Reform Jews in the U.S., and maybe Canada, too, are making headlines in Israel because they have the nerve to disagree with the religious establishment in the “Jewish” state.
The “religious establishment” — the haridi Super Jews — have a strangle hold on everything that touches on a life event in Israel —weddings, birth, conversions, divorce, death, and burial.
Representatives of the Reform movement went to Israel’s first prime minister — following his retirement from the Knesset — belatedly challenging his apparent caving to the haridim on a number of subjects — the wall, stipends for yeshiva “boys,” exemptions from military and national service, and control of all life events (ibid.), among other things.
The first prime minister told the Reform representatives that if 30,000 (Reform) Jews moved to Israel, he might be able to counter the haridim demands. That didn’t happen.
Nor did Jews affiliated with the Conservative movement flock to Israel. Those that did received zero support from the movement if there was an individual issue with the political rabbinate. “Don’t make waves.”
Meanwhile, the majority of Israel’s Jewish population either were heloni (non-observant) or what would now be categorized as “modern orthodox.”
Suddenly — in “Jewish time” — feminists are demanding a place at the Western (NOT “wailing”, ever) Wall not in the women’s section but to mingle with the men. Now come the non-traditional Jews of America (and elsewhere, but primarily the U.S.) demanding a special section for integrated sex prayer — as practiced in Conservative and Reform congregations.
The fact that there already are segregated sections for men and for women is not enough; apparently these men and women cannot function sans their spouse/significant other at their side.
The current government HAD a plan to set aside a section of the Wall, currently unassigned to men or to women, that would have satisfied a few of the less strident “progressives.” The Super Jews of the religious parties managed to cow the government — of which they are part of the ruling coalition — into cancelling the plan.
The Reform and Conservative movements are in high dudgeon over the haridim’s success in cancelling the bill.
The same religious-parties’ politicians also managed to subvert laws that would remove halakic conversions from the control of anyone but their hand-picked rabbis both within Israel and outside Israel (“hu’’l”) — never mind that one of their acceptable rabbis in America ended up in jail for secretly filming women as they prepared for ritual baths; while you are at it, never mind a former Israeli Chief Rabbi who also ended up in jail for 3-to-5 for corruption, or that a leader of a Mizrachi haridi political party was sentenced to four years in gaol for taking bribes — he now is a Member of Knesset!
Israel’s political leadership — less the Super Jews’ parties — are suddenly aware that Jews outside of Israel may be having second thoughts about supporting the state; their Zionism is waning rapidly as they feel they are being badly treated by the haridim,
Unlike most democracies, religion in Israel is part of government; there is no separation of “church and state.” There are few places — Vatican City comes to mind — where religious leadership so controls a nation’s politics. There have been attempts, but eventually, most rule-by-religion governments failed.
Israel’s helonim and “modern orthodox” Jews make up the majority population. For the most part, they have tolerated rabbinic control of their lives, but this seems to be changing.
The haridim, from their position of power — they can bring down the government — realize times are changing, but rather than compromise a little they apparently prefer to go down fighting. In the end, this will cost them their power. Not today. Not tomorrow. But eventually.
All non-traditional Jews, and perhaps modern orthodox as well, outside of Israel need to do to hasten the religious parties’ exit from power is to close their wallets.
This scrivener is a dual-national living in the U.S. who considers himself an observant Jew. I do not appreciate labels; a Jew is a Jew is a Jew. Some are more observant, some are less observant, but all are Jews.
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