Friday, December 22, 2006
Anna and I went on a tour of Mea Shearim last week, the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem that you hear about sometimes, where some people live as they did 100 or even 200 years ago. It's got huge signs at the entrance like this one:
from flickr.com
We've certainly heard about violence against tourists wandering through these neighborhoods, but we really never expected to see it ourselves. I'd been on a tour of the area only a week before without incident. Our goal was to see Hanukkah in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood, where they put menorahs outside their doors in glass cases (to protect from the wind). It's very pretty and a tradition that's been lost in Reform America.
In one neighborhood, a man came out of his home, asking us to leave. A few minutes later, we stopped in front of a yeshiva and were asked to leave again, this time punctuated with something thrown at one guy in our group. The tension increases. A few minutes later, as we're winding our way out, a man begins screaming at us and grabs Gingy, our group leader, bellowing at him, calling him an "evil one" in Hebrew. The crazed man was screaming himself hoarse, getting the attention of the entire neighborhood, while we walked in a near-panic back the way we came. Gingy remained calm, all the while the crazy man is screaming things like "Return to Germany" and "why do you want to make money off of us?" It was a terrifying experience. That ultra-Orthodox man was hysterical and could not have listened to reason.
In discussing the event with a friend, Anna mentioned that she still wanted to go back to Mea Shearim to buy a seder plate. Her friend asked a great question: "Why do you want to support those people with your money?"
In Israel, many--perhaps the majority--of the ultra-Orthodox live off the Israeli welfare system. Although clearly some have businesses and other jobs, in the main they believe that studying Torah is the highest priority, above making an income. And that hysterical man is part of a minority which actively threatens violence. But questions remain: what is our relationship to these people who scream at tourists walking through their neighborhood? Who sometimes threaten violence? Who live off welfare paid for by the rest of the country? Should the study of Torah be subsidized in the Jewish State? Many in this community avoid military service too. Are these the Jewish values Anna and I, as Reform Jews, want to support?
Many of you at home are concerned with Israel's future. As modern American Jews, we need to take care with our money, our attention, and our support. Why should we support Chabad, who considers Reform Judaism to be a basically non-Jewish life? If you want to donate money to Israel, why not donate to the Israeli Religion Action Center or the Israeli Movement for Progressive Judaism, which support the same values you believe in: egalitarianism, equality, and pluralism. These liberal values are Jewish values, and we cannot let other people define who we are as Jews. Unless we stand up for what we believe and support those who represent our views, we risk losing those values entirely.
from flickr.com
We've certainly heard about violence against tourists wandering through these neighborhoods, but we really never expected to see it ourselves. I'd been on a tour of the area only a week before without incident. Our goal was to see Hanukkah in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood, where they put menorahs outside their doors in glass cases (to protect from the wind). It's very pretty and a tradition that's been lost in Reform America.
In one neighborhood, a man came out of his home, asking us to leave. A few minutes later, we stopped in front of a yeshiva and were asked to leave again, this time punctuated with something thrown at one guy in our group. The tension increases. A few minutes later, as we're winding our way out, a man begins screaming at us and grabs Gingy, our group leader, bellowing at him, calling him an "evil one" in Hebrew. The crazed man was screaming himself hoarse, getting the attention of the entire neighborhood, while we walked in a near-panic back the way we came. Gingy remained calm, all the while the crazy man is screaming things like "Return to Germany" and "why do you want to make money off of us?" It was a terrifying experience. That ultra-Orthodox man was hysterical and could not have listened to reason.
In discussing the event with a friend, Anna mentioned that she still wanted to go back to Mea Shearim to buy a seder plate. Her friend asked a great question: "Why do you want to support those people with your money?"
In Israel, many--perhaps the majority--of the ultra-Orthodox live off the Israeli welfare system. Although clearly some have businesses and other jobs, in the main they believe that studying Torah is the highest priority, above making an income. And that hysterical man is part of a minority which actively threatens violence. But questions remain: what is our relationship to these people who scream at tourists walking through their neighborhood? Who sometimes threaten violence? Who live off welfare paid for by the rest of the country? Should the study of Torah be subsidized in the Jewish State? Many in this community avoid military service too. Are these the Jewish values Anna and I, as Reform Jews, want to support?
Many of you at home are concerned with Israel's future. As modern American Jews, we need to take care with our money, our attention, and our support. Why should we support Chabad, who considers Reform Judaism to be a basically non-Jewish life? If you want to donate money to Israel, why not donate to the Israeli Religion Action Center or the Israeli Movement for Progressive Judaism, which support the same values you believe in: egalitarianism, equality, and pluralism. These liberal values are Jewish values, and we cannot let other people define who we are as Jews. Unless we stand up for what we believe and support those who represent our views, we risk losing those values entirely.
