[NGFP-BookClub] summing up

[ruth gavison]

Like all things, good and also not so good, our course is coming to an end.
 
I was very impressed by the volume and the level of the responses. I was
pleased that as we progressed people expressed opinions that were directly
connected to their own life experiences and aspirations.  It was nice to
have Manfred, David's father, on board as well.   As far as I am concerned,
the variety of ways in which people feel that their own Jewishness is
important to them, and the implications this has to their attitudes and
perceptions are very important.
 
I hope that we have also learned a bit about the complex relationships
between the Jewishness of an individual, the Jewishness of membership in a
Jewish community, and the Jewishness of a state.  We saw thast some of the
central issues - like Who is (and is not) a Jew -  are not specific to
Israel and to its nature as a Jewish state.  Yet because it is a state and
not just a voluntary institution -  the implications are more systemic than
they are in a place like the US, with its model of separation and
privatization of religion; or even in England, where the situation is less
separated hence the FJS decision.
 
The course was centered around the Jewishness of Israel, its meaning and
justification.  But it was easy to see how these issues were connected to
the nature of Judaism (a religion, a nationality, an ethnic affiliation, a
civilization?)  and the relationships between jewish communities in Israel
and outside of Israel.
 
I hope we learned not only some of the problems and some of the legal and
social arrangements but also some general lessons.  I can relate them to
Danielle's description of membership, joining and leaving in Catholicism,
and her description of Malaya; as well as in Walkingsticks question re the
future of Israel and the direction that it takes.
 
The idea of Judaism as a combination of religion and culture is not simple.
Some of the complexity is indeed absent in groups who are explicitly and
totally defined by religion, like Catholicism.  Malaya is in fact a richer
example of multiculturalism that has religious overtone.   Maybe like the
multiethnic empires. Places that boast of their multiculturalism and
tolerance. 
 
Yet we also saw that there is a special value that Jews do have one place in
which they are not a minority and their culture or cultures are not minority
cultures with pressures to assimilate and lose one's identity within a
larger culture.
 
Where can Israel head? Where should it head?  Where is it in fact heading?
 
These are all very different questions, calling for different types of data
and different types of analysis and response.
 
Can Israel maintain some Jewish distinctness without limiting to some extent
the freedom of all living in it?   Probably, if Israel gives up the Law of
Return and immigration controls and lets go of cultural limitation connected
to Shabbat Kashrut and calendar - the islands that will remain Jewish will
largely be the orthodox concentrations. Hebrew will be the only distinctive
feature of the Jewishness of the state. That will strengthen the
identification of Jewishness with religion.   But this does not mean that
Israel can only remain Jewish if it is a Jewish theocracy or etnocracy. A
balance may be kept creatively and with sensitivity. No religious coercion -
but also not an individualistic life without any commitment to Jewish
collective culture and interests.
 
I believe this is the balance Israel should adopt. Both concerning the
internal Jewish debates and concerning the recognition and respect to rights
of non-Jews in Israel and mainly the native Arab minority. 
 
Is this where it is in fact heading?  Some thinks it is losing democracy and
freedom and is moving towards theocracy and tribalism. Others think it is
becoming too universalistic and not attentive enough to the need to maintain
an inclusive distinctive Jewish identity.  I believe we can identify both
trends, so that we need to be watchful not to lose direction in either side
of this spectrum.  The wisdom is to maintain this delicate balance in the
face of serious challenges.
 
The ability of Israel to maintain this balance is important not only for
Israelis - Jews and non Jews alike, of all persuasions - but also for Jews
all over the world.  Israel does not define what Judaism is but it is
clearly a very central element in Jewish life. 
 
For many of us these are not only fascinating intellectual questions but
also questions with immediate and urgent practical impact.  If the balance
is not struck right - it is not just a matter of quality of life.  I have
tried to redress some of these issues in the work of Metzilah - a Center for
Zionist, Jewish, Liberal and Humanist Thought.    You can read about us in
www.metzilah.org.il <http://www.metzilah.org.il/>  and you are invited to
join the mailing list and receive notes of publications and activities. 
 
Thanks again for making this course such a challenging experience and Good
Luck!
 
Ruth
 
 
 
 
 
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