Gershom Gorenberg How do you prove your Jewish NY Time Mag ...

Rosh Hashana I 5771 Sept 9, 2010Support Religious Pluralism in IsraelThis is a ketubah- a Jewish marriage contract. Ketubot come indifferent forms, some quite simple and others beautifully illuminated. Theketubah confirms the commitment that two Jews make when they marry in aJewish ceremony. I ask for a show of hands, how many of you have a copyof your parent’s ketubah? Clearly, if your parents are not Jewish or theydidn’t have a Jewish wedding ceremony you don’t have one. I have no ideawhat happened to my parent’s ketubah.How many of you have a ketubah for your grandparents? I don’t.How about your great-grandparents? Unlikely.A young man in our congregation, let’s call him “Ari”, contacted methis year for assistance as he plans to marry a Jewish woman in Israel andwas asked to provide these documents, and others, to prove he is a Jew. Youcannot imagine the hassles he has had to go through. Thankfully, it lookslike he will be successful establishing his Jewish ancestry. However, if anon-Orthodox conversion had been found on his mother side of the family,the door would have quickly closed on his plans.Let me assure you that “Ari” found the experience infuriating. Youshould also know that what he experienced is now the norm in Israel.Orthodox rabbis on the payroll of Israel’s government are charged withdetermining whether a person who claims to be Jewish satisfies thestandards of the Chief Rabbinate. Since the creation of the State of Israel theChief Rabbinate has had sole authority overseeing Jewish marriage anddivorce. They have not, in the past, had authority to rule on “who is a Jew”for the sake of citizenship under the Law of Return, which allows anyonewith at least one Jewish grandparent, or converted by a rabbi of any of themajor movements, to immediately become a citizen of Israel. That wouldhave changed this year thanks to Knesset member David Rotem, whose billyou likely heard about this summer. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let’sfirst focus on the issue of how any of us who is born Jewish would provethat in Israel today.In March, 2008 Gershom Gorenberg, a respected Israeli journalistwrote an article for the New York Times Magazine called, “How Do YouProve You’re a Jew?” in which he warned of this development that ourcongregant “Ari” experienced first hand. Gorenberg wrote about a youngIsraeli woman named Sharon who went with her fiancé to the Tel AvivRabbinate to register to marry. The Orthodox rabbi staffing the city office1

that registers weddings asked Sharon to prove that she was Jewish bybringing a copy of her parent’s ketubah, the document that many of us heredo not even have.It so happens that Sharon’s family is from Minneapolis. Her mother,Suzie, now 68, grew up here, made aliyah and lives on kibbutz. Suzie’sbackground is similar to that of many of our members. Her grandparentswere Jews who came from Russia at the turn of the 20 th century. Suzie’sparent’s Belle and Julius Goldstein married in a Conservative ceremony andwere members of Beth El Congregation going back to when it was on theNorth Side. After graduating from the U of MN, Suzie went to Israel whereshe met a British non-Jew. They married in a civil ceremony in England, asthere is no civil marriage available in Israel. Since there was no Jewishmarriage, there was no ketubah. According to halacha, Jewish law, theirdaughter Sharon was indisputably Jewish, but the office of the ChiefRabbinate put the young woman through the wringer until they agreed.As “Ari,” the young man from our congregation, found out thisprocess is not unusual in Israel, As I said it has become the norm. AsGorenberg explained in his NY Times article, “the state’s Chief Rabbinateand its branches in each Israeli city have adopted an institutional attitude ofskepticism toward the Jewish identity of those who enter its doors…TheIsraeli government seeks the political and financial support of AmericanJewry. It welcomes American Jewish immigrants. Yet the rabbinate, one armof the state, increasingly treats American Jews as doubtful cases: not Jewishuntil proved so.”So I ask how many of us could prove to an Orthodox rabbi in Israelthat we are Jews? Let me share another troubling story that does not have ahappy ending. In April, a story appeared in the Israeli newspaper YediotAchronot (4/30/10) about a young woman named Jessica Fishman who madealiyah seven years ago and joined Israel’s army. Jessica’s Dad Les served asPresident of Beth Jacob Congregation in Mendota Heights. Before Jessicawas born, her mom converted to Judaism with a Reform rabbi, with mikveh,in St. Louis and then moved to the Twin Cities. Here the family lived atraditional Jewish life observing Shabbat, keeping a kosher home, andsending their kids to Herzl Camp. Jessica traveled to Israel as a teenagerwith USY and spent her junior year at Hebrew University. After college shemade aliyah. Hers is an impressive example of the kind of Jewishcommitments that can be shaped by the institutions of our community.After two years of army service she settled in Herzliya where she metan Israeli guy. When they decided to get married they went to the local rabbiwho began to investigate. When he learned that her mother converted with a2

