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Community Views

Editor's Notebook

What Has Happened
To My Orthodoxy?

MARK E. SCHLUSSEL SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM ASSOCIATE EDITOR

The events over ues were compromised by the se- writings should be awed by the
these past few duction for the outside world.
compendium of Jewish thought
months where
Those who argue that we have and the challenge they present to
one segment of failed miserably may have some each of us within the context of
the Orthodox merit in their position if you accept their extraordinary analyses.
community ques- the premise that the risk of world-
Today, we seem riven to a level
tioned the reli- ly intervention is too great for the of monolithic mediocrity, where we
gious validity of potential it generates in our lives. have elevated Midrash, the great
the Conservative
Others would argue that the Or- educational stories of our theolog-
and Reform thodoxy which I long for is an Or- ical compendium, to a level of fac-
movements, followed by an event thodoxy of insecurity, where we tual actuality.
where people praying at the West- fear to outwardly manifest our re-
I am truly saddened by what I
ern Wall were attacked and pelt- ligious beliefs so that we can blend see happening around me, as Jew
ed with garbage and feces, have into the broader culture.
turns against Jew, as we deride
startled and saddened me.
Again, that argument has some each other's theology and com-
We are told by our talmudic merit. It represents asense of abid- mitment. Here we are at the
commentators that the destruc- ing security in American society dawn of a new era, with our own
tion of the Second Temple today where Orthodoxy can man- homeland for the first time in
occurred because of sinat chinum, ifest itself in singular dress, which 2,000 years, having come through
which can be translated as in- serves to identify those who adhere the most horrific experience (the
ternecine hatreds. Yet our level of amongst those who do not. How- Holocaust) in the history of the
/— intolerance, one for another, seems ever, once we begin to identify peo- Jewish people. Yet, rather than
to be escalating daily.
reach out to each other and
Particularly in Orthodoxy
continue to find common
we seem to be entering a peri-
ground upon which we can
od of religious absolutism
build our collective and in-
where tolerance and respect
dividualistic futures, we look
for another's point of view, no
for reasons to delegitimize
matter how spiritual, is met
our brethren.
with derision and delegit-
What happened to my Or-
imization if it does not fit with-
thodoxy? It became intimi-
in our philosophy.
dated by those who espouse
/—' What happened to my Or-
the more fundamentalist view
thodoxy which spoke of the
of Jewish life, and it lost con-
love of the people Israel and
fidence in its ability to defend
spoke of respect for our co-re-
its position as Torah-true Ju-
ligionists? What happened to
daism.
my Orthodoxy where rabbis
I pray that somewhere in
from all branches of Judaism
this growing Orthodox insu-
met as brothers with a com-
larity new vision arises which
mon goal, the betterment of
recognizes the full extent of
our people?
ple's values, spirituality and real our need for one another, that
What happened to my Ortho- religiosity by their outward ap- those who consider themselves
doxy which allowed for deeply held pearance, we have lost sight of the part of what used to be centrist Or-
religious differences to be main- true essence of Jewish identity.
thodoxy gain some level of confi-
tained yet respected? What hap-
It is this writer's belief that the dence to begin to speak out —
pened to my Orthodoxy where the essence of Jewish identity is the without fear of consequences —
concept of Torah em derecheretz awesome religious conflict that about where we are headed as we
(proper behavior through Torah goes on within each one of us who continue to adopt an absolutist phi-
teachings) meant we aspired to ac- challenges his religious beliefs losophy which holds no tolerance
quire as much secular knowledge within the context of a greater so- for alternative points of view.
as possible within the context of a ciety.
Hour values are so completely
Torah-true life?
It seems to me that the Sephar- without fiber, so as to be unable to
Some would say my Orthodoxy di community has always had a withstand integrating ourselves
failed because in the enlighten- better balance, with its rich histo- within the greater fabric of the
ment which came from combining ry of extraordinary luminaries — Jewish and general communities,
the world in which we live with the Maimonides and Abarbarnel — so that we need to find these arti-
values for which we strive, our val- who confronted the societies in fices of insularity to protect our val-
which they lived by attaining both ue, then, truly, we need to
Mark Schlussel is the chairman
education and position as a result re-examine who we are within the
of the board of the executive
of extraordinary secular scholar- context of the world at large.
council of the Jewish
ship.
The challenge is great; the op-
Federation.
Yet anyone who studies their portunity is greater. D

TheDJN@aol . corn

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0 Do You

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On Money, Lobster
And Yeshiva Students

Should Federation use its funds to
pay for benefits for the Jewish
Russian community if the federal
government pulls back ith.ese monies?

