Religious Pluralism in Israel

Rabbi Stephen Weiss

Tisha B’Av 2015

An increasing number of Israelis seek a society that embraces religious pluralism among Jews.

This weekend we will observe Tisha B’Av, which commemorates the destruction of the Holy Temple both by the Babylonians and the Romans.

Our sages asked: What was the sin for which the second Temple was destroyed by the Romans? Their answer: sinat hinam – baseless hatred. The Jewish community of the time was rife with sectarianism, and no Jewish group respected the legitimacy of any other. The sages recognized that this in-fighting weakened the Jews’ ability to respond to Roman oppression in a unified fashion, making their defeat inevitable.

Today, sadly, the Jewish world is torn apart by the exact same sinat hinam — baseless hatred – that we recall this weekend. That reality surfaced in our consciousness again with the recent remarks by Israeli Knesset member and Minister of Religious Affairs David Azouly. Azouly stated that Reform Jews are not really Jews at all and went as far as to ray they should not be buried in Jewish cemeteries.

This was not just a statement about Reform converts or patrilineal Jews (which would be bad in and of itself). He included all Reform Jews, even those born to Jewish mothers who by all definitions – even orthodox – are Jewish.

This also was not just about Reform Jews. In Israel, the Hebrew term “reformim” refers to all non-orthodox streams, and in particular Conservative as well as Reform Judaism.

Bottom line for Minister Azoulay, if someone’s religious observance differs from his definition of what is correct, they are not Jews.

Such a s statement is as dangerous as it is unethical and hurtful. It runs the risk of alienating American Jewry, whose support Israel needs. It is also historically false. The definitions of Jewish identity have evolved over centuries, but has never been dependent on one’s religious practice.

Why such vitriol now? First, Azoulay is Moroccan and does not have sufficient exposure to liberal Judaism to understand it. He needs to be educated. Second, much of the “state” orthodox establishment in Israel is feeling threatened by two new realities. The first is that both Reform and Conservative Judaism are growing in Israel (both represent 6 percent of Israelis, together 12%). The second is that even many modern/centrist orthodox are beginning to bristle against and oppose the stranglehold the chief rabbinate’s system has on religious life in Israel.

Whether Minister Azoulay likes it or not, change is coming in Israel. An increasing number of Israelis seek a society that embraces religious pluralism among Jews. That’s a good thing. Indeed it is the only thing that will save us from once again being the victims of our own baseless hatred. Only embracing all Jews and Judaisms equally can ensure both Israel’s future and the future of the Jewish people.