WARNING : This site is not for you if you cannot see the otherness of other and sufferings of both sides of the party in the conflict. Security for Israel and Justice for the Palestinians are interdependent, one will not happen without the other. My view focuses on building cohesive societies where no one has to live in apprehension or fear of the other. I hope and pray a sense of justice to prevail. Amen. Website www.IsraelPalestineDialogue.com | Also Check Israel Palestine Confederation a pragmatic solution
I oppose the idea of blaming Israel; it is not Israel unless the majority of Israelis are supporting it; it is clearly the warmongers, Biden, Netanyahu, Sunak, Sholz, and a few other creeps, going against the entire world. Biden is the biggest one; he could have called for a ceasefire when 1,500 Palestinians were bombed. No, this bloodthirsty man even vetoed the call for a ceasefire - today, the number has reached over 20,000 - So Biden is a mass murderer of 18,500 Palestinians?
If you don't stand up, Bethlehem is next. Jesus doesn't mean a thing to them. The least you can do is speak up against this.
Under the Rubble - an earth-shattering video by
Rev.Dr. Munther Isaac, Evangelical Lutheran Pastor - Bethlehem
Pope Francis condemned the attack: “Unarmed civilians are being bombed and shot at, and this has happened inside the Holy Family Parish complex, where there are no terrorists, but families, children, sick people with disabilities, nuns.”
The Pope continued, “Some say, ‘It’s terrorism, it’s war.’ Yes, it is war. It is terrorism.”
An Israeli airstrike caused a building belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza to collapse.
President Biden, Netanyahu, and the German Chancellor should be held accountable for the genocide of the people.
I hope Pope Francis, my hero, calls on the Catholic world to stop Biden at least. Does Israel have to bomb all the Churches for the Christian world to take a stand? Isn't that how the Holocaust happened? The silence of the world?
American Jews have difficult times, in many ways, they are like Muslims, fear what the rogues among them will say to them. You and I both have been in Public, and we know what the rogue Muslims say when we take the right stand. I have endured quite a lot of abuse from a handful of Muslims and Jews alike... who had lost all sense of justice; they will be left behind. We need to help our Jewish friends to come through this, and most of them are like Muslims - and want to be a just people.
I had a friend's son stay with me for a week while he was serving as an intern at capitol hill, he was a Jewish kid, he has been to Israel, and served there.. but most people come back conditioned believing their propaganda, this kid did not buy into it. He saw what was wrong was wrong and what was right was right.
Religions are always used and abused to suit one’s greed. Part of the problem, not the whole, of the Israel Palestine conflicts is religious scriptures, and the other part is security. All of us have reduced God’s wisdom to be bigoted, discriminative, and partial. Is this our God?
Take a look at the following interpretations of the verses, and let me know if you find a deeper meaning in it. May I suggest you not to worry about what the Pastors, Imams, Rabbis, Pundits or religious men say, what is that you see?
A few Jews believe that they are the chosen people. A few Christians believe Jesus’ arrival on doomsday will wipe out everyone but Christianity. A few Muslims think Islam is the only religion acceptable to God. A few Hindus, Sikhs and others have similar arrogant attitudes that they are the best, scientific or the oldest and wisest. Indeed, none of them is a wrong religion; the flaw is in our understanding.
As we collectively understand the deeper meaning of these verses, maybe we can knock off the religious aspect from the conflict and focus on the land aspect, which may be easier. No one is more privileged than others and no one is more than equal.
God is not a little guy; God is the creator. Should we reduce his words of wisdom to the narrow, exclusive claims as in above?
As we chose representatives to govern us on our terms, we need to appoint a God that cares for every human being and not bigoted. The death of 58 Palestinians is despicable, and Netanyahu may get away with this, but the people of Israel will have to endure insecurities for years to come. When the world is on one side, that is 195 countries on one side and 5 on the other, there is bound to be resentment for the five who consistently violate what the community of nations decide. Let's knock religion out of the equation and focus on the land issue.
