The adjective “Reform” modifies our Zionism by basing it on Reform religious values even as our Zionism modifies our Reform Judaism by emphasizing the particular grounding of its universalism.
In Israel, a very “bad advice” inexperienced informal educators love to give to even less experienced ones is to ask this questions of Israelis:
“Do you feel more Israeli or more Jewish?”
I think it’s a terrbile question and please YOU ARE WELCOME TO QUOTE ME if you ever hear anyone mentioning/asking that… in the same manner, I’m not sure I can differentiate between my Reform Identity and my Zionism. In the same manner that I don’t view Reorm Judaism just as a religion but rather as a way of life (which includes religion, social justice, jewish learning and more), I think Zionism is part of my Reform Identity and Reform is part of my Zionist identity. Being reform makes me a more committed Zionist and vice versa…
I really don’t know when the “Reform” within me ends and when the “Zionist” begins.
Maimonides probably did not include aliyah and settling the land in his list of the 613 mitzvot because of the Talmudic prohibition (Ketubot 111a) against going up to the land by force and revolting against the nations among whom we lived in servitude.
The belief that a return to Zion would have to await the coming of the messiah is surely not shared by Reform Jews. And so, Progressive Jews in Israel include the phrase “the beginning of the flowering of our redemption” in their prayer for the Jewish State. Every second Jewish baby born in the world today is born in Israel. This just sixty years after Israel was established is surely part of our redemption following the decimation of our people during the Shoah.
Rather than sharing a “common faith”, Jewish communities everywhere
share a common historical narrative, beginning with the Biblical record
of their experiences with God and the centrality of the Land of Israel.
Lately, God seems to have faded into the background for many Jews, and
is hardly talked about in polite company. One can only hope that the
American Jew can look beyond the self and continue to argue about
Israel. Eventually, this may be the only tie that binds.
“Israel must be a democratic, pluralistic Jewish state…” This seems
to be a touch of American Reform arrogance. Israel will be what Israel
will be, regardless of what we would want. It will evolve as any
living system evolves in response to its environment and under
the influence of its genes (i.e., its people). To move the State in
the desired direction, we need to become part of that people or part
of its environment. In the meantime, we can only love what is good,
and understand what is bad.
Curious; in a fashion reminiscent of the Israel’s Declaration of Independence, God is mentioned only at the very end. Here encapsulated is the double tension (the ‘mitzrayim’!) of (North) American Jews in the early twenty-first century: one’s place–emotionally, politically, in practicality–with respect to the Jewish State located so far away, and one’s relationship with the Blessed Holy One.
To be a Jew, at its very root, is to identify with a historical and social reality whose path inescapably includes the Land nestled between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. And to be a Reform Jew, at its very root (and here, I would argue, it makes no difference whether one is ‘radical’, ‘classical’, ‘mainstream’ or ‘post-modern’), is to stand in relation to the living God.
Reform Zionism is the halting, occasionally inarticulate dialogue, between the Reform and the Jew.
I believe the issue of Aliyah, which is described here as a mitzva needs to be treated with a more delicate term.
other wisw we must have a long discussion of of what is a reform mitzva. I think this is partly what Rabbi Dr. Dalia Marx was trying to say in her comment or at least what i read into it - “The lives of many in Israel are not an expression of any mitzvah.”
Rabbi Kedar beautifully writes about ‘aliyat hanefesh’. I want to suggest an expanded defintion of the term ‘aliyah’.
Aliyah - an uplifting spiritual, cultural, religious or educational experience in which the PEOPLE of Israel, the LAND of Israel, the STATE of Israel and the TORAH of Israel combine to raise up the participant.
Such an experience, by definition, requires an interaction on the LAND of Israel, whether that experience be for 10 days, 6 weeks, 4 months, a year or a lifetime. Being in the LAND, however, cannot suffice by itself. This is why our periodic pilgrimages to Israel must be accompanied by our on-going Israel engagement no matter where home might be.