27676 Franklin Road, Southfield, MI 48034

I was listening marriage to Christine O'Connor:
to the radio the 'Well, Mrs. Goldberg, it's too bad
other day when your son has chosen to serve lob-
I heard a report ster at his wedding, and of course
I knew would I'm concerned to hear that he's
mean nothing having his children baptized, but
but trouble.
you did give us that generous do-
A group of Con- nation ..."
servative Jews,
We're timid in these matters
including for many reasons, and some of
women in kippot and talleisim, them are not unreasonable.
went to pray at the Kotel, where
First is the fact that the vast
yeshiva students began throw- majority of Jews do not practice
ing excrement at them.
Judaism, and it can be intimi-
The Jewish reaction was quick dating and uncomfortable to crit-
and completely appropriate: icize the majority.
Leaders condemned the stu-
These days it's considered
dents' actions and Jewish news- strange, too, to cite religion as a
papers lambasted it. Rabbis, no reason not to do something. It's
doubt, spoke from the bimah like you're some kind of nutcase
about the students' unforgivable if you wont eat catfish simply be-
behavior.
cause the Torah says not to.
rm disgusted, too. But most- "What are you, an extremist?"
ly rm ashamed.
people will ask if you tell them
First of all, rm ashamed that you want to marry another Jew.
this is how human beings choose "Do you have a problem with
to treat each other when they dis- gentiles?"
agree. It's disgraceful that this is
A third concern is that it
the way thinking, supposedly ra- seems high and mighty to de-
tional and educated people act. clare certain actions wrong in a
It's uncivilized. It's embarrass- world that's so accommodating,
ing.
where the only standard is "So
But even more, rm ashamed long as it doesn't hurt anyone."
because these are young men
There are honorable reasons
who identify as Orthodox. These for our silence, as well, like not
students say they're practicing wanting to hurt feelings, and I
Judaism? This kind of behavior understand that. I have Jewish
is no more Halachic Judaism friends who are intermarried and
than eating shrimp.
who eat bacon, and I don't quite
At the same time, I have to know how to respond when they
wonder why it is that this con- say, as they invariably do, "I
duct invariably evokes a public know this isn't right, but..." I
outcry, while we bend over back- don't want them to think I'm
wards to ignore, accommodate or judging, or that rm saying rm a
even appease those Jews who de- finer person (because I don't
file Judaism in other ways.
think that), but neither can I of-
Please explain it to me if I'm fer them the permission they so
missing something, but what's clearly need.
the difference between the way
I guess I'm most disturbed
one of those students acted and when it's Jewish leaders who ig-
Ms. Cohen who is out with her nore the subject — because mon-
gentile husband eating a ham- ey is a factor. They carefully
and-cheese sandwich on Yom avoid criticizing Mr. and Mrs. X,
Kippur?
even though the husband owns
(I can't wait for the letters on a topless bar, because everyone
that one. 'Who do you think you knows how generously the cou-
are?" "Dear Jewish News: I am ple gives to the annual dinner.
shocked and dismayed by your
I confess I'm ambivalent on
recent column..." "Cancel my sub- this whole issue of public criti-
scription!" "Why, my daughter cism.
was out with her gentile husband
On the one hand, it's neces-
eating a ham-and-cheese sand- sary. We must not stand by in si-
wich on Yom Kippur and she's lence when our fellow Jews
just as good a Jew as you are!)
engage in behavior that is re-
Yes, you can pretty much bet pulsive and an affront to Ha-
on 95 percent of the Jewish com- lachah. If we do choose to issue
munity ignoring the ham-eating condemnation, though, we must
Ms. Cohen, while most Jewish be certain it's across the board,
leaders, in both the religious and not just aimed at those with
secular arena, will grudgingly ac- whom we most violently dis-
ti
CT)
knowledge but gloss over it. agree.
Cr)
When was the last time you
At the same time, I feel un-
heard anyone prominent say comfortable offering criticism
ti
"Jews should not eat trtife" in a myself. Lambasting others,
way that wasn't utterly sheep- standing in judgment of what is
ish, almost apologetic?
right and wrong seems, to me,
Compare the criticism of the to be the job of moral giants.
yeshiva students with what you And Zany are out there, I've yet
might hear at David Goldberg's to meet them. LI

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