A full blown article and a seminar are in the works. Your precise comments will be selected to go into the report.
Thanks to America, more and more religions are moving towards their central values, which are a common denominator of excellent benefits, and thanks to each group for chiseling out the fluff. America will eventually have its version of Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Shinto, Paganism, Zoroastrianism, Tao, Dao, Wicca, and others.
The author is a president of the Center for Pluralism in Washington, DC and runs a think tank called World Muslim Congress. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day.
If Israeli children and their children live in insecurities, and the Palestinians live without hope in an apartheid state, they should blame all of us; the Israelis and Americans for not doing anything and blaming one or the other, usually the Palestinians. Blaming anyone does not solve the problems your grandchildren face Mr. Netanyahu, you may be sadistic and draw pleasure out of oppressing, bombing and showing Palestinians their place. Down in the history, you will be considered a villain not only by the Palestinians, but the future generation of Israelis, and indeed the people of the world.
Mike Ghouse
As Trump celebrates his embassy in Jerusalem, a massacre in Gaza highlights Zionism's double standards
A moral and principled position would require us to apply to Israel at least the same standards that we apply to the Palestinians.
Courtesy NBC NEWS May 14, 2018
While Palestinians are being massacred — over 50 killed and 2,700 wounded as demonstrators are being met with live fire — Israel and America celebrate the move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. That juxtaposition is revolting, but it is also revealing. The double standards of occupation and dispossession have never been clearer.
Since March 30th, which marked Land Day — a day mourning the deaths of Israeli-Palestinians killed while protesting in 1976 — Gazans have repeatedly massed at their border with Israel, demanding the right to return to lands they were expelled from during the formation of Israel. They have been met with tear gas and live fire.
While some of these Palestinians intended harm, they have been remarkably few and far between, a minuscule percentage of the tens of thousands of unarmed protesters. That is part of a historic pattern: Israel claims it only uses force when absolutely necessary. The evidence suggests otherwise. A hugely disproportionate number of Palestinians die, while few if any Israelis ever do (in this case: zero). Still Israel claims it is defending itself.
It is a curious line of defense, one which reveals the very (troubled, and troubling) logic of Zionism itself.
Zionism, broadly speaking, is the belief that the Jewish people deserve the right to self-determination, to define themselves collectively as so many other peoples do.
Zionism, broadly speaking, is the belief that the Jewish people deserve the right to self-determination, to define themselves collectively as so many other peoples do. This, and the undeniable historic tie of Jews, and Judaism, to what is now Israel and the West Bank, is used to buttress the legitimacy of Israel.
Now, these are important points. Why shouldn’t the Jews have the right to self-determination? And there are plenty of anti-Israel voices who do deny the historical connection of Jews, and Judaism, to what is now Israel and Palestine. Such voices are frequently anti-Semitic and, flatly, wrong. But the problem isn’t self-determination.
It's not historical connection, either.
It’s that the Palestinians are indigenous. They were already there. Foreign settlers, whether they arrived before 1948 or after 1967, sought to enter that land — in order to transform that land into their own.
Thus, if Israel is justified in using live fire against Palestinian civilians trying to re-enter territory they were literally expelled from by that state, then shouldn't Palestinians have an equal right to indiscriminately use violence against Israeli settlers? Settlers, after all, aren’t just trying to encroach on the meager rump state that is now purportedly on offer to the Palestinians, but are creating facts on the ground — cities, roads and checkpoints — that make a contiguous Palestinian state impossible.
Of course, that idea strikes us as outrageous, and rightly so. So why the double standard?
This conflict does not have a military solution, and a moral and principled position would require us to apply to Israel at least the same standards that we apply to the Palestinians. Such an approach itself is an injustice (if even unavoidable): This is not a conflict between two equal and competing narratives. The Palestinians were already there.
Sadly at this point, even to be evenhanded approach would be progress. We see the incredibly insensitive spectacle of America's elected leaders feting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the president of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) tweeting a selfie while dozens of miles away, a slaughter of the defenseless unfolds.
