[..]For this visit came weeks after the eagerly anticipated agreement to establish a new progressive, egalitarian and mixed-gender prayer space at the southern end of the Kotel, separated from the Western Wall plaza and its ultra-Orthodox (or Haredi) hegemony.
But even if that morning made them feel like the paratroopers liberating the Western Wall in the Six-Day War, there was still a battle awaiting them in West Jerusalem. Their leaders had greeted the agreement as “historic” and, at last, a formal Israeli recognition of non-Orthodox Judaism. But the forces arrayed against them were formidable. They should have realized what they were up against when, three weeks earlier, Prime Minister and Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu hadn’t reprimanded his own party’s tourism minister, Yariv Levin, for describing Reform Jewry as “a waning world” and accusing them of responsibility for assimilation and the disappearance of American Jewry.
Netanyahu made do with an anodyne statement that Reform Jews “are part and parcel of the Jewish people.” Netanyahu, of course, received the rabbis cordially in his office but, tellingly, his press officers failed to release any photographs or press releases regarding the meeting.
Meanwhile, the rabbis and ultra-Orthodox politicians that Netanyahu relies upon to maintain his narrow, 61-member coalition afloat were ramping up the rhetoric on a daily basis. The Reform movement was accused of ruining Judaism, of selling out its values and of ultimately not being Jewish but “idolators” – as Rabbi David Yosef, a member of the Shas Council of Torah Sages, said this week.
When the prayer space deal was signed at the end of January, the assumption was that the ultra-Orthodox parties would strenuously object but not turn this into a coalition-busting issue. After all, the deal had left their domination of the main Kotel area – which had been contested for years by the Women of the Wall group – intact.
But on Thursday, Religious Services Minister David Azoulay (Shas) told a gathering of rabbis that as far as he is concerned, the matter is yehareg ve’al ya’avor – to be killed rather than transgress, the halakhic definition of a commandment that a Jew must be prepared to die for (usually reserved only for the sins of murder, idolatry and adultery/incest). Azoulay may have gone farther rhetorically than his political and religious masters wanted, but the signal was clear: Netanyahu will have to mollify them.
Some time in the next few days or weeks, rabbis and politicians will gather in the Prime Minister’s Office. The Reform movement will not be represented there. The Western Wall agreement will be amended so that the new prayer area will be defined as some general heritage enclosure for public use, with no formal religious or spiritual connotations. Gone will be any recognition of non-Orthodox streams of Judaism. The Haredim will be able to tell their public that they have seen off the Reform menace. In phone calls to the United States, ministers will try to explain to the Reform leaders that nothing has really changed and assure them that the new section of the Wall will still be at their disposal. It is still a “historic” achievement, they will say.
If they try to object, they will find very few allies. At most, a handful of Meretz and Zionist Union MKs will put out a weak chorus of protest, probably no more than a few posts on Facebook. The leaders of the center-left parties – Isaac Herzog, Yair Lapid and Moshe Kahlon – will remain silent. All of them know that to have any hope of replacing Netanyahu in the foreseeable future, they will need at least one of the ultra-Orthodox parties in their coalition, and there are simply no votes in supporting the Reform struggle to make such a gesture worthwhile.
The Reform leaders will be facing a difficult dilemma. Either accept the downgrading of “their” Western Wall, hand the ultra-Orthodox yet another victory and continue convincing themselves and their members that they can still turn the new site into a bastion of Jewish enlightenment in the heart of Jerusalem. Or reject the new formulation, thus opening up a formal breach between them and the Israeli government, and admit that for all their declarations of a “historic” achievement recently, they are as powerless as ever in Israel.
It doesn’t matter how many times the Reform movement has been humiliated by Israeli politicians: The frustration of the leaders of the largest Jewish movement in the United States remains as bitter as ever. “How do you ask Jews around the world to support Israel politically, economically, socially … and at the same time you have these ministers who say to our people, ‘You’re not really Jewish’ or ‘You don’t have a place here in Israel’? That incongruity is a real problem for us,” the exasperated Rabbi Steven Fox, the chief executive of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, told The Associated Press.
He knows the answer though. You continue doing so because the only alternative is to sever ties with Israel, its government and most of its society – who, despite decades of effort, have yet to warm to non-Orthodox Judaism. Outside of Tel Aviv, that is.
There are those whispering in Netanyahu’s ear that, actually, the Reform movement isn’t such a great lobbyist in Washington, either. Just look whose children are joining anti-Israeli groups like J Street, they say. They won’t stay loyal Jews anyway, much better to invest in those you can trust, like evangelical Christians. Netanyahu is a much more cautious politician than he’s given credit for; he won’t burn bridges, but he certainly won’t go out on a limb either. Ultimately, he will always give the ultra-Orthodox what they ask for.
