I recently read something that gave me a bit of indigestion.
Writing in the Forward, two Israeli thought leaders offered the following argument:
They were addressing Jewish liberals in the US who are upset with how Israeli political leadership is treating non-Orthodox Jews and said, in effect, listen up. If you want allies in Israel, you need to seek out people like us who are not religious.
People who are religious in Israel tend not to care about women’s rights and minority rights; people who care about those things tend not to be religious.
So, goes the argument, in Israel it’s one or the other - if you care about human rights, you’re probably not religious; if you’re religious, you likely don't get so worked up when it comes to other people’s rights.
I hear a version of this about American Jews. The Jews who are “keeping Judaism alive” are those who may not care so much about preserving democracy and minority rights unless that minority is the Jews. As for the Jews who value feminism, minority rights, and are worked up over what’s happening to American democracy? Well, let’s see how many of those kind will be left after a few generations.
Let’s focus on the United States. Is there a growing correlation between commitment to Jewish tradition and disregard for "justice for all"? Is there a growing correlation between concern for justice and lax commitment to Jewish tradition?
Writing in the Forward, two Israeli thought leaders offered the following argument:
They were addressing Jewish liberals in the US who are upset with how Israeli political leadership is treating non-Orthodox Jews and said, in effect, listen up. If you want allies in Israel, you need to seek out people like us who are not religious.
People who are religious in Israel tend not to care about women’s rights and minority rights; people who care about those things tend not to be religious.
So, goes the argument, in Israel it’s one or the other - if you care about human rights, you’re probably not religious; if you’re religious, you likely don't get so worked up when it comes to other people’s rights.
I hear a version of this about American Jews. The Jews who are “keeping Judaism alive” are those who may not care so much about preserving democracy and minority rights unless that minority is the Jews. As for the Jews who value feminism, minority rights, and are worked up over what’s happening to American democracy? Well, let’s see how many of those kind will be left after a few generations.
Let’s focus on the United States. Is there a growing correlation between commitment to Jewish tradition and disregard for "justice for all"? Is there a growing correlation between concern for justice and lax commitment to Jewish tradition?