Quite a victory it is.
Relations between American and Israeli Jews are already in decline; the spectacle of anti-Semitic religious fundamentalists sharing the stage with a right-wing Israeli prime minister deeply hostile to the lived religious experience of most American Jews is certainly not going to help. Organizations like the ADL, with its already checkered record among Arab and Muslim Americans, might not want to ask after today why movements such as Black Lives Matter have successfully turned away.
Get the Think newsletter.
h in as Palestinians clash with Israeli soldiers at the border fence with Israel as mass demonstrations at the fence continue in Gaza City, Gaza on May 14, 2018.Spencer Platt / Getty Images
Americans have every right to reject this alliance, and propose in its stead a foreign policy that serves our interests, as well as our values. That means ceasing to hypocritically advocate in the Middle East what we would never tolerate at home for ourselves.
The only future for Israelis and Palestinians that offers both security and dignity is a single state which shares some higher functions, and delegates others to its constituent peoples. Some might say this is a fantasy. Others might argue it undermines Zionism itself. My response is simple: Actions have consequences, and rectifying the wrongs inherent in building a nation on someone else’s land requires, at the very least, sharing that land in pursuit of a reasonable peace.
And that is not delusional: While the lived experience of Native Americans and African Americans in the United States remains very troubling, we have made substantial progress in transforming the narrative of our nation to recognize the wrongs of history and policy. Israel’s leaders and supporters never tire of telling us how the country represents values shared by Americans. Well, our foundation values are equality and democracy.
Israel is welcome to try them.
Haroon Moghul is a commentator and author of three books. His most recent is a memoir, "How to be a Muslim: An American Story."
The more I learn about stick-in-the-mud-Jews, the more I see that with stick-in-the-mud-Muslims. They are mirror images of each other when it comes to orthodoxies in both faith traditions, and they stick to singular interpretations and believe that God is on their side.
I am working on a book about the mistakes Muslims have made, the Jews and Sikhs can relate to the incidences.
I am calling for the separation of culture and Islam, they are two different things. What one does, the other does not. Paul Gherkin in the following article writes, “Leading rabbis of JVP and J Street – all non-Orthodox – called for a divorce between Judaism and the Jewish State, and between the holy land and Jews.”
Obviously, the writer has leaned towards the right when he wrote, “The lunatic rabbinic fringe even held fasts for the people of Gaza, but not for anyone in Israel.” He should have appreciated the humanity of those Jews who observed the fasts.
For the ultra-Stick-in -the -mud Christians, Jews and Muslims (and of course you will find that in other traditions as well ) – Life is less important than God’s words as understood by them. What kind of God do they cook up that does not value life?
The tensions between the non-Orthodox Jewish denominations and Israel seemingly became tense over the Israeli government’s decision to postpone plans for an egalitarian prayer space at the Kotel, the Western Wall. In truth, the relationship between the Reconstructionist, Jewish Renewal and Reform branches of Judaism (the 3R’s) and the Jewish State have been terrible for a long time.
There are a number of Jewish organizations that actively seek to harm Israel in public fora. As detailed in “Unity – not Uniformity – in the Pro-Israel Tent,” the largest and most noxious of the left-wing organizations are: the Jewish Voice for Peace that advocates for a global boycott of Israel; J Street that advocates for sanctions against Israel at the United Nations; and the New Israel Fund, that supports organizations that go on global tours bad-mouthing Israel and groups that seek to destroy the Jewish character of Israel.
What that article did not convey and will be discussed and explored here, was that these anti-Zionist groups are uniquely backed by non-Orthodox rabbis.
Jewish Voice for Peace
Arguably the most proudly vocal anti-Zionist group is the Jewish Voice for Peace, JVP. The rabbis of JVP have supported the Gaza flotilla; written books demonizing Israel as a modern day blood libel; and arguably promoted the murder of Israelis.
