Monday, August 2, 2010
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
15
JEREMY LEVY I
My own identity
ELAINE MORTON
E-MAIL ELAINEAT EMORT @UMICH.EDU.
Last week, many American
Jews, myself included, breathed
a sigh of relief - for the moment,
at least - when the Israeli Knes-
set declined to vote on a bill that
could give Israel's Orthodox Rab-
binate the authority to validate or
invalidate conversions performed
in the country. As the Knesset
breaks for its summer recess, the
bill will thankfully remain tabled
for'at least three months (or four
to six depending on who you ask).
Since I'm a fairly secular Jew,
it might seem odd to some that I
would care about abillthat appears
to deal with strictly religious mat-
ters. However, debate over this
legislation revolves around the
question of what it means to be
Jewish, a question that isn't nec-
essarily about religion. Under-
standing American objections
to the legislation first requires
understanding a largely secular
American Jewish character that
emphasizes Jewish pluralism.
There's an episode of the televi-
sion series "Entourage" in which
Ari, the Jewish agent, is scolded
by his wife for ducking out of
High Holiday services to make a
business call. It's the most impor-
tant Jewish holiday, she tells him,
and he's setting a bad example for
their children. While there are
many who would likely agree with
Ari's wife, I actually disagree. In
this country, there's nothing more
* Jewish than absentmindedly
attending High Holiday services
while continuing to fret about the
rest of your busy life.
The "Entourage" scenario
serves as an example of a larger
phenomenon. American Jews
form strong communities. that
appear to revolve around more
than religion. According to the
2008 Pew Forum U.S. Religious
Landscape Survey, on average,
American Jews are less likely than
American Christians to believe in
God or attend services, but we join
and participate in congregations
at similar rates.
The ideaof a Jewish community
united by non-religious values can
be perplexing. Jews can (and will)
debate what it means to be Jew-
ish for an eternity. Religion aside,
there are many cultural traits that
take on a distinctly Jewish-Amer-
ican character. We are commit-
ted to Tikkun Olam, the healing
of the world, but at the same time
possess an overarching sense of.
sarcasm reminiscent of Woody
Allen or Jerry Seinfeld. And of
course, as Harvard Law profes-
sor Alan Dershowitz states, our
Jewish identities are "energized"
by anti-Semitism and a history of
religious persecution.
Because our community seems
to be united by much more than
religion, religious pluralism with-
in American Judaism is generally
accepted, often even celebrated.
There certainly are very religious
Jews who look down on those
who don't practice and see rituals
as central to the Jewish identity.
But an Orthodox friend of mine
recently expressed the opposite
opinion: "It doesn't bother me
when Jews aren't religious. What
bothers me is when Jews who
don't practice don't call them-
selves Jewish."
This sentiment that Jewish
pluralism is a positive force is not
completely absent from Israel,
where, according to the Israel
Democracy Institute, roughly 51
percent of the population is "secu-
lar." The difference is that Israel
has a prominent Orthodox lead-
ership that sees other forms of
Judaism as illegitimate, whereas
secular Judaism is viewed as
increasingly mainstream in the
United States.
Which brings me back to the
conversion bill. The politics sur-
rounding the bill are messy, but
the focal point for criticism is
that the bill gives Israel's Ortho-
dox Rabbis more authority to
determine who is Jewish by state
definition. While it's unclear what
the exact practical effects of the
legislation might be, it has the
potential to affect whether Jew-
ish converts are allowed to immi-
grate to Israel under the Law tof
Return. Regardless, if the bill is
passed, it will give more legiti-
macy to a leadership that believes
un-Orthodox Jews in the U.S. are
not really Jewish.
There are a few outcomes that
I and other American Jews can
hope for regarding this bill. One
is that it's never passed. Another
possibility is that the most con-
troversial provisions will be
watered down or removed during
the recess. But if the bill does get
passed in its current form, it will
be a blow to Jewish pluralism and,
ultimately, to Jewish unity.
Jeremy Levy is an LSA junior.
