Eric H. Yoffie This is a grim time for Diaspora lovers of Israel | Opinion
haaretz.com
***
Whenever
I think that Israel-Diaspora relations cannot possibly get any worse, I
am proven wrong. The last 4-6 weeks have been, arguably, the worst
period ever in the history of relations between Israel and world Jewry.
Israel’s current
government occasionally gets something right. It has done a good job,
for example, in handling the difficult situation with Syria and Russia
on Israel’s northern border.
But when it comes to managing ties with Diaspora Jews, it abandons good sense and trades it in for either outright stupidity or moral obtuseness. American Jews
in particular are bewildered by actions that they view as openly
hostile to American Jewish values, interests, and sensibilities.
There is, of course, something deeply ironic about the fumbling and stumbling of Mr. Netanyahu.
On the one hand, he talks incessantly about Israel as the nation-state
of the Jewish people. But on the other hand, he appears to care little
if at all about what the Jewish people think of Israel’s - and his -
actions.
Let’s
review just a few of the recent actions of Netanyahu and the government
of Israel as they relate to the question of Israel-Diaspora ties.
First: The abject surrender of the government of Israel to the ultra-Orthodox parties on issue after issue, alienating not only American Jews but civilized people everywhere.
We all remember, of course, Netanyahu’s shameful decision to renounce
the compromise on the Western Wall that he himself had fashioned. We
must now add to that failure two more, each a reflection of cowardice in
the face of ultra-Orthodox blackmail.
Especially shocking is his backtracking on surrogacy rights for gay male couples after specifically endorsing those rights.
Originally, Netanyahu
simply did the right thing. Beyond that, acceptance of gay rights has
become an identifying characteristic of the civilized, developed,
western world, where Israel proudly places itself. Furthermore, Israel
has for years given special emphasis to its progressive position on LGBTQ rights as a means of differentiating itself from its hostile, backward neighbors.
But
now, with barely a thought, Israel has jettisoned its long-held
principles, damaged its diplomatic standing, and made common cause with
fundamentalists in the region.
And why? To meet the
never-ending demands of ultra-Orthodox Jews who are entitled to their
views but who never seem to care about anything or anyone but
themselves.
To this collapse must be added another: The nation-state
bill contained what should have been an utterly uncontroversial section
affirming the commitment of the State of Israel to protect Jews around
the world and preserve the cultural and religious heritage of the Jewish
people. Who could disagree with that?
And
yet, because the ultra-Orthodox parties feared that such a clause might
encourage Israel’s government and courts to support Reform and
Conservative Judaism in Israel, the wording was changed. The final text
of the law contains an awkward formulation saying that Israel would act
to strengthen Jewish culture and religion in the Diaspora - but only in
the Diaspora, without any reference to Jewish life in Israel.
This wording, of
course, is nonsensical: What does it mean for Israel to promote Judaism
in Melbourne and Paris but not in Tel Aviv and Haifa? The result:
Diaspora Jews were infuriated.
They rightly saw what should have been an embrace as a slap in the
face, intended to ensure denial of support for their brand of Judaism in
the Jewish state.
It is common for the
ultra-Orthodox religious monopoly in Israel to be seen as an unfortunate
but insignificant fact of political life. With time, the argument goes,
technology and modernity will break down the walls of Bnei Brak and Mea
Shearim, and the ultra-Orthodox will lose their political clout and
rejoin mainstream Israel.
But what recent
events have shown is that Israel cannot wait another generation to
escape the ultra-Orthodox chokehold on religious life in the Jewish
state. The price to be paid is simply too high.
The time has come for
Benjamin Netanyahu, together with parties across the political
spectrum, to rein in ultra-Orthodox blackmail and political hooliganism
and to restore Israel’s good name as a civilized nation.
Second: The willingness
of the government of Israel to distort the history of the Holocaust and
downplay the role of its collaborators in order to strengthen alliances with right-wing European states.
Hungarian Prime MInister Viktor Orban arrived in Israel
two weeks ago and received an enthusiastic welcome from his good friend
Benjamin Netanyahu. Orban is a contemptible, authoritarian politician
who is dismantling democracy in Hungary and hovers on the edges of
outright anti-Semitism in his political campaigns.