JVP post supporting convicted terrorist Rasmeah Odeh
Rabbi Joseph Berman (Non-Denominational) Rabbi Linda Holtzman (Reconstructionist) Rabbi Buzz Bogage, Denver, CO Rabbi Brant Rosen, Evanston, IL (Reconstructionist) Rabbi Linda Holtzman (Reconstructionist) Student Rabbi Leora Abelson Rabbi Rebecca Alpert (Reconstructionist) Rabbi Lev Baesh (Reform) Rabbi David Basior (Reconstructionist) Rabbi Haim Beliak (Jewish Renewal) Rabbi Joseph Berman (Unaffiliated) Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener (Jewish Renewal) Rabbi Meryl Crean (Reconstructionist) Rabbi Michael Davis (also backed by the Students for Justice in Palestine whichh has supported terrorist groups) Rabbi Art Donsky (Non-denominational) Rabbi Michael Feinberg Rabbi Ari Lev Fornari (Reconstructionist) Rabbi Sarah Bracha Gershuny (Egalitarian) Rabbi Shai Gluskin (Reconstructionist) Rabbi Borukh Goldberg Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb (Jewish Renewal) Rabbi Julie Greenberg Rabbi Edward Klein Rabbi Alan LaPayover (Reconstructionist) Rabbi Eyal Levinson (Jewish Renewal) Rabbi Jeremy Milgrom (Conservative) Rabbi David Mivasair (Progressive) Rabbi Dev Noily (Progressive) Rabbi Alexis Pearce (Reconstructionist) Rabbi Michael Ramberg (Progressive) Rabbi Ken Rosenstein (Jewish Renewal) Rabbi Shifrah Tobacman (Jewish Renewal) Rabbi Brian Walt Rabbi Lew Weiss (Reform) Rabbi Alissa Wise (Reconstructionist) Rabbi Joey Wolf (Reconstructionist) Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman (Reconstructionist) Rabbi Rain Zohav (Jewish Renewal)
The Anti-Defamation has essentially labeled JVP a hate group stating:
“JVP has consistently co-sponsored demonstrations to oppose Israeli military policy that have been marked by signs comparing Israel to Nazi Germany and slogans that voice support for groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. JVP has not condemned or sought to distance itself from these messages.”
The rabbis of these communities put politics front-and-center of their religion. And their politics are anti-Zionism.
J Street
J Street officially states that it is not in favor of the BDS movement, but has supported many speakers who do call for the boycott of Israel. More, J Street actively lobbied the Obama Administration to allow the censure of Israel at the United Nations and enabling the resolution labeling Israeli territory east of the Green Line to be deemed illegal.
The rabbinic core of J Street is slightly more “traditional” than the rabbis from JVP, counting many Reform rabbis. The list of hundreds of rabbis is too long to review here, but a sample highlights the trend:
The Reform movement isn’t explicitly anti-Israel the way that much of the Reconstructionist and Jewish Renewal movements are currently. However, the current head of the Reform movement, Rabbi Rick Jacobs is particularly political and claims that the official stance of Reform Judaism is anti-settlements. How he declared that his personal anti-Jews living in Judea and Samaria politics should frame the entire movement is something that members of Reform Judaism need to address.
New Israel Fund
The New Israel Fund gives money to groups like Adalah that have a stated purpose of ending any Jewishness in Israel. It lures people to donate money stating that it is about equality in Israel – and by that it means ending the Jewish Law of Return; the Hatikvah; Jewish star on the national flag, et cetera.