Reform rabbi he explored no further. Eventually the couple split up andJessica, who was so committed to living in Israel, left the country. Wheninterviewed in April, she said she had no intention of returning. How tragicwhen someone who was so committed to Israel is pushed away!These are the kinds of travesties being perpetrated by Israel’s ChiefRabbinate. Let me be clear, I would not presume to suggest that Orthodoxrabbis do not have the right to determine who they believe fulfills theirrequirements for conversion, or the right to decide for themselves “who is aJew.” They absolutely have that right. The outrage is when a ChiefRabbinate is empowered to act on behalf of the State in making thosedecisions.This was why so many of us were roused to action this summer whenKnesset Member David Rotem, representing the Yisrael Beiteinu party madeup largely of Jews from the Former Soviet Union, proposed to changeIsrael’s law. He would have expanded the authority of the Chief Rabbinateto rule not only over the personal issues of marriage and divorce in Israel,which is bad enough, but for the first time empower them to make decisionsover who is eligible to be granted Israeli citizenship. Rotem’s statedintention was to address the needs of the hundreds of thousands of Jewsfrom the Former Soviet Union of questionable ancestry, who wish to be fullyaccepted in Israel. In order to get the support of the powerful minorityreligious parties, the proposed bill would have undercut the conversions ofnon-Orthodox rabbis in the Diaspora, and even of Orthodox rabbis whomthe Chief Rabbinate does not consider sufficiently Charedi ultra-Orthodox.Thankfully the outrage expressed by leaders of the Conservative and ReformMovements, with the crucial support of Natan Sharansky, who heads theJewish Agency and Jerry Silverman, the President of the North AmericanJewish Federations, and others, led to the tabling of Rotem’s bill.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received more than 60,000messages expressing concern. Nearly 27,000 of those were emails sentthrough the link on the Masorti Movement’s website. For now the Rotembill is tabled, but not dead. Negotiations are supposed to take place beforethe Knesset reconvenes in October.In October, with God’s help, I am going to Israel on a missionarranged by the Masorti Movement, our Conservative movement in Israel. Iwill be joined by recent past President of our congregation Heidi Schneider,to send a clear message from our community that we find it unacceptable forCharedi rabbis to have authority over the State of Israel, let alone over theJewish world. We will be speaking up for our young congregant “Ari.” Wewill be speaking up for Sharon and for Jessica and for every person in this3

oom who would struggle to prove that they are Jewish to the satisfaction ofthe Chief Rabbinate. Look around the room. How many of you would havetrouble proving to them that you or your children or your loved ones, or yourfriends are Jewish? Heidi and I are going to Israel on this mission for each ofyou and for all of us who care about you.There are many things to worry about for Israel- the real threats posedby Iran, by Hezbollah in Lebanon and by Hamas in Gaza. We worry aboutthe growing efforts to de-legitimize the very existence of a Jewish State,efforts we must adamantly oppose. I am grateful that a renewed peaceinitiative between Israel and the Palestinians was launched last week inWashington and we pray for its success, though based on painful pastexperiences we worry about that also. As a community we have stood up onbehalf of Israel time and time again and will continue to do so. It isdisheartening, however, to see our support taken for granted and ourlegitimacy as Jews called in to question. It is unacceptable for Israelipoliticians to succumb to the blackmail of ultra-religious parties seekingexclusive control in defining “Who is a Jew.”I would be surprised if every one here is not outraged by the stories Ihave told. What I find astonishing, however, is the incredibly lacklusterresponse of our community to these issues. Though, thankfully, many of ourmembers are active as advocates on behalf of Israel, through an array oforganizations, when it comes to the issue of religious pluralism in Israel theyare almost silent. Minuscule portions of our people’s contributions to Israelare directed towards addressing these issues. It seems that the only time thatthe issue of religious pluralism in Israel gets serious attention from most ofus is when there is dramatic news, such as the recent attempt to pass theRotem Bill.You need to know that Israel is undergoing dramatic changes beforeour very eyes. Israeli journalist Isi Leibler, in an article in the Jerusalem Post(4-2-10), describes the rapid growth of the Charedi Ultra-Orthodoxpopulation in Israel. According to Leibler, in the 1980s Charedim comprised4 percent of Israel’s population, today they represent 10%, or about 700,000,averaging 8.8 children per family. At that rate, in less than two decades,Charedim could amount to 20% of Israel’s Jewish population.Consider another sobering statistic, currently, 25% of all Jewishprimary school-age children are enrolled in Charedi institutions – double theproportion of 10 years ago. Many of these do not celebrate Israel’sIndependence Day, do not recognize the Israeli flag, do not permit thesinging of “Hatikva” and discourage their students from serving in the IsraelDefense Forces. If this trend is maintained, 20 years from now, 40% of4

Jewish children will attend Charedi schools. Assuming these trendscontinue, what do you think Israel will look like twenty years from now?This past March we heard a vivid description from Rabbi GilNativ, the rabbi of our sister Masorti Congregation in Omer, MagenAvraham, of the increasing polarization taking place in Israel. He describedhow every year before Simchat Torah he goes out to buy flags for 'Hakafot,'the circling we do with the Torahs to celebrate the completion of the readingcycle. Two decades ago he could easily find flags with a picture of boys andgirls dancing around a Torah scroll.These flags have almost disappeared from the market. Now there are onlyboys and men dancing on these paper flags! (Also note the absence of theIsraeli flag!)5