The role of Zionism in reform Judaism has been the subject of intense scrutiny and intense discussions, and sometimes intense debate- here in Israel in the formal and informal meeting of the National Committee which is the supreme level committee of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, of which I am deputy head.
Can we in Israel be Reform without being “Zionist” comes up again and again, and most of the result of our discussions go to differing definitions of what makes a person Reform, Jewish, and Zionist. AB Yehoshua, a leading writer and analyst of Israel for many years, has offered serious but in my opinion reductionist definitions to these concepts/terms. More importantly, he has made clear that to move ahead, we need to continue debates on many matters of substance without claiming to have some exclusive/only true interpretation of zionism, Judaism, or what it means to be Israeli.
Some in the Reform movement in Israel feel that Zionism should be left out of Reform Judaism in Israel, as being two separate issues. In my writing of the mission statement of my Reform community in Haifa, the Or Hadash congregation, the consensus arrived at included that we are Zionists ( as part of our Reform Identity in Israel)- to which not 100% agree.
I feel strongly about the need to bring Israeli and American Liberal Jews back into feeling that we are part of the same page, headed for a shared future- or no future for any of us. Feeling oneself a part of the Jewish Nation is critical to keeping Judaism as a people and Nation ,and relgion… alive and vibrant and viable for the future of us all.
Thus I shared in a discussion now being held on-line by the URJ Ten minutes of Torah Eilu v-Eilu site, which I am attaching below. The greatest challenge to US Liberal Jews is to re-connect meaningfully with Israeli Jews on the basis of shared Judaism, shared Nationhood, shared religion, shared peoplehood- not just any one one but all of these.
Shalom-
The newest question on the Union for Reform Judaism discussion “Eilu v’Eilu” e-mailed cyber-post-board is:
What is the greatest challenge facing US Liberal (= Reform, Conservative, Reconstructive, Humanistic, and various others including unaffiliated)) Jews today? This question went out to over one million Jews, and below was my answer,which I thought to share with you
THE question/challenge for the future of Reform Judaism is in how to unite as part of the Jewish Nation, as opposed to continuing to increase in insularity. Roughly half of the world’s Jews live in the USA, and these (and particularly Reform Jews) have increasingly separated from the Jews of the rest of the world, and most amazingly and perhaps disappointingly, from the roughly half of world Jews who live in Israel.
The efforts to bring each other onto the same page, to share as brothers and sisters, to help each other as only family can, is THE greatest challenge to US Reform Judaism. Paraphrasing a clarion call part of Rabbi Yoffie’s sermon at the 2007 biennial, if US Reform Jewry does not link to Israel, it will become a passing phenomenon, a footnote in the history of the Jewish people.
The current efforts to meet Israeli Reform Jews, and to bond and develop a common future, have been spun and publicized, but amount to a drop in the bucket, compared to the urgency of the mission. For US Reform Jews to have a future, the reclaiming of partnership and proactive bonding with that half of our Nation, our People, our co-religionists, is vital. By allowing the connections to Israeli Reform Jews to wither, which is tantamount to divorcing from family, Reform Jewry not only halves its broadest-sense potential members/numbers, but shoots itself in the foot. Let’s learn, let’s teach ourselves, to “Love your fellow as yourself”.
Only by uniting in deep and meaningful ways can Reform continue to flourish anywhere for our future which is fast approaching. How very much richer, more vital would US Reform be, if it would massively re-connect to the Jewish miracle which is the State of Israel and its people! No one can argue that this challenge is not formidable, wrought with disheartening aspects. However: there are sparks of beginnings which with lots of input from all sides could bring about ignition of great new lights. I believe that Israeli Reform Jewry is outstretching its hand towards the URJ and all of its members- meet us, share in the future of a constantly Reforming and vital and evermore worthwhile Judaism for all everywhere.
