Just Another Brick In the Wall




The case of Anat Hoffman: arrested at the Kotel for saying the Shema out loud. Arrested for being a Jew who wants to pray at our holiest site. Arrested for being a woman in a man’s world. I have a great respect for all Jews and I respect their right to worship as they wish. From Orthodox to Reform, Jews have many different ways to serve God. What is most important is that we share the same goals- to do Mitzvot and to better the world. As someone who chose to be Jewish I have always cherished the idea that as a religious community we have more in common than the things that divide us into the various modern denominations.

In the last week many people have spoken out against the unfair treatment women receive when they pray at the Kotel. Like many things, this situation will never be resolved until the State of Israel recognizes the pluralistic nature of modern Jewish religious life. That will never happen until there is a coalition government that does not need the support of the religious parties. One of the paradoxes of the State of Israel is that all Jews are welcome but, because of politics, not all kinds of Judaism are welcome.

The arrest of Anat Hoffman is an embarrassment to me. It also makes me feel like a hypocrite- after all the complaining that all of us do about the way Islam treats women as second class people look what we have done. No, I am not comparing the Israeli Rabbinate to Mullahs- Islam could learn from us for a thousand years and still not catch up- but I am comparing the situation that leads to needless unequal treatment. No, Anat Hoffman will not be flogged or put in prison but she did have to agree to stay away from the Kotel for 30 days. Why should any Jew be denied the right to worship there?

Anat Hoffman and the group known as “Women of the Wall” are making an important statement: the Israeli Rabbinate cannot ignore the religious rights of women nor can they exist in a vacuum that ignores the religious sentiments of Diaspora Jewry. Maybe the most positive lesson that we can glean from this situation is to appreciate and praise an overlooked segment of the Israeli population. Perhaps the greatest spiritual heroes are those individuals who, though not Orthodox, choose to live in Israel because of their religious convictions. Conservative and Reform Jews who make aliyah often do so with the “religious” deck stacked against them. Their services will be held in schools and rooms, their “rabbis” will not be sanctioned to perform many life cycle events, yet they go to Israel to fulfill the Mitzvah of Aliyah. Anat Hoffman and many such men and women are the true heroes- fighting to make Medinat Yisrael a place for all Jews.

Israel Must Choose Too

 

The presidential elections are today’s news. We are quickly nearing the day when Americans do what we are lucky to do every four years- weigh in on our hopes for the future. We do that by voting and choosing those who will represent us. From the national races down to the local candidates we have the choice (and obligation) to vote. It is a real mitzvah to participate in the democratic process and I hope that all Americans will take part. There is, however, another election that will occur soon- elections in Israel. While I hope that my readers are focused on going to the polls here, I want to remind you to “stay tuned” for developments in Israel.

In just a couple of weeks the election here will be over and done and political life will return to normal (whatever “normal” is.) The president elect will be making plans and announcing policies for the future. Whoever that president is he will have to address the question of Israel’s security and the turmoil in the Muslim world. Iran will not go away- a magic bullet will not suddenly appear out of nowhere to end the ongoing stalemate. That is why you need to watch the elections in Israel. It is the easiest thing in the world for American Jews and American politicians to sit here and discuss what Israel should do. It is the easiest thing in the world to assume that either the American Jewish community or the American government can decide what is best for Israel.

With the new elections Israelis will decide what is best for Israel. Do they believe in a hard line approach or are they willing to wait and pray? Only they can decide. The polls seem to indicate that at least one third of Israeli voters are behind Netanyahu. By Israeli standards that is an overwhelming mandate for him. It means that Israelis do not want to trust their future to other people no matter how well intentioned.

American Jews have a long and proud history of supporting Israel although sometimes we are divided about how to support her. Do we offer unwavering and loyal support or support that retains the right to criticize? That is a question that we always debate. What we have to do is to respect the decisions that Israel makes about her future. Maybe we don’t agree, maybe we do – in either case the message that is incumbent upon us to communicate to our fellow Americans and our leaders is a simple one. Israel exists this day because of the self-determination of her citizens. If history proves anything it proves that no one outside of Israel has earned the right to second guess the will of the Israeli people.

You will spend election night watching the coverage of our elections. Don’t forget to give the same attention to the results of Israel’s election. The future of Medinat Yisrael is riding on the vote; Israel’s very existence is the agenda.

 

Why Do You Go To Synagogue?

