WZC Social Media Diary - October 30
Here at the World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem, I find myself questioning whether Kevin Bacon’s six degrees of separation still applies to the Jewish people, if it ever did.
On the one hand, when a rabbinic leader of the far-right Eretz Hakodesh party who once spent time in Memphis with a mutual Orthodox friend, supported our Reform-sponsored resolution strengthening Jewish youth movements, degrees of closeness seem greater than separation.
But don’t be fooled. The vast chasm at the culminating resolutions plenary was on full display between messianic Zionists and the Zionism espoused by the acceptance that pluralistic North American Jews enjoy across the religious spectrum.
If the 39th World Zionist Congress taught us anything, it is that democratic and inclusive Israel is the only hope for the future.
On the eve of the Haredi march on Jerusalem of 250,000 Israeli ultra-Orthodox men protesting military conscription of their yeshiva boys, an Israeli friend and mother summed up the rift well:
"The ultra-Orthodox circles of political power we condone in the name of “Jewish unity” is outrageous, especially since they push for military intervention while largely refusing to serve in the military themselves, and all while living off taxpayers’ handouts. The only time their Rabbis allow them to “fight” or to “work,” is to throw rocks at cars in their Jewish neighborhoods on Shabbat, or to attack innocent Israeli Arab farmers as collective punishment for wrongs committed by others. It is one thing to be respectful of all religious expressions, but I draw the line at hateful, cruel, and corrupt behavior."
Last night, the heroic efforts of ARZENU leader, Rabbi Lea Mühlstein to chair a contentious marathon resolutions plenary, led right wing delegates to hurl shameful chants, yell slurs, and even walkout in an attempt to prevent a quorum and defeat a resolution that would have endorsed the annexation of large portions or the West Bank and tank any hope for peace with Palestinians.
This World Zionist Congress is more than ground zero in the fight to win funding for all streams of Judaism, it also embodies the struggle for a Jewish State that mirrors and supports the lives and values most Jews practice both inside Israel and globally.
The prospect of a zealous minority wielding disproportionate power threatens the vision of an inclusive Jewish future for all.
It was easy to say “shalom aleichem” and make friendly connections with Jewish leaders from around the world, however, these three days have been a reminder of the deep Jewish divide in Israel and the global Jewish community, and the essential efforts of the global Reform Movement to bridge the gulf with equal rights, funding, and protection for all.
Joining this global parliament of the Jewish people these past three days has truly been an honor and a warning.
An honor to continue seeking shalom across the many degrees separating Israeli society and Jews around the world; and a stark warning of what can happen when Jewish values yield to Jewish politics or power.
The phenomenal resolution results for ARZENU and our democratic and inclusive ideology will certainly do the greatest good for the greatest number of people if implemented, but it was hard fought and exhausting, even if essential, especially for Israelis.
My secular Israeli taxi driver, a 26-year-old new groom who had just came home from serving in the war and whose father is Jewish but whose mother did not convert with an Orthodox rabbi - said it best:
“I can die fighting for my country, but I’m not good enough to be married here legally or buried at Har Herzl for my military service.”
Sergei noticed my 39th World Zionist Congress paraphernalia, including a book of Theodor Herzl’s diary entries. When I told him that I was a Reform rabbi, he said, “Keep fighting.”
We will and we must, and last night’s voting results even showed that we can!
The senior rabbi of Temple Israel, Rabbi Micah Greenstein has devoted more than three decades to Memphis’ 170-year-old synagogue. Recognized as Memphis Magazine’s inaugural Memphian of the Year in 2013 for reaching across racial and religious lines to cultivate a more relational community, Greenstein has served on the national board of the NAACP and executive committee of the National Civil Rights Museum. Rabbi Greenstein chaired the Israel Committee of the CCAR and presently serves on the International Advisory Council of the IMPJ.
