In his Union of Reform Judaism on-line column, Galilee Diary, Rabbi Marc Rosenstein, an American (HUC trained) transplant who made aliyah to Israel in 1990, offers his opinion that while the “status of liberal Jews” is an issue of import in Israel, our energy should not be focused so much on their plight but rather on “[standing] up for those other groups in society whose lot is significantly worse than ours.” He is, of course, commenting in large part on recent events encountered by the Women of the Wall demanding us, the reader – by and large American liberal Jews – this is a URJ column, to keep, and I quote him, “the persecution or disenfranchisement of liberal Jews in perspective.”
Rosenstein acknowledges the challenges the liberal community faces in Israel, but he underscores the gradual progress that has been made noting the opening of non-Orthodox synagogues despite opposition from the right (and apathy from the majority of secular Jews) as well as the increased demand for non-Orthodox wedding ceremonies, ceremonies that require a civil license from abroad as non-Orthodox rabbis are not recognized by the Israeli government. Despite the added bureaucratic task of obtaining a non-Israeli license, hundreds of Israelis do choose this option instead of conforming to the Orthodox standards required by the state.
Rabbi Rosenstein’s view is not uncommon among Israelis. We heard it ourselves directly from Rabbi Maya Leibovich of Mevasseret Zion during her visit this past November. Not only as a liberal Jew, but as a female rabbi, she felt the demands of the Women of the Wall simply unrealistic. She believes they should stop pushing the issue and focus their energies elsewhere. Of all the challenges Israel faces, many view the failure of the right, the Orthodox establishment, to recognize religious pluralism, let alone Progressive Judaism proper, as far less important than the security of Israel and a humanitarian solution to the Palestinian conflict.
There is no question that Rosenstein raises a compelling point. How can the liberal Jewish community demand recognition for religious pluralism in Israel while in its struggle to maintain its very security, Israel must deal with the manner in which it treats non-Jews, and non-Israelis living within its borders in particular. Rosenstein doesn’t argue that the lack of legal status and protections for liberal Jews within Israel is acceptable, far from it; but, the point he makes is that it shouldn’t be, in his words, “the most urgent” concern.
I disagree. If the Women of the Wall cannot expect to be treated with dignity and respect, than how on earth can the majority of Israelis be expected to treat anyone viewed as ‘the other’ with any level of dignity and respect? The recognition of religious pluralism, the full acceptance of non-Orthodox Jews in Israel, is equally important as the sundry of other issues this young nation faces and more importantly, sets a standard of humanitarian treatment for all.
Rosenstein dismisses the persecution of the Women of the Wall as a “symbolic offense” noting that most liberal Jews do not experience regular episodes of discrimination or persecution. Perhaps gender obfuscates the issue for Rabbi Rosenstein. The Kotel is not the only place where liberal values are being threatened, and in each place where liberal values are being scratched away, women are increasingly being forced to subject themselves to discrimination.
Anyone who has spent a reasonable amount of time in Israel has taken an Egged bus. The Egged bus system is Israel’s primary mode of public transportation. Until recently it was accessible, affordable, and generally safe. Beginning in the 1990s, Egged began offering segregated bus service to areas heavily populated Haredim, the most fervently Orthodox in order to encourage their use of the public transportation. What started as a limited practice to accommodate a minority population has expanded to the extent that, according to IRAC, the Israeli Religious Action Center, there is no choice but to use segregated buses on 5 intercity routes. Moreover, where there are still options, the segregated alternative is often the cheapest and fastest. A trip from Jerusalem to Petach Tikva (a trip I took regularly 20 years ago with no challenges) now requires two buses with a 15 minute stop between and a fare of 28.50 NIS, that is unless I don’t mind a segregated bus. The segregated bus offers a non-stop 79 minute ride costing 19.70 NIS. Travelling from Ashdod to Arad? The segregated choice demands a 2 hour ride for 24 NIS. The non-segregated option demands a 4 hour ride at a fare of 60 NIS!
One could argue, ‘what’s the big deal, take the segregated bus!’ Well, we’ve experienced segregation in America, haven’t we. A reminder of what a segregated bus looks like: separate entrances in this case for men and women with women seated squarely at the back of the bus. And for those Rosa Parks of Israeli society who resist such degrading treatment, there are some who have taken it upon themselves, using physical force when necessary, to enforce this supposed ‘voluntary’ segregation on the buses. While the High Court of Justice in Israel just this week scolded the transportation minister for not following recommendations by an investigatory committee that segregation be fully voluntary and not compulsory on any public bus, no attempts have been made by the Israeli government to outlaw this degrading and “voluntary” form of segregation.
The Western Wall, the Egged bus system,… what’s next? I hesitate to imagine, and frankly I don’t need to. There is at least one Haredi neighborhood in Israel that has actually established segregated side-walks. A company, admittedly privately owned not public, has started marketing personal michitzas, boundaries, for the Orthodox to use when travelling to prevent any unintentional and potentially inappropriate encounter. Perhaps Rabbi Rosenstein doesn’t feel persecuted by such changes, but I’d bet lots of Israelis do. Certainly lots of women do.
The recognition of religious pluralism by the Israeli government is vital to Israel’s growth as well as to its security. To state that the demands for recognition by progressive Jewry, while important, are not pressing, or to imply that the Women of the Wall are somehow needlessly pushing the envelope in the public square and thus creating unnecessary static, is to ignore a troubling reality and to even forward a misogynistic agenda. More significantly, such advances of the religious establishment into the public arena alienate not only Israel’s own citizens, but also us – those of us who choose to live outside of Israel but who support Israel in a myriad of ways. Israel needs our support. Israel needs support from Jews and non-Jews throughout the international community, and it simply can’t afford to place the needs of a radical Orthodox minority over the needs of the nation.
Israel has a choice. It can either continue in its path of being dictated solely by the religious right, or it can strive to become a fully democratic state that recognizes and allows for the public expression of the full breadth of Jewish life. Despite the sense among the Orthodox that Progressive Judaism threatens Jewish vitality, history teaches otherwise. Religious pluralism has marked Jewish life since its inception. It has enriched Jewish life leading to the growth of a wealth of literature, including our Rabbinic literature, differing points of view, and cultural expressions. It can continue to do so if Israel’s legislature would give it the opportunity.
One point Rabbi Rosenstein makes with which I fully and passionately agree: “feeling challenged to educate and litigate and demonstrate toward a more perfect Jewish democratic state is not the same as nor does it justify statements that imply washing our hands of Israel, or feeling that we have no stake in it.” We do have a stake – yes, in part because we are Jews, and we have an historical connection to the land. Yes, in part because we know from experience that there is a need for a place that will open its borders to any Jew in need. But also, because as Theodore Herzl reminded us, the world benefits from Israel’s presence and all it has to offer the international community. Do we really want to imagine the Middle East without Israel? We may not be Israeli citizens. We may get frustrated by the news we read. But we must care – and we must dare to voice our concern so that Israel can grow to become that more perfect Jewish democratic state we so hope it to be.
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