Rabbi Rachel Mikva (Reform) Rabbi Bernard Mehlman (Reform) Rabbi Anson Laytner (Reform) Rabbi Daniel Weiner (Reform) Rabbi David Levin (Reform) Rabbi Morris Allen (Conservative) Rabbi Norman Cohen (Reform) Rabbi Alexander Davis (Conservative) Rabbi Shosh Dworsky (Conservative) Rabbi David Freedman Rabbi Yosi Gordon (Conservative) Rabbi Michael Adam Latz (Reform) Rabbi Cathy Nemiroff (Reform) Rabbi Debra Rappaport (Reform) Rabbi Alan Shavit-Lonstein (Conservative) Rabbi Adam Stock Spilker (Reform) Rabbi Sharon Stiefel (Reconstructionist) Rabbi Aaron Weininger (Conservative) Rabbi Marcia Zimmerman (Reform) Rabbi Sharon Brous (Conservative) Rabbi Rachel B. Cowan (Reform) Rabbi Jerome K. Davidson (Reform) Rabbi Marion Lev-Cohen (Reform) Rabbi J. Rolando Matalon (non-denominational) Rabbi Aaron Panken (Reform) Rabbi Gordon Tucker, White Plains (Conservative)
Relative to JVP and J Street, the New Israel Fund has many more Conservative rabbis joining its leadership ranks. But still, none of these anti-Zionist organizations that have thousands of rabbis in leadership positions have a single Orthodox rabbi.
Why?
Beyond Liberal Politics
There is no question that some of these forms of Judaism revolve around liberal politics more than religion. Many of the synagogues state clearly on their websites that they are focused on tikkun olam (repairing the world), and they do this not through Torah-inspired commandments like helping the widow and orphan, but in new imagined ways like raising the minimum wage and saving the planet.
But there are many liberal rabbis in the Orthodox community too, and they support the Jewish State. They are proud to point out that Israel is one of the most liberal countries in the world, and certainly within the xenophobic, antisemitic and misogynistic Middle East. When liberal Orthodox rabbis find a need to criticize the Israeli government, they do it directly with the government in a constructive manner, not through antagonistic actions on the global stage.
Therefore, the issue cannot be simply attributed to the politics of many rabbis in the non-Orthodox world. There must be something systemic in the religious philosophy of those denominations that make them embrace Israel-bashing.
Who Is a Jew
The key Jewish prayer Shemoneh Esrei recited several times every day begins with the blessing of “our God and the God of our fathers.” It encapsulates the notion that Judaism is both a religion of being, passed down physically from our ancestors, as well as one of choice – “our God” – in which each person takes ownership of his faith.
In regards to being a Jew, Orthodox Judaism (and Conservative Judaism, at this point in time) have held the line on using traditional halacha in critical life events that define “who is a Jew.” Two of those are birth and marriage.
Both the Orthodox and Conservative movements believe that the child of a Jewish mother is a Jew, regardless of the religion of the father. The other denominations believe in patrilineal descent, that religion can be passed down via the father’s religion. This is a fundamental breakdown between the religious denominations regarding “who is a Jew.”
Similarly, Orthodox and Conservative rabbis do not perform interfaith weddings. The rabbis in the other movements are very proud to perform such ceremonies and openly advertise their services.
These two life events are obviously interconnected. An interfaith couple will have a non-Jewish parent, and about half of the time, produce a non-Jewish child according to the traditions of matrilineal descent practiced by Orthodox and Conservative Judaism. Sanctioning interfaith marriages has produced a chasm between the Reform/Reconstructionist/Jewish Renewal (3R) movements with other Jewish denominations, AND with Israel itself.
Israel created a Law of Return in 1950 that allowed any Jew to move to Israel. In 1970, the law was amended to clarify that a Jew “means a person who was born of a Jewish mother or has become converted to Judaism and who is not a member of another religion.” While the 1970 amendment made provisions for the non-Jewish spouse and children of a Jew to move to Israel, the Law of Return used a definition of matrilineal descent that only Conservative and Orthodox used, upsetting other denominations that support patrlineal descent. However, the law’s clause on conversion did accept non-Orthodox conversions performed outside of Israel, as decided by the Israeli Supreme Court in March 2016.
Universalism versus Particularism
Being a Jew is simply part one. The actions and demands of the religion, the mitzvot, are part two, and the breakdown between Orthodox Judaism and the branches that seek to harm Israel are profound.
