Reform Reflections: Inspiration from the Haredi community

Although they will not thank me for the endorsement, I have decided to come out in favor of the Haredi community in Jerusalem. Many in the Ultra-Orthodox world are disgusted by the decision of the courts, supported by the Attorney General, not to force businesses in Jerusalem to refrain from selling chametz during the festival of Passover this year. Following the decision of the court, representatives of the edah charedit  have sent letters to some sixty businesses and outlets pleading with them not to sell leavened products during Pessach in the City of Gold.

I like this response. By turning to these fellow Jerusalemites and asking them to reconsider their decision, these Haredi representatives are playing according to the rules of a modern liberal democracy. It remains to be seen if some within the community escalate their opposition to the dreaded chametz, and move from words to sticks and stones. But so long as the opposition is reasoned, respectful and peaceful, it should be supported.

I write these words in the midst of my own battle with the forces of leaven, the chametz which lies around my house, in my car, and even more elusively - in my heart. I perceive these days of Passover preparation as some of the most significant and profound of the Hebrew calendar. The Passover of which I dream is indeed leaven-free. But the Israel I dream of living in is one in which leaven should not be outlawed. Exploiting the institutions of state in order to enforce the great teachings of Judaism is a tragic error, and it helps contribute to alienation and anger.

A representative of the Haredi community (this is a confusing and imprecise term, since there are almost infinite variations and nuances within the Ultra-Orthodox world) was interviewed on the radio this morning, and he explained why it was so crucial to keep all chametz out of Jerusalem. He told the tragic tale of Orthodox grandchildren visiting with their secular grandparents in Jerusalem who were given pizza to eat on the festival of Passover because their ignorant and innocent grandparents did not know better. They had assumed that Jerusalem restaurants would only sell Kosher for Passover comestibles, and as a result the sanctity of the festival was sullied. The spokesman went on to state that Jerusalem, city of holiness, must be pure during the festival of Passover.

The story about the mistaken grandparents tells a great deal about the weird configurations of Jewish identity in our times. Within three generations there are radical transitions from secular to Orthodox, and vice versa. But the idea that legislating against the owner of the kiosk will make the complexity go away is wrongheaded, short-sighted and laughable.

Jerusalem should be pure this Passover. It should be purged of poverty, and garbage, and corruption, and prejudice, and hate. I passed some graffiti on the wall in a "good" neighborhood in Jerusalem this week. Its author, clearly an honorable son of our people, expressed gross anti-Arab sentiments. Now that is chametz of the worst kind, and that needs to be removed - before Pessach, and every day.

On this Festival of Freedom, we should defend the right of our neighbors to do things we don't like, and defend the weak from assault and oppression. It's actually fine in my book to engage others in conversation, to try to persuade them to act differently. Persuasion is better than legislation, and much better than aggression.

One more thought, for those of you who are ahead in your house cleaning, or those of you who don't clean your house in a special way for Pessach, or those of you who are limited in the amount of physical work you can do. Open your Inbox and delete all the unnecessary e-mails which have just been lying around for a year: this is a new additional version of chametz for the twenty-first century. I don't want the courts to outlaw e-mail (although that does sound tempting). I wasn't proposing a new law - I was just making a suggestion. It's a technique I have learnt from the Haredi community.