Are we becoming more attuned to the complexities of the Jewish state, or are liberal Jewish leaders contributing to increased antipathy by obsessively discussing its flaws?
Rabbi N. Daniel Korobkin
Beth Avraham Yoseph Congregation, Toronto
Rabbi Lisa Grushcow
Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom, Montreal
Rabbi Korobkin: With this year’s celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut comes a certain uneasiness and concern for Israel that hasn’t been felt in years.
While Israel’s economy and technological prowess are stronger than ever, and there is greater unity overall within the country, the external threats from a nuclear Iran and a bloodthirsty Arab element in the region are looming large. Meanwhile, Israel’s most important ally, the United States, is pulling away and seems to be OK with letting Israel face its existential threats on its own. Finally, Diaspora Jewry is becoming more and more apathetic, if not downright antipathetic, to Israel.
Am I being melodramatic in my concern? Should I be reassured that “this, too, shall pass,” just like so many other dire threats Israel has faced in the past? Or, is there something different about the current situation that should make us fear that Israel as we know it could soon disappear?
And is there anything for us to do?
Rabbi Grushcow: The model of the Talmud is one of discussion and debate. A true friend is one who challenges you – and also has your back. That’s the relationship I wish for Israel with its allies.
In terms of the Diaspora, I think there are two major factors in the disconnect you describe. First, an increasing number of Jews (myself included) were born after the Holocaust and the founding of the state, some even after the wars of 1967 and 1973. For many of us, our Jewish values call for us both to stand up for Israel and to recognize the complexity of the situation – including the suffering of other human beings.
Second, many non-Orthodox Jews feel increasingly not at home in Israel. We see our conversions not being recognized or women not being able to pray at the Kotel. It can be very disconcerting to realize that the Jewish lives we live in the Diaspora are often treated as second class in Israel.
I really believe that the more we see Israel in all its complexity and diversity, the more we will love it and be engaged with it. I grew up learning about Israel as “a land without a people for a people without a land.” When I got older and realized that there were other people there before, that made me question everything I had learned – and then re-engage. Similarly, the issues of religious freedom are very real, but I’m inspired by the work being done within Israel to create a just society.
Let’s trust that Israel is beautiful and meaningful and important enough that if we share the whole story, our commitment will only be stronger.
Rabbi Korobkin: I appreciate your commitment to Israel despite your conflicts about some of its social policies. At the same time, I respectfully suggest that by repeatedly invoking these issues in public when referencing Israel – almost in Pavlovian fashion – liberal Jewish leaders have contributed to the increasing antipathy of which I speak.
I, too, have ambivalent feelings about some of Israel’s social issues (albeit different issues). I raise these critiques in select audiences, and rarely. My overall love for Israel has thus never been directly associated with my criticisms of it. Perhaps in the past, we took it for granted that we could speak our minds about Israel without compromising our communities’ support, but unfortunately, that is no longer the case.
By toning down the negative rhetoric about Israel’s social ills – real or perceived – from our pulpits, we might help stem the tide of ill will that much of Diaspora Jewry is currently feeling toward Israel.
Rabbi Grushcow: I respectfully disagree. Any critique that my more liberal colleagues and I may share comes out of a deep love of, and commitment to, Israel.
My own experience has been that Jews aren’t disaffected from Israel because of the things it gets wrong (as every country does). They are disaffected because they feel like their own communities have a strict party line on Israel, with no room for dissension or debate.
For people to care, they have to be part of the conversation. Israeli society is miraculous and beautiful, complicated and challenging. I can’t wait to share it with my congregants, so we can join in the conversation together.