Take my advice: don't take my advice

A friend in North America has invited me to address a group of friends committed to Israel and also to a Liberal worldview. They are concerned about what they see as the disconnect between the pro-Israel stance offered by most in the Jewish establishment and the daily reality of alienation, frustration and growing apathy which they see around them.

At the end of the letter he asks: should we establish a local J-Street (if any of my readers don't know what this organization is, you can Google them), put pressure on our government to work for the policies we support, renew our membership to Israeli peace organizations? Gaza and Goldstone, settlement activity, attitudes to the Other in Israeli society, the bizarre relationship between Religion and State - all these persuade my friend and his circle that they have to do something other than just mouth the usual platitudes. For the sake of variety, they want me to come and share my platitudes

What should I say to such a group? And what's the idea behind having me and mixing my angst with theirs? There is in part a vestige here of the old authenticity dilemma: since you don't live in Israel, the old line goes, you don't really have the right to make a noise in the way you would really like to. Meanwhile many Israelis seem to have no problem decrying the excesses and stupidities of their government, so why not bask in their irreverence?

There is something wrong with this picture. Jews in the Diaspora do not need to ask permission from anyone to express their views. It's a remnant of a moribund guilt complex, an urge to defer to those who realized Zionist nirvana and now pay their taxes to the Jewish State. Israelis have no right to tell Jews in the Diaspora what to do, who to marry, how to behave, just as my sister has no right to order me to clean my room. But if my sister stays in touch, shares in my triumphs and disasters, then she does indeed have the right to tell me that if I ever want to get on in life, I should clean up my room. There is a condition of mutuality - I have to be able to tell my sibling about her interior design disasters, and she has to be able to listen as well.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (10)

Reform Judaism should not enter Israeli politics

Elections are in the air. The Israeli public is reeling from the bad odor emanating from the Prime Minister's good cigars, and we are all wondering how he will manage to conduct his defense while conducting affairs of state. His key political opponents, perhaps incensed at the thought that Olmert will reserve the best first-class seat on the next flight, are working on their impersonation of righteous indignation. Observers of the geopolitical scene from Left and Right are wondering how Israel's interests can be well served when a negotiation on territorial compromise is taking place in between plea bargains and legal consultations.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (92)

Israel suffers from ADHD

Israel suffers from Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). We are so overloaded with events bearing heavy cargoes of moral complexity; so stunned by sensory overload; that we often can give nothing more than perfunctory attention to issues demanding profound engagement.

In the days since my last blog was penned (or keyboarded), so much has happened: I am writing this with the radio on in the background - Dimona, Gaza, Sderot, Winograd, Olmert, Barak, Egypt, and more.

What is an appropriate religious response to this ADHD reality? A common strategy is to claim that what we see on the surface is only a mask for some concealed Truth. There is a code, a secret means of unlocking a door leading to harmony and coherence. Often, this is presented as the essence of Jewish belief. It may appear as though everything is an unholy mess, but a True Believer knows that all is part of a holy master plan. To doubt the plan is to doubt the Master.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (12)

To be a Jerusalemite

My municipal tax bill arrived this week, and on its envelope an unforgettable slogan: it pays to be a Jerusalemite.

My first response was to laugh out loud: the contents of the envelope made it abundantly clear that one has to pay a significant amount of cash in order to be a Jerusalemite - or at least one of that increasingly besieged species: Jerusalemites who pay any taxes at all.

The City of Jerusalem can be a demanding hostess. Only one thing could be more concerning than taking a brief look at its economic prospects - namely, taking a long look at those prospects. Destruction and construction are to be found strewn across the city in equal measure. The ultra-rich are displacing the working poor and also just regular folks from certain neighborhoods. To put the icing on the cake, this week I find myself banished from my own office due to the presence in this city of George W. Bush and the 8000 police personnel on duty here.

Read the rest of this post   |  Comments (6)