Mere protestations will not suffice - the time for action is now
Politicians who degrade the Diaspora shouldn't seek support in its communities
If you weren't on Mars this week, there is high likelihood that you are aware of the fierce storms engulfing Israel and world Jewry under the blazing summer sun. Every self-respecting Jewish organization issued a statement, and the language ranged from dismay to deplore, although most were lacking when it came to taking action.
Uri Regev 29/06/2017 00:30
Tags: Western Wall · conversion · Shabbat · Diaspora · world Jewry · take action
The Western Wall during Shavuot, source: Wikipedia
The Jewish Agency Board of Governors convening in Israel this week, which rightly saw the timing and nature of the decisions as a blow to their faces, reacted with unheard of gravity. The festive dinner scheduled with PM Netanyahu at the Knesset was called off, and the schedule of the B.O.G. was reshuffled to focus on the crisis at hand.
You can read more about the nature of these policy decisions and their context HERE. Clearly everybody realizes that Israeli politicians have long since developed a thick skin, and mere protestations are unlikely to shift them from their "politics first" routine. Still, by now, they may have actually started to 'get it' and realize that what they did is not 'politics as usual.' The obvious indication for those who didn't get it yet is an emergency AIPAC leadership mission, which met with PM Netanyahu today and read him the riot act, conveying that this has severe repercussions on their ability to effectively advocate for Israel. This was coupled with news of senior members of Congress similarly communicating to Israeli policymakers that they, as Israel's ardent supporters, view the government's decisions as a reckless lobbing of explosive charges.
the Israeli public does not buy the government's spin, excuses, and obfuscation. Clearly, the government does not speak for the people, nor does it represent the best interests of the the State of Israel, let alone the Jewish people.
We too felt that there is need to go beyond verbal protest and move in a direction that would target the culprits, rather than Israel. We are constantly encouraged that the overwhelming majority of Israelis share our views, values, and aspirations for Israel as a Jewish and democratic society. We periodically measure this, as we did this week, and were heartened to learn that the Israeli public does not buy the government's spin, excuses, and obfuscation. Clearly, the government does not speak for the people, nor does it represent the best interests of the the State of Israel, let alone the Jewish people. With that in mind, we welcomed the news of Steven Nasatir, one of the most successful veteran executives of America's large Jewish federations. He said, "the Federation in Chicago will not be hosting any Member of Knesset that votes for this bill. They will not be welcome in our community... this is a situation where politics became first order instead of leadership and statesmanship... this is an outrage... this is not just a little hiccup. This is big, and it needs to be fixed."
We reached out to leaders of partnering organizations, already a few days ago, with that very suggestion. We believe that it's high time that Israeli politicians bear responsibility for their actions, and so long as they support policies and pass laws that aim at delegitimizing non-Orthodox Judaism, and, more recently, liberal Orthodoxy - they should realize that they are not welcome in our communities. Diaspora Jewish communities are based on pluralism, mutual respect, and religious freedom. This is what Israel's Declaration of Independence promised. This is what the overwhelming majority of Israelis consistently support. Politicians who feel that they need to first and foremost cater to the Haredi parties should seek support in every respect from these same groups outside Israel.
You cannot be a party to policies that are based on the exclusivity of Orthodoxy, the denial of freedom of worship, the closing of gates for converts, and the perpetuation a mind boggling reality in which Israel is the only western democracy that denies its citizens the right to marry - and expect that the very people you degrade and strip of basic rights and dignity by these laws and decisions will welcome you, as if your spitting at them is merely rain, and your blows are simply hail. We hope that more organizations and leaders will follow Nasatir's example and consider additional effective measures aimed at bringing these politicians to see the light because clearly protestations will not suffice.