Orban has expressed
lavish praise for Milos Horthy, Hungary’s Nazi-supporting leader during
World War II. And in Orban’s recent reelection campaign, he used ugly
anti-Semitic terminology to describe George Soros, the Hungarian Jewish
philanthropist and champion of European democracy.
Was any of this a
problem for Benjamin Netanyahu? Apparently not. Bibi referred to Orban
as a "true friend of Israel," offering him a diplomatic bear hug that
conferred on Orban the political legitimacy that he craves.
But Bibi did more
than that. In response to a proposed Polish law to effectively
criminalize research on the Holocaust, Bibi had already signed a joint statement
with the Polish Prime Minister minimizing the role of Polish
authorities and individuals in supporting the Nazi extermination efforts
during World War II.
This was a giant step
too far, a crushing blow to Jewish collective memory. It was also a
profound affront to every Jew - myself included - who lost large
segments of their family on Polish soil during the Holocaust.
Poland is awash in
Jewish blood. Yes, the Poles were not the Nazis, and not all Poles were
implicated. But the masses of Jew-haters who colluded in the slaughter
must not be forgotten or forgiven or pushed from our consciousness.
And who gave Bibi the right to fiddle with the facts of history on this exceedingly painful subject?
>> Israel's Stupid, Ignorant and Amoral Betrayal of the Truth on Polish Involvement in the Holocaust | Opinion
Netanyahu heads the
"national camp" in Israeli politics, which for more than 30 years was
led by Menachem Begin. When David Ben-Gurion proposed that Israel accept
reparations payments from the German government in 1952, Begin - backed
by the left-wing Mapam party - responded with outrage, demonstrations,
and even violence.
It was unthinkable to
Begin that the government of Israel should extend even a modicum of
forgiveness or "understanding" to those implicated in the exterminations
at Auschwitz and elsewhere.
Ben-Gurion’s actions
were probably justified because Israel was broke, desperate, utterly
alone, and without resources to support the masses of immigrants then
arriving at its shores.
Still, that was a
time when the "national camp" had a moral backbone, and Begin’s moral
righteousness resonated with many in Israel. Netanyahu’s declaration, on
the other hand, was not motivated by compelling need; it was merely an
act of political convenience.
Yad Vashem, the U.S. Holocaust Museum, and prominent Holocaust historians
protested the Prime Minister’s statement. For a variety of reasons,
their protest did not receive the publicity it should have. Nonetheless,
Diaspora leadership took careful note of this gratuitous blow to the
holiness of our Holocaust memories.
There is much else that could be discussed here about Israel-Diaspora relations: the conversion crisis, the detention of a Conservative rabbi for carrying out his religious duties, Israel’s retreat from minority rights
not only for Reform Jews but for all minorities, and the prime
minister’s failure to share with world Jewry any coherent vision of
Israeli-Palestinian peace.
This is a grim time
for Diaspora lovers of Israel, and many feel discouraged and abandoned.
There is no point in glossing over the harsh realities of the moment.
Still, those of us in
the Zionist camp in the Diaspora refuse to despair. The devotion of the
Jewish people to Israel is strong and the case for Zionism remains
compelling.
The problem is not Israel. The problem is the weak, cowardly, unprincipled, self-serving politicians of the current government.
Caught up in their
petty, internal quarrels, they have inflicted on the Jewish people the
problems enumerated above and forgotten the importance of an inclusivist Jewish vision.
Israel needs leaders
who speak the language of a single Jewish people and who reach out to
Jews everywhere that are moved by its vision and summoned by its call.
Jewish life cannot be
sustained without Israel at its core, and Israel cannot be sustained
without the Jewish people at its side. Sometime soon, we hope and pray,
Israel will have leaders who understand that.
Eric H. Yoffie, a
rabbi, writer and teacher in Westfield, New Jersey, is a former
president of the Union for Reform Judaism. Twitter: @EricYoffie
Commenti
Posta un commento