Jesse Lachter MD
Vice- Head of the National Committee of The Israeli Movement for Reform/Progressive Judaism
“…highest expression of our ideal. ” The word “our” should be understood to refer to all Jews, not just Jews who consider themselves Zionists. Aliyah is not only the highest expression of Zionism, it is the highest expression of Judaism. Robert Heller’s comment that this term opens “a divisive and unproductive debate between Israel and the Diaspora” should rather acknowledge that such debate need not be divisive or unproductive, and in fact the debate was opened a long time ago. The debate is necessary and an unavoidable result of Jews living in multiple geographic locations. Only by engaging the debate can we foster the most productive and meaningful relationships between Jewish communities. The comment by Rabbi Marx that “the lives of many in Israel are not an expression of any mitzvah” begs the question of how anyone can make such a judgment about the purpose or meaning of someone’s life.
“…secure and recognized borders.” History shows us that borders are not static. The world is covered by examples of changing and contested borders. Europe has many many examples of frequently changing borders including in the recent past. The borders of Israel will be determined by the State of Israel as a direct result of its relationships with its neighbors. The security of such borders can only be guaranteed by the State of Israel. Borders as they were mapped by the United Nations or as they were in 1948 cannot be considered secure. Israel must always put its security first, including before peace. History shows us that peace is not always lasting. Despite a treaty with Egypt, Egypt’s educational system still teaches hatred of Jews and Israel. Egypt is known to allow smuggling of weapons to Hamas, which is sworn to the destruction of Israel. The long-term stability of Egypt’s political system is questionable with growing influence of extreme factions that ally with Israel’s enemies.
“…the Palestinian people also has the right…” Statements about other people’s national aspirations are out of place in a statement about the meaning of Zionism. The question of a Palestinian state is seen by some as resolved in the establishment of Jordan, which comprised the majority of the British Mandate of Palestine. The aspiration for the re-establishment of a Jewish state in the historical geographic homeland of the Jews dates back almost 2,000 years. The aspiration for an Arab or Muslim state comprised of Gaza and the West Bank dates back only a couple of decades at best and in fact such a state has been rejected numerous times. Nor was such a state in demand while those territories were the property of Egypt and Jordan.
“…confirms God’s redemptive role…” We must remember God’s role and the role of our faith, in God and in ourselves, in redeeming the Jews from two millennia of living at someone else’s pleasure when time and again we were denied even the right even to live.
How can we expand the conversation beyond the 8 other writers here and the six noted on the original document??
The question of a theological-ideological definition of Reform Zionism is meaningless without an agreed upon action program. There can be no Zionism in Israel (including Reform Zionism)without three prerequisites:
1. An ideology with an action program for realizing a vision (Reform Zionist vision) of what Israeli society should be.
2. An educational system, formal and informal, from K to Grade 12 and beyond, with a rationale for inculcating the values and principles that stand behind that vision.
3. Projects where at least a small (but active and leading) minority attempt to realize that vision in intentional communities.
These criteria cover the two movements who have impacted on the Israeli polity.
1/In the past, before the establishment of the State, the Labor Zionist movement - via its educational system and kibbutzim/ (There is currently a renaissance).
2/ During the past generation, the militant wing of Orthodox Zionism - with the Religious Zionist educational system and the settlements in Judaea and Samaria.
As you can gather from some of the responses (Dr Yeshai Lachter) the issue of Zionism in the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism is an open question at this point.
In the Diapora - the suggested steps by Rabbi Andrew Davids are fine except that two cardinal points are missing.
1. Join ARZA in order to give ARZA additional clout in the institutions of the Jewish People - the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency and the Jewish National Fund.
2. Sponsor a scholarship for a Reform Zionist gap year program fore one or more high school graduates in your congregation (see also my letter to the editor CCAR Journal Winter 2008).
Those wishing reprints of some of my articles on these subjects are invited to contact me by E Mail
Michael Livni, Kibbutz Lotan, Israel
I believe that all Jews should make Allyah. However, as a Reform Jew living in the United States, my definition of “Allyah” does not necessarily mean that we have to move to Israel. Visiting Israel often, supporting Israel in its seemingly never-ending quest for peace and justice is also, to my way of thinking, making Allyah. It is vitally important that more liberal Jews remain involved in Israel in order to ensure that the sometimes narrow interpretations of “Religion” are not more important than morality.