So, after their all-too-brief “historic” moment, the political reality for the Reform movement is about to reassert itself in Israel. When Winston Churchill said in 1944 that the Vatican would object to the Soviet Union’s plans to dominate Roman Catholic Poland, Joseph Stalin retorted, “The Pope! How many divisions has he got?” The Reform movement, whatever influence it may have in the United States, has no fingers in the Knesset. Unless that changes, it will have no choice but to come back again and again for more humiliation in Jerusalem.
Quintessential liberal Jew. And I feel about liberal Jews the way Aykroyd/Belushi felt about Illinois Nazis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ukFAvYP3UU
Bernie Sanders blasted Israel when the Israelis were defending themselves against Palestinians.
.
@ lsatenstein:Bernie when he was telling his story made it sound like he was of Polish immigrants not Jewish immigrants.
He seemed to go great lengths to avoid saying he was Jewish until directly asked.
The most control a President has in foreign policy and that would include his relations with the state of Israel. So for those of us who strongly care about Israel it is issue #1.
Hillary does not cut the mustard and Bernie is not a supporter. See his stated formal positions:
Bernie would be dangerous to the USA and Israel.
During this run up for presidency, you do not have Sanders touting the fact he is a Jew. Sanders did stay in Israel, worked on a kibbutz, and probably still knows a smattering of Hebrew.
But the USA election is not about Israel, it is about who takes over after Obama.
If it’s Hillory, the approach to Israel will not change. If it is Sanders, you bet it will improve. Sanders has a Jewish Nashuma.
@ Bear Klein:
Right on.
You don’t tell your friends what to do or what not to do, you ask “how can we be of help to you”
Israel needs to continue to build throughout the Holy Land as it is their G-d given rights.
Pray, the next president isn’t Hillary or Bernie but rather one who will return America to it’s Judeo-Christian principals and away from the progressive secular cult.
Remember BDS is another form of anti-Semitism that needs to be called out for what it is.
@ lsatenstein: Obama is anti Israel. He tells Jews where they are allowed to build homes and where not. That maybe okay with some but not with others. Would that be okay with you if he told you where you could buy an apartment in NY City? Last I checked that would be called discrimination or anti-Semitism.
He stops weapons shipments during a war (great friend) because Hamas was getting hit too hard!!
He interferes with an Israeli election and sends money to an Arab party via surrogates and helps them in their election planning.
Obama great friend of whom? Yes the current leaders of the Republican party seem to be real friends of Israel. The Dems unfortunately not so much (including Hillary and Bernie).
@ lsatenstein:
So now you look at Obama and support for Israel
Are you serious?
Obama is no friend of Jews or Israel and it is a plain as the nose on your face.
What is this love affair liberal American Jews have for Obama?
If only Ayn Reagan could be here. RIP
@ Bert:
Please answer this question. If God forbid Israel disappears tomorrow, does that make any more than a 5 minute newscast on CNN?
Israel is important to Israelis, and to All Jews around the world. But then we know that.
So now you look at Obama and support for Israel. There has been no decline in support but an intense dislike of BeBe by the US. Are you mixing up the Obama-Bebe relationship with the USA-Israel relationship?
Israel exists today because of Golda Meir. She convinced the USA to send arms to Israel so that Israel could defend itself and continue to exist.
When you are bored, blame Obama. Actually, look at the Repulsive party (excuse me, Republicans). Newt Gingrage, and every other Republican put obstacles to very social aspect that Obama tried to promote. Fortunately Affordable care act got through, but then Cruz wants to abolish it, and allow pre-existing discrimation for policy renewal. So, you Americans responding to me, who else do you want to bash?
If there were only two denominations to choose from – Reform and Ultra Orthodox – I would choose Reform.
A friend of mine – a Sephardic Jew from Amesterdam says that there are no denominations amongst Sephardic Jews – they are just Jews. Although they are traditional and keep kosher – many do not.
According to my friend about 15% are ‘religious’. About 75% are ‘somewhat’ kosher during certain holidays and about 10% are Agnostic / Athiest. Bottom line – they are ALL Jews to her.
This is the angle I believe we need to come from. We are a people first. We are Jews. Period.
The Reform movement is mainly about achieving power and influence inside Israel but without EARNING it. The Reform movement in America is heavy on social values such as LGBT but weak on standing up to Obama on Israel. The Reform need Israel far more than Israel needs them – especially now that Christians United For Israel (www.cufi.org) is approaching 3 million active members inside the U.S. This article is on target.
So their avenue to power will be with the opposition as usual, the Arabs, Meretz and continued support for the mentally disturbed NGO supporters.