Orthodox Judaism believes that the Torah has 613 commandments for a Jew to live by. Some are clear-cut, like “Do not kill,” while others are subject to broader interpretation like “keep the Sabbath holy,” as there may be many different methods of keeping the Sabbath holy. Conservative Judaism basically follows the concept of the 613 mitzvot, but interprets them differently (for example, Orthodox Jews will not use electricity on Sabbath to “keep it holy,” while Conservative Jews will often use electricity.)
In contrast, the 3R branches of Judaism have revamped the mitzvot in a way that fits a “new age” rewriting of the laws. They have made the commandments about human-centered spirituality that spreads out to God and all mankind, rather than commandments that are passed down from God to man.
The Jewish Renewal site makes its mantra clear, stating it’s “a transdenominational approach to revitalizing Judaism.” Its reach is to everyone: “Renewal is an attitude, not a denomination,” with “an emphasis on accessible spiritual experience.” In other words, this is a movement without demands, such as only eating kosher foods. It is more akin to a yoga retreat. Not only is there no need to be Jewish, a person needn’t perform ancient rote rituals. Just engage in new age meditation.
Reconstructionist Judaism is more traditional than Jewish Renewal, but far from “traditional.” Its emphasis is on “Jewish Identity,” as its website states: “what primarily gives Jews our identity is not belief but rather the feeling of belonging to the Jewish civilization itself. We observe Jewish holidays, rituals and customs, not because a divine being commanded us to, but because it is our primary method of reinforcing Jewish identity.” In other words, God’s commandments are not really commandments (or God doesn’t exist) for Reconstructionist Jews. The basis for observing any tradition is simply a matter of keeping the “Jewish identity” around, not because of any higher authority.
These days, the Reform movement has put the world front and center. Its mission is to build “communities that transform the way people connect to Jewish life, building a more whole, just, and compassionate world.” It does this throughTikkun Olam, “repairing the world.” The movement’s leader, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, speaks of Reform Judaism as operating in concert with the global community: “the heart of a Tikkun Olam that embraces always both the universal and the particular.”
These three branches of Judaism approach religious practice very differently than Orthodox Judaism. Their Judaism is centered on global mankind’s yearning to connect – to the planet and the people around the world – to achieve a personal fulfillment of serenity. Jewish rituals are props to achieve that state of zen. Similarly, non-Jews bring their own props to their encounters with God and mankind. Universalism and particularism (of props) coexist in a human-centered meditative state of bliss.
This 3R approach towards religion is an inversion of Orthodox Judaism that is premised on a top-down philosophy. The Bible and Ten Commandments began with God, not man. The 613 commandments given to Jews were just that – commandments – not guides to validate one’s own sense of social justice. These commandments were uniquely given to Jews, as Orthodoxy believes that non-Jews were given only seven commandments which relate to universal morality.
The orientation of particularism of Orthodox rabbis extends broadly: to Jewish people (they do not perform interfaith weddings); the Bible (with unique commandments only for Jews); and to the holy land itself, which they believe was given to the Jewish people. According to a Pew poll in 2013, 84% of Orthodox Jews believe that God gave Israel to the Jews. That compares to only 54%, 35% and 24% of Conservative, Reform, and non-denominational Jews, respectively. By way of comparison, 55% of Christians believe that God gave Israel to the Jews. How remarkable is that? Christians are more Zionistic than non-Orthodox Jews.
This dichotomy between Orthodox and non-Orthodox denominations is at the core of different approaches to the Jewish State and the holy land. For Orthodox Jews, the Jewish State is particular, just like the bible and Jewish people. In contrast, the non-Orthodox denominations focus on universalism, and shun particularism as a form of tribalism and nationalism, with more than a whiff of racism.
It is therefore not a surprise that Jewish denominations that shun particularism in favor of universalism also denounce Zionism.
Whereas Orthodox liberal Jews can call out for rights for Israeli Arabs and Palestinian Arabs without vilifying Israel, non-Orthodox rabbis seemingly cannot. Orthodoxy can approach equality within the rubric that the holy land as special and unique for Jews, while the non-Orthodox only see tribalism and racism.