 Last week I asked you to consider the abiding message and meaning of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: to remember that many aspects of our lives change from year to year but our values and beliefs abide as the cornerstones of our Jewish identity. This week I ask you to consider something else, something much more personal, something only you can answer: why do you go to the synagogue? You may think I am kidding but I mean it- why do you attend services on Rosh Hashanah and/or Yom Kippur? For those who attend shul regularly it might not be so important but if you are one of those “three-day-a-year Jews” I ask you to think about that question very seriously.

Don’t make excuses- don’t say someone makes you go; don’t say you will feel guilty if you don’t. Oh, and don’t say it’s the perfect way to spend a day away from work. Joking aside, admit that there is something in your heart and soul that makes you feel that you should be there. Don’t fight that feeling- be proud of it! That feeling is your Jewish “instinct” telling you that it is time to re-connect to Judaism. It is your “inner-Jew” telling you that no matter how crazy the world may be there is a way to put it all in focus. That “magic connection” is the connection that you make sitting in synagogue, the connection you make when you pause to realize that the concept of “modernity” is an ever changing one- what is new today will be old tomorrow. In the face of a world that changes more quickly than we can even notice we need to re-connect with those things that are eternal.

I know many Jews feel uncomfortable in synagogue. The service is too long. They can’t read Hebrew. They feel like hypocrites because they don’t keep all the laws. Yes, there are many excuses to explain why shul can be a real “pain”- not to mention all that sitting in one place. Try this for a change- make up some excuses about why it is so great to be in the synagogue of your choice! Think of the possibilities! Have you ever noticed how easy it is to make excuses about doing something you want to do anyway? Maybe this year you can say (even if it is only to yourself): “I want to go to shul, I am not exactly sure why, but I want to be there.” For many of us that would be a strange confession, but consider it. Go to services this year with an open mind. Yes, there is some reason you want to be there. Yes, there is something that makes it a special day and a special place. Yes, you did go there looking for something.

I wish all of my readers the very best for the new year and hope that this Rosh Hashanah we all discover the reasons that bring us together in prayer and discovery of those things that have made us an eternal people.

The War On Information

As we spent the last couple of weeks pre-occupied with the High Holidays and Sukkot the world has kept on turning. The protests and violence in the Muslim world have continued. America has even prepared for the UN visit of Iran’s President. The furor over the now infamous YouTube movie still has all of us wondering what will be next.

 It was against the background of these events that I noted a news item coming out of Iran. The Iranian government has announced plans to block parts (or all) of the internet. Soon, it seems, Iranians will only be able to access on-line information that their government has approved. The expectation seems to be that the Iranian government will create an “Iran-net” that will filter what can be seen and read on-line.

Do you remember the theory of the “big lie?” Repeat something often enough and it will be believed. How about keeping people shut off from the world and only letting them know what you want them to believe? If Iran blocks the internet Iranians will have no (legal) way to get information. Not only is this an injustice to the population but it makes the Iranian government that much more dangerous. Iranians will not be able to access real news, they will not be able to use social media, and a war against Israel and the West will be that much easier to justify. An uninformed citizenry is a threat to the entire Middle East. Any voice of protest or resistance to the Ayatollah’s rule will have even less chance of mobilizing a democratic movement.

Ignorance is the most effective tool to build hatred. For my readers who are not so computer savvy let me make a comparison: our government outlaws TV and newspapers, your information is limited to word-of-mouth rumors and whatever “news and views” the government chooses to give you. What kind of a society do you think that would create? That is the kind of society that Iranians will face without the internet.

The violence that continues to unfold around the Muslim world is the product of a mob mentality. When thousands of people gather and are motivated by rumors, lies, and fanaticism it can only result in an anger that can be directed by those who want to use the mob to their own ends. Participants become willing to commit any act of anger because they are part of a “mob” that takes on a life of its own. One of the few forces that can combat this mob mentality is information.  It is only when people can hear all sides of a story or situation that they can make a real judgment. I believe there are many people in the Muslim world who are willing to hear the voice of truth and reason. Right now they are helpless and unable to spread their message.

We have seen (as if we needed proof) that it takes very little to set the Muslim world on fire. Any excuse will do. Iran remains a real threat to the world- even other Muslim nations could be the target of Iranian aggression. Having just finished the Holiday season it may be a little chutzpadik to say, but I sure hope that HaShem heard all our prayers for peace. I can’t think of a time when such requests were so needed.