A Shift in Power

This might come as a shock to Reform Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union of Reform Judaism. He had hoped that his crusade to gain legitimacy in Israel would gain momentum from this election. He had urged Reform Jews to vote in those elections. And promised to use that money to end Orthodox control over Jewish life in Israel by giving Reform and other denominations equal authority in all religious matters. 

While that sounds like the democratic thing to do,  Judaism is not a democracy.

It is the theology of a nation that was formed at Sinai upon receiving the Torah – God’s law for the Jewish people. A law whose binding nature has been rejected by Reform Judaism. It would be national suicide to give that kind of control to Reform rabbis in a country that calls itself as Jewish. 

Some would argue that a Jewish state need not be anything other than a secular country where the majority are Jews. But that does not a Jewish state make. Demographics can change and then... poof! ...no more Jewish state. 

A Jewish state needs an identity that goes beyond how many Jews live there. It needs to be based on how the Jewish people identify themselves. What makes them Jewish is what makes the state Jewish. 

That was determined at our founding as a people at Sinai. That being said,  Israel is not a theocracy. It is a democracy in the sense that no one is forced to follow Halacha. Nevertheless it is Halacha that ultimately defines who we are as a people and as a nation. 

At the very least that should mean that only rabbis of the denomination believe in that definition should have a say in public policy on religious matters. That is what the Israeli rabbinate is all about.

It is true that Israel’s rabbinate is far from perfect. It has had more than its share of controversy. There are unresolved problems there that have caused even some Orthodox rabbis a lot of grief and despair. It is in need of major repair. How that would or should happen is beyond the scope of this post. But one thing is certain. It should not mean taking control out of Orthodox hands and sharing it with non Orthodox rabbis.

That is one thing most Orthodox rabbis agree upon. Even those that think the current rabbinate ought to be shut down. These same rabbis would never cede control of religious decisions to heterodoxy. Which is one of the main reasons that - with a few notable exceptions - Orthodox Jews were urged by their religious leaders (from right to left) to vote in the WZO elections. It seems they (we) have indeed won an important battle.

But as I said have said at the outset - now is not a time to gloat. Or to take victory laps. The battle is not over. Heterodox rabbis have not given up their quest for recognition in Israel. 

Just be clear these rabbis are not evil people. As I said yesterday, they know not what they do. A Reform rabbi is in a category of a Tinok Shenishba. The truly believe their cause is just. They are just wrong about it.

The question arises, why did the Reform faction not get more votes? After all they claim to be the largest Jewish denomination in all of Judaism. Their percentage of Jewish population is near 40%. Orthodox Jews are currently only about 10% (albeit growing) They should have received four times as many votes as the Orthodox factions!

I think that by now those of us that have been paying any attention already know the answer to this question. Most Reform Jews – even those that actually do at some level identify as Jewish and have some from of ritual observance (for example - lighting Shabbat candles) don’t really care about Israel. I believe that most of them probably didn’t even know there was an election  or even what the WZO is all about. They are mostly apathetic. Not because they are evil. A Reform lay person is no less a Tinok Shenishba than are their clergy. 

As passionate as a Reform rabbi might be about his version of Judaism, it’s clear that they have not passed that passion on to their members.  At least not enough to get them to vote in those elections.

What does all this mean about the future of American Jewry? I’m afraid nothing has changed. The trajectory is the same. If anything it is only getting worse as more American Jews abandon any semblance of their Judaism to the point of rejecting their very identity as as Jews. Intermarriage is at an all time high and is a fact of life. It is seen by many non Orthodox Jewish laypeople (if not quite fully by all their rabbis yet) as a plus to intermarry! Just like prize winning American novelist Michael Chabon (who is Jewish) does.

I have no clue what to do about this sad reality. But reality it is. The only real hope for perpetuating ourselves as a people is the way Orthodox Jews are doing it. By understanding and applying what Judaism is all about – Halacha. And making sure our children are educated to be as Jewishly knowledgeable as possible

In the meantime try and reach out to as many non observant Jews as we can - that care enough about Judaism to want to perpetuate it - and teach those willing to learn - what authentic Judaism really is. Even if it is only one person at a time. With the results of this election, we have taken a step in the right direction.