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The Case For Realism,
Not Pluralism
GARY ROSENBLATT SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
aybe the issue isn't reli- And while the separation of
gious pluralism, after all. church and state is an American
Perhaps what we need is principle, Israel has always had
religious parties in its political sys-
religious realism.
tem.
Let me explain.
A policy based on religious re-
The Jewish community in this
country is deeply divided over a alism calls for American Jews to
bill before the Knesset that would realize that Conservative and Re-
authorize only Orthodox rabbis to form Judaism are virtually un-
perform conversions in Israel. known in Israel, and until the
That is the status quo now, but liberal movements can back up
the legislation would codify this their demands with a con-
stituency of Israelis advocating
practice.
Those Orthodox parties that in- for change, there is little hope of
troduced the bill say it is imper- progress. It is disingenuous for
ative for Israel to have one the leaders of the Conservative
religious standard, and that it has and Reform movements here to
been, and should remain, based ratchet up their anti-Orthodox
rhetoric and call for large sums of
on Halachah, or Jewish law.
But leaders of the Conservative United Jewish Appeal campaign
and Reform movements assert funds to be poured into their
that such a Knesset bill would, in movements in Israel. Should so-
effect, convince members of their cial service programs to rescue
movements that they are second- and/or support Jews in need in
cla ss Jews and less authentic than the former Soviet Union, or help
the Orthodox. These liberal lead- poor Jews in Israel, be sacrificed _
ers are insisting that the issue is to fund religious denominational
one of religious freedom and they programs in Israel?
decry the fact that Israel does not
permit non-Orthodox rabbis to
perform official religious functions
like weddings, divorces and fu-
nerals.
Part of the problem now is that
the Orthodox community, though
Let the liberal movements sup-
it represents only about 7 percent port their own programs. In truth,
of the American Jewish commu- it would be more practical for
nity, is convinced that the liberal UJA, which now contributes
branches of Judaism will ulti- about $2.5 million to the religious
mately disappear. And the liber- streams in Israel (out of about
al branches, though they are $200 million going to Israel), to
suffering from assimilation and simply stop giving money to any
intermarriage, are convinced that of the denominations.
the Orthodox will ultimately dis-
Keeping UJA out of the reli-
appear. So why deal with each gious wars would bolster its neu-
other?
trality in a no-win situation, but
Caught in the crossfire are Jew- the official noted that "it's just not ._
ish federations in this country who in the cards for us to stay out of
normally don't take sides on reli- it."
gious issues. But under pressure
A policy based on religious re-
from lay leaders and donors, about alism would also call on the Is-
80 percent of whom belong to Con- raelis to recognize that with less
servative and Reform synagogues, than 10 percent of American Jew-
federations have been moving to- ry calling itself Orthodox, the out-
ward increasing their funding for cry from these shores against the
programs to bolster the fledgling Knesset conversion bill is sincere
Reform and Conservative con- and serious. Orthodoxy does not
gregations in Israel.
win adherents through coercion,
But before we go over the cliff and Israelis must decide whether
on this contentious issue, let us codifying the status quo is worth
step back and consider some re- a deep split with American Jew-
alities. First, Israel and America ry that may never be healed.
are very different types of democ-
The issue, again, is realism, not
racies, and while pluralism is a pluralism. Religious realism
given here, the overwhelming ma- means recognizing that each
jority of Israelis accept Orthodoxy branch is here to stay, and that if
as a religious standard, whether we have any interest in the con-
or not they adhere to its practice. cept of Klal Yisrael, the people-
hood of Israel, it is in recognizing
Gary Rosenblatt is former editor
the value of emphasizing our com-
of The Jewish News and now
mon goals rather than our differ-
publisher of the Jewish Week in
ences. LI
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Pulled into the
divisiveness.
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