to conclude by sharing one more short video clip. This was taken on Ibn Gavirol Street in Tel Aviv – shortly after the huge Demonstration had ended., We were walking home and suddenly stumbled upon a large crowd standing, waving Israeli Flags and singing. I looked up and saw, in the balcony of a 4th floor apartment, a young musician and his friends had set up a PA system and were playing Israeli folk songs. There were about 1,000 people in the street – and they were all singing along. Here is a the last song we sung…. [SHOW VIDEO OF HATIKVAH]
Hatikvah means “The hope”. I
left Israel feeling hopeful – but people are so passionate – not only about confronting
the tensions in Israeli society, but building on the 75 year legacy that
brought us to this place. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done, but
I am convinced that the current upheaval will pave the way to a new era of healthy
governance, leadership and, with the help of God, peace.