March 28th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
The adjective “Reform” modifies our Zionism by basing it on Reform religious values even as our Zionism modifies our Reform Judaism by emphasizing the particular grounding of its universalism.
March 28th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
In Israel, a very “bad advice” inexperienced informal educators love to give to even less experienced ones is to ask this questions of Israelis:
“Do you feel more Israeli or more Jewish?”
I think it’s a terrbile question and please YOU ARE WELCOME TO QUOTE ME if you ever hear anyone mentioning/asking that… in the same manner, I’m not sure I can differentiate between my Reform Identity and my Zionism. In the same manner that I don’t view Reorm Judaism just as a religion but rather as a way of life (which includes religion, social justice, jewish learning and more), I think Zionism is part of my Reform Identity and Reform is part of my Zionist identity. Being reform makes me a more committed Zionist and vice versa…
I really don’t know when the “Reform” within me ends and when the “Zionist” begins.
March 29th, 2008 at 3:16 am
Maimonides probably did not include aliyah and settling the land in his list of the 613 mitzvot because of the Talmudic prohibition (Ketubot 111a) against going up to the land by force and revolting against the nations among whom we lived in servitude.
The belief that a return to Zion would have to await the coming of the messiah is surely not shared by Reform Jews. And so, Progressive Jews in Israel include the phrase “the beginning of the flowering of our redemption” in their prayer for the Jewish State. Every second Jewish baby born in the world today is born in Israel. This just sixty years after Israel was established is surely part of our redemption following the decimation of our people during the Shoah.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:58 am
Rather than sharing a “common faith”, Jewish communities everywhere
share a common historical narrative, beginning with the Biblical record
of their experiences with God and the centrality of the Land of Israel.
Lately, God seems to have faded into the background for many Jews, and
is hardly talked about in polite company. One can only hope that the
American Jew can look beyond the self and continue to argue about
Israel. Eventually, this may be the only tie that binds.
“Israel must be a democratic, pluralistic Jewish state…” This seems
to be a touch of American Reform arrogance. Israel will be what Israel
will be, regardless of what we would want. It will evolve as any
living system evolves in response to its environment and under
the influence of its genes (i.e., its people). To move the State in
the desired direction, we need to become part of that people or part
of its environment. In the meantime, we can only love what is good,
and understand what is bad.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Curious; in a fashion reminiscent of the Israel’s Declaration of Independence, God is mentioned only at the very end. Here encapsulated is the double tension (the ‘mitzrayim’!) of (North) American Jews in the early twenty-first century: one’s place–emotionally, politically, in practicality–with respect to the Jewish State located so far away, and one’s relationship with the Blessed Holy One.
To be a Jew, at its very root, is to identify with a historical and social reality whose path inescapably includes the Land nestled between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. And to be a Reform Jew, at its very root (and here, I would argue, it makes no difference whether one is ‘radical’, ‘classical’, ‘mainstream’ or ‘post-modern’), is to stand in relation to the living God.
Reform Zionism is the halting, occasionally inarticulate dialogue, between the Reform and the Jew.
April 23rd, 2008 at 1:06 pm
I believe the issue of Aliyah, which is described here as a mitzva needs to be treated with a more delicate term.
other wisw we must have a long discussion of of what is a reform mitzva. I think this is partly what Rabbi Dr. Dalia Marx was trying to say in her comment or at least what i read into it - “The lives of many in Israel are not an expression of any mitzvah.”
May 16th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Rabbi Kedar beautifully writes about ‘aliyat hanefesh’. I want to suggest an expanded defintion of the term ‘aliyah’.
Aliyah - an uplifting spiritual, cultural, religious or educational experience in which the PEOPLE of Israel, the LAND of Israel, the STATE of Israel and the TORAH of Israel combine to raise up the participant.
Such an experience, by definition, requires an interaction on the LAND of Israel, whether that experience be for 10 days, 6 weeks, 4 months, a year or a lifetime. Being in the LAND, however, cannot suffice by itself. This is why our periodic pilgrimages to Israel must be accompanied by our on-going Israel engagement no matter where home might be.