The Current Dynamic
The universalism / “anti-tribalism” movement within the 3R denominations often attacks both Orthodox Jews and the Jewish state. It has sometimes provoked a backlash.
In September 2015, the Reconstructionist movement announced a new policy to allow rabbis to marry non-Jews as a reaction to the movement’s conclusion that “many younger progressive Jews, including many rabbis and rabbinical students, now perceive restrictions placed on those who are intermarried as reinforcing a tribalism that feels personally alienating and morally troubling in the 21st century.” With such declaration, several Reconstructionist rabbis became fed up.
In April 2016, twenty Reconstructionist rabbis left the denomination to form Beit Kaplan, as they felt that the Reconstructionist movement had lost its way. They said that “the decision to form the association was sparked, in part, by the recent RRC policy shift that muddled the definition of what it means for a rabbi to have a Jewish family. Other contributing factors include a desire to return the focus of liberal Judaism to Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan’s vision of Jewish peoplehood and a desire to affirm connections to the Jewish people globally, including in Israel.”
Several Reconstructionist rabbis became infuriated with the official positions of Reconstructionist’s universalism. Their new assembly felt compelled to clarify that not only did it think that sanctioning rabbis intermarrying was a destructive force on the Jewish family, it said that it “unequivocally reject[s] any movement to delegitimize Israel in the community of nations,” because the Reconstructionist movement had become a haven for demonizing the Jewish State.
In short, Beit Kaplan felt that the Reconstructionist movement had lost the basic concept of the definition of being a Jew and the special nature of the Jewish State.
The 3R rabbis’ Israel-bashing had started to gain momentum during the 2014 Gaza War, when many non-Orthodox rabbis actively vilified the Jewish State. The lunatic rabbinic fringe even held fasts for the people of Gaza, but not for anyone in Israel.
Consider Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, the leader of an enormous gay Reconstructionist congregation, member of J Street and listed in Newsweek’s list of 50 Influential Rabbis. Her radical left-wing politics were mostly blessed by her members, but her tirades against Israel became too much for many to bear. In 2014, one of the board members of her congregation resigned, publicly stating the “recent [2014 Gaza War] events have demonstrated that CBST [the gay synagogue] is far more committed to a progressive political agenda than to the Jewish people…. I don’t want to raise my kids in a synagogue that’s praying for people firing rockets.”
The attitude was pervasive. Leading rabbis of JVP and J Street – all non-Orthodox – called for a divorce between Judaism and the Jewish State, and between the holy land and Jews.
Consider Rabbi Brian Walt, a member of JVP and coordinator of the Jewish Fast for Gaza, who gave a talk entitled “Affirming a Judaism and Jewish identity without Zionism,” in which he declared: “political Zionism violates everything I believe about Judaism.” Or Rabbi Ellen Lippmann, on the board of J Street and signatory to the fast for Gaza who penned a letter for Code Pink to support the BDS movement, stating she “saw the destruction that is wrought by too many Israeli settlers,” making her change “my mind about the purchase of products made in the Jewish West Bank.”
Non-Orthodox rabbis comfortably argued that there are too many Jews in the holy land because they segmented the religion, the people, the land and their identity. As they believe that religion is defined solely by identity, there is no need for a particular land, and no narrow definition of the Jewish people, as identity is self-selected.
Non-Orthodox rabbis wrap themselves in a tallit as a mere Jewish prop in a universalistic and humanistic approach towards meditation, while they shudder at the particularism of the God of Orthodox Judaism and the Jewish State.
Supporting Israel is not a battle of political orientation between liberal and conservative Jews. It is a philosophical break in the Jewish community with a fault line regarding the uniqueness of Jews and the Jewish State. The non-Orthodox denominations’ religious philosophy will only let it embrace an Israel that is: about people, not God; about rights not rituals; more secular than religious; more democratic than Jewish; and more universal than particular.
