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The Fire This Time

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Faint readings of pluralism detected in
reaction to Israel synagogue arson.

AVI MACHLIS

Jewish Telegraphic Agency

CC WM

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for Childhood
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6/30
2000

20

erhaps it was the image of
classic antisemitism, con-
jured up by reports of flames
raging through a synagogue
in Jerusalem, that sparked some sym-
pathetic Orthodox responses to the lat-
est attack on liberal Judaism in Israel.
Or maybe it was just a realization
that someone had taken things too far.
Whatever the reason, the arson at
the Ya'ar Ramot Conservative congre-
gation Saturday at least momentarily
set off a subtle shift in tone from some
players in the debate over religious
pluralism in Israel.
There are still plenty of doubts as
to whether Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi
Yisrael Meir Lau's strong condemna-
tion will mark a turning point in rela-
tions between the warring religious
streams in Israel. The Conservative
and Reform movements, with strong
support from many American Jews,
have long been seeking official recog-
nition in Israel for their institutions.
While it still remained unclear who
set the fire, police hinted they suspect
fervently Orthodox Jews, motivated
by ideology, were responsible.

Looking For Leaders

Conservative and Reform leaders are
still waiting for stronger criticism from
more Orthodox political and religious
leaders. Some of these leaders admit-
ted that the incident generated
unprecedented sympathy from some
in the Orthodox community.
"We are encouraged by some -
responses," said Rabbi Ehud Bandel,
president of the Masorti, or
Conservative, movement in Israel.
"But we are still waiting for the
Orthodox political and religious leader-
ship to speak out. I believe that in the
yeshiva grass roots there are people who
are rethinking the situation and are
embarrassed — but they are waiting for
their leaders and rabbis to speak out."
A vandal or vandals hurled gaso-
line-soaked flaming rags into the syna-
gogue Saturday night, setting ablaze
sections of the main sanctuary and
destroying several chairs and prayer

books. Nobody was injured in the
attack, and the synagogue's three
Torah scrolls were unharmed.
Several modern Orthodox Jews and
rabbis attended a gathering of 200
people at the Ya'ar Ramot synagogue
Monday, under the banner: "Let's Put
Out the Fire." However, many of
them were long-standing supporters of
pluralism, and liberal leaders are not
letting down their guard.
They are worried that the silence of
haredi leaders will be seen as a tacit
endorsement of the act, and that the
style of the public condemnations was
full of ambiguities.
For example, Hamodia, a popular
haredi newspaper, ran an editorial on
the day after the torching titled,
"Worthy of Condemnation. But ..."
It clearly condemned the arson in a
sweeping way, without reservations or
conditions." But the editorial went on
to strongly imply — as did other sto-
ries published in the haredi press —
that the arson may have been carried
out by Conservative sympathizers who
wanted to "besmirch the religious
public in Israel."
Furthermore, the Hamodia editorial
argded that the public outcry and media
spotlight on the torching contrasted with
the silence that occurred when Orthodox
institutions have been attacked.

"

A "Hate Crime"

Bandel said some messages were
problematic because they condemned
the arson as if it were simply a crimi-
nal attack.
"This is not just vandalism," said
Bandel. "This is a hate crime."
Yet the gist of the haredi message has
been picked up in the Orthodox street.
Ya'akov, a 50-year-old haredi yeshiva
student who declined to provide his last
name, echoed the Hamodia editorial by
saying that in the study halls of Orthodox
seminaries nobody believed the fire had
been set by an Orthodox person.
"Whoever did this should be locked
up for life," he said. "Even if one reli-
gious punk did such a thing, that does
not mean we should all be blamed."-
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, executive
director of the Reform movement's
ARZA World Union, said, "The reason
we are penned up here is because of