He observed that the manufacturers are careful not to upset the 'religiouslycorrect.'This is just one of many examples of the impact of Charedi Ultra-Orthodox Judaism on Israeli life. There are intense debates going on aboutChaerdi demands in Jerusalem that women be required to sit in the back ofpublic buses and that the planned light rail have some cars designated formen only. This week the Jerusalem police recommended the prosecution ofAnat Hoffman, a rabbi arrested this summer for carrying a Sefer Torahthrough the Kotel plaza on her way to services at the less conspicuoussouthern section of the wall, established by Israel’s Supreme Court as analternate place for non-Orthodox minyanim. If successfully prosecuted, shecould be jailed for three years. Is that the kind of State of Israel that we haveworked so hard to create?I wish no ill to the Charedi community. Let them be well! What isunacceptable is that the bill for their growth is being paid for by massivefunding from Israel’s government! At present, over $400 million areallocated to Orthodox religious services- hiring 3000 rabbis, providing localritual facilities and ritual items, with no more than $100k allocated tocomparable services for Masorti or Reform communities.6

I believe it is no exaggeration to say that establishing properseparation between religion and state is critical to Israel’s survival; certainlyto its survival as a Jewish and democratic state. It is a given to us in Americathat no one single religious sector should be able to control the publicsquare. We are blessed that this concept operates in the Jewish world here atour Federations, where Jews of different streams and understandings sit atthe table together to maintain our communal structures. American Jewry,following the Federation model and American democracy has much to teachIsrael.As I said earlier, the national leadership of the Federation played acrucial role in tabling the passage of the Rotem Bill helping to convinceIsraeli legislators that its passage would create a serious fissure betweenIsrael and Diaspora Jewry, 85% of whom are not Orthodox. At the core ofthe mission of our Federation is a commitment to religious pluralism,permitting everyone to participate in the life of the community. We needevery member of this congregation to continue to give generously to theFederation, which greatly needs our support to maintain our community andcare for Jews around the world and in Israel. We also need to send anunmistakable message through our Federation that the issue of religiouspluralism in Israel is high on the list of our priorities.In recognition of the importance of supporting religious pluralism, ourMinneapolis Federation, despite severe budgetary strains, agreed to offer a$10k matching grant for funds raised this year for Israel’s Conservativemovement known as Masorti. Federation is offering the same match forfunds raised for Artza, Israel’s Reform movement. I ask for your help inmeeting that challenge, for which we are grateful, and hope that this matchwill grow even larger in the future. Please take a look at the handout youreceived today, which gives more information about the work of our Masortimovement in Israel and about our concerns regarding the Rotem Bill. Israelis desperately in need of our Masorti movement, which teaches a modernand sensible form of Judaism and plays a crucial role bridging betweenIsrael’s religious and secular extremes. As the letter makes clear, significantinroads have been made in providing that middle ground, even while at asevere disadvantage for funding.As we look to the future there is much to be worried about for Israel.The external threats are great. The internal problems of Israel are no less so.I ask that today we hear in the sound of the shofar a call to wake up as acommunity and stop ignoring this issue of religious pluralism. If we areindifferent to the developments I have described, we may wake up one dayand find that it is our child who is told they are not Jewish and I fear that our7

children and grandchildren like Jessica Fishman will simply walk away fromthe place that our people worked so hard to establish. If that occurs we willhave ourselves to blame because of our indifference. The failure to get ourpeople to fully embrace the cause of religious pluralism and to press forgreater separation between religious and state in Israel will be cataclysmicfor the Jewish people and for the future of the State of Israel as we know andlove it.At the end of Yom Kippur, at the conclusion of the neilah service wewill sound the shofar and recite the words, “This coming year let us be inJerusalem L’shana Habaah Beyirushalayim.” I have painted a troublingpicture of what is happening to Israel. I have done so because I truly believethat it is not too late for action. It is still possible for us to work on behalf ofa vision for the State of Israel that will welcome Jews of differentapproaches and views to the table. The day is short and there is much to bedone... Hayom katzar, v’hamelacha merubah…but as the rabbis teach inPirkei Avot (2:20-21), “You are not obligated to complete the task butneither are you free to neglect it Lo alecha hamelacha lig-mor, Vlo atah benchorine lee-ba-tel mi-mena.”Let us join together in the work of building up our Masorti movementin Israel, and in working for an Israel not dominated by a singlefundamentalist religious view. Let us join together so that Israel will realizethe visions of the founders of the State as a homeland for all Jews. “Nextyear in a rebuilt Jerusalem Lshana habaah beyerushalayim habenuyah.”Rabbi Harold J. KravitzAdath Jeshurun CongregationMinnetonka, MNrabbikravitz@adath.net8