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Di'vrsiyi'n Ciy Conci
Ann Arbor loves to boast about
its diversity. It's home to the
University and a variety of
colorful char-
acters that give
the city a unique
atmosphere. But
that diversity
isn't reflected in
the Ann Arbor
City Council. Ann
Arbor residents
are so ardently RACHEL
Democratic that VAN GILDER
they have over-
looked the value
that a conservative candidate could
have. Both Democrats and Republi-
cans have something to offer in the
debate regarding city issues. Ann
Arbor voters shouldn't feel bound
to the Democratic Party when
choosing City Council representa-
tives. Instead, candidates should be
judged on their understanding of the
city's varied set of needs- and that
includes the needs of students.
The Aug. 3 party primary election
is almost certain to determine the
outcome of November's final ballot
because there won't be a Republi-
can contender in most wards. And
since the Ann Arbor population is
so strongly Democratic, it's almost
certain any Republican candidates
won't be able to steal the general
election anyway. Incumbent John
Hieftje, who has been Ann Arbor's
mayor since 2000, faces competi-
tion for the Democratic nomination
for mayor this year from political
blogger Patricia Lesko. Meanwhile,
the campaign for the Democratic
nomination for City Council seats in
Wards 1, 4 and 5 are also contested.
Only Ward 5 has a candidate for
the Republican nomination: John
Floyd, who also ran for Ward 5's
City Council seat in 2008.
It's no surprise that infamously lib-
eral Ann Arbor has a hard time drum-
ming up conservative candidates.
Voters often choose to vote for all the
candidates of one party - sometimes
as high as 60 percent of general elec-
tion voters in Michigan, according to
a 2002 reportby the Mackinac Center
for Public Policy, a Michigan-based
nonpartisan research institute. Peo-
ple tend to feel a loyalty to their party
of choice, and many are skeptical that
a candidate from the opposing party
could offer anything of value to any
governmental debate.
But there's no reason for Demo-
crats to stick stolidly to party lines
or for conservatives to give up on
Ann Arbor. In an election this size,
the most significant concern isn't
whether a candidate is red or blue.
City Council isn't the U.S. Congress.
The fate of abortion or health care
isn't going to be decided by local gov-
ernments. City Council deals with
infrastructure issues (roads, water,
etc.), urban planning (like the much-
discussed Ann Arbor Discovering
Downtown initiative) and the cre-
ationof ordinances.
Republicans and Democrats alike
can agree that the East Stadium
Blvd. Bridge is in desperate need of
repair. And though the potential ban
on porch couches that was put back
into the spotlight after this April's
rash of suspicious fires is conten-
tious, it's not really a deliberation
based on a moral debate between
conservatives and liberals.
Just because a candidate shares
your political perspectives doesn't
make them a good candidate. The
case in point for me is John Floyd. I
met Floyd in 2008 when he made his
first bid for a Ward 5 council seat. To
me, Floyd isn't right for Ann Arbor,
even though he and I share many
political opinions. For example, Floyd
didn't seem to recognize the impor-
tance ofthe University or its students.
He also didn't support more and
denser housing downtown, which
students need.
But I do agree with Floyd that
Ann Arbor needs some fresh blood
and diversity of opinion on the City
Council. There are a few debates that
would benefit from a Republican
voice, and having a variety of opin-
ions is never a bad thing. The city's
property taxes, for example, seem
excessively high to me. High prop-
erty taxes contribute to the already
expensive housing market in Ann
Arbor - and students are directly
affected by housing concerns. A
cut on those taxes would make rent
significantly cheaper by decreasing
property owners' costs.
City Council
should include
conservatives too.
And while a Republican might be
more likely to push for lower taxes,
the concern isn't exclusively ideo-
logical for me. Instead, it's important
to the demographic that I belong to:
University students. This is a demo-
graphic that often gets ignored in city
elections because of students' lack of
interest and because many students
aren't in Ann Arbor for the primary.
But candidates shouldn't count stu-
dents out because, in this race, every
vote really does count. Last summer,
City Councilman Stephen Kunsel-
man beat out incumbent Leigh Gre-
den in the Democratic primary by
only six votes. Candidates shouldn't
count out the importance of any
demographic, so they must be pre-
pared to go to work on the issues that
concern students.
The City Council should consider
the needs of all its constituents, and
that means taking an approach to
government that isn't defined by
party affiliations. A more diverse
council made up of both liberals and
conservatives would advocate for a
diverse population.
- Rachel Van Gilder is the Daily's
2010 editorial page editor. She can be
reached at rachelvg@umich.edu.
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