Jewish identity
What perfect timing! I write an article on Israeli identity, and then we have a whole day on it in Israel seminar! I didn't like our speaker much at all, but we had a wonderful class discussion about Jewish identity. We looked at some statistics about secular Israelis - did you know that, as of 1992, only 23% of Israelis went to synagogue on Saturday, but 69% keep kosher at home? 78% participate in Passover seders, and 71% light Chanukah candles. And Israel has only gotten *more* traditional over the past ten years - it's amazing, the people polled are all like my Israeli family. They're what's called secular Jews in Israel. My question is, what's the difference between an Israeli secular Jew, and an American Reform Jew? I'm starting to think nothing, except that Americans have to work harder to have what Israelis experience by virtue of living here.
We also discussed some real-life case studies:
Bacon and pork products sell at a brisk pace. Can a kibbutz raise pigs in order to make a profit?
What happens when an Israeli immigrant soldier who dies in the army and is buried in a Jewish army cemetary is then found to not be halachally (in terms of law) Jewish, if his mother isn't Jewish? Should the body be moved to a non-Jewish section of the cemetary?
Can a cafe in Jerusalem be open 24 hours on Shabbat if it's located next to a yeshiva? (school for Orthodox)
Should schools teach Israeli kids Arab history, and vice versa?
Many Russian immigrants had a cultural Christmas tree. Should a store or pub be allowed to have a Christmas tree in Jerusalem?
Can a man who underwent a sex change and became a woman be allowed to represent Israel in a contest such as the Eurovision Song Contest, since sex changes are forbidden in traditional Judaism?
We talked about all of these questions and more, and our class had diverging opinions. This country is a Jewish theocracy, and was founded that way, but how does that play out in practical life? I'm a Zionist, but I was also raised to believe in the separation of church and state... and I don't know that I agree with policies that makes Israel solely Jewish. Currently a huge percentage of Israelis fly to Cyprus to get married, because they don't want to get married under Orthodox auspices. Someone who converts to Judaism under a Reform rabbi isn't technically Jewish here. Ultra-orthodox men don't have to serve in the army and get stipends from the government in order to study at yeshiva. I can't remember if I wrote this already, but Mea Shearim, the haredi section of Jerusalem, has an average age of 13 and is one of the poorest areas of the country. Would abolishing a theocracy change any of these social problems, or just bring about new ones?
We also discussed some real-life case studies:
Bacon and pork products sell at a brisk pace. Can a kibbutz raise pigs in order to make a profit?
What happens when an Israeli immigrant soldier who dies in the army and is buried in a Jewish army cemetary is then found to not be halachally (in terms of law) Jewish, if his mother isn't Jewish? Should the body be moved to a non-Jewish section of the cemetary?
Can a cafe in Jerusalem be open 24 hours on Shabbat if it's located next to a yeshiva? (school for Orthodox)
Should schools teach Israeli kids Arab history, and vice versa?
Many Russian immigrants had a cultural Christmas tree. Should a store or pub be allowed to have a Christmas tree in Jerusalem?
Can a man who underwent a sex change and became a woman be allowed to represent Israel in a contest such as the Eurovision Song Contest, since sex changes are forbidden in traditional Judaism?
We talked about all of these questions and more, and our class had diverging opinions. This country is a Jewish theocracy, and was founded that way, but how does that play out in practical life? I'm a Zionist, but I was also raised to believe in the separation of church and state... and I don't know that I agree with policies that makes Israel solely Jewish. Currently a huge percentage of Israelis fly to Cyprus to get married, because they don't want to get married under Orthodox auspices. Someone who converts to Judaism under a Reform rabbi isn't technically Jewish here. Ultra-orthodox men don't have to serve in the army and get stipends from the government in order to study at yeshiva. I can't remember if I wrote this already, but Mea Shearim, the haredi section of Jerusalem, has an average age of 13 and is one of the poorest areas of the country. Would abolishing a theocracy change any of these social problems, or just bring about new ones?
posted by Michal at 8:12 AM
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