May we all make ALIYAH in this manner.
May 16th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
The role of Zionism in reform Judaism has been the subject of intense scrutiny and intense discussions, and sometimes intense debate- here in Israel in the formal and informal meeting of the National Committee which is the supreme level committee of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, of which I am deputy head.
Can we in Israel be Reform without being “Zionist” comes up again and again, and most of the result of our discussions go to differing definitions of what makes a person Reform, Jewish, and Zionist. AB Yehoshua, a leading writer and analyst of Israel for many years, has offered serious but in my opinion reductionist definitions to these concepts/terms. More importantly, he has made clear that to move ahead, we need to continue debates on many matters of substance without claiming to have some exclusive/only true interpretation of zionism, Judaism, or what it means to be Israeli.
Some in the Reform movement in Israel feel that Zionism should be left out of Reform Judaism in Israel, as being two separate issues. In my writing of the mission statement of my Reform community in Haifa, the Or Hadash congregation, the consensus arrived at included that we are Zionists ( as part of our Reform Identity in Israel)- to which not 100% agree.
I feel strongly about the need to bring Israeli and American Liberal Jews back into feeling that we are part of the same page, headed for a shared future- or no future for any of us. Feeling oneself a part of the Jewish Nation is critical to keeping Judaism as a people and Nation ,and relgion… alive and vibrant and viable for the future of us all.
Thus I shared in a discussion now being held on-line by the URJ Ten minutes of Torah Eilu v-Eilu site, which I am attaching below. The greatest challenge to US Liberal Jews is to re-connect meaningfully with Israeli Jews on the basis of shared Judaism, shared Nationhood, shared religion, shared peoplehood- not just any one one but all of these.
Shalom-
The newest question on the Union for Reform Judaism discussion “Eilu v’Eilu” e-mailed cyber-post-board is:
What is the greatest challenge facing US Liberal (= Reform, Conservative, Reconstructive, Humanistic, and various others including unaffiliated)) Jews today? This question went out to over one million Jews, and below was my answer,which I thought to share with you
THE question/challenge for the future of Reform Judaism is in how to unite as part of the Jewish Nation, as opposed to continuing to increase in insularity. Roughly half of the world’s Jews live in the USA, and these (and particularly Reform Jews) have increasingly separated from the Jews of the rest of the world, and most amazingly and perhaps disappointingly, from the roughly half of world Jews who live in Israel.
The efforts to bring each other onto the same page, to share as brothers and sisters, to help each other as only family can, is THE greatest challenge to US Reform Judaism. Paraphrasing a clarion call part of Rabbi Yoffie’s sermon at the 2007 biennial, if US Reform Jewry does not link to Israel, it will become a passing phenomenon, a footnote in the history of the Jewish people.
The current efforts to meet Israeli Reform Jews, and to bond and develop a common future, have been spun and publicized, but amount to a drop in the bucket, compared to the urgency of the mission. For US Reform Jews to have a future, the reclaiming of partnership and proactive bonding with that half of our Nation, our People, our co-religionists, is vital. By allowing the connections to Israeli Reform Jews to wither, which is tantamount to divorcing from family, Reform Jewry not only halves its broadest-sense potential members/numbers, but shoots itself in the foot. Let’s learn, let’s teach ourselves, to “Love your fellow as yourself”.
Only by uniting in deep and meaningful ways can Reform continue to flourish anywhere for our future which is fast approaching. How very much richer, more vital would US Reform be, if it would massively re-connect to the Jewish miracle which is the State of Israel and its people! No one can argue that this challenge is not formidable, wrought with disheartening aspects. However: there are sparks of beginnings which with lots of input from all sides could bring about ignition of great new lights. I believe that Israeli Reform Jewry is outstretching its hand towards the URJ and all of its members- meet us, share in the future of a constantly Reforming and vital and evermore worthwhile Judaism for all everywhere.
Jesse Lachter MD
Vice- Head of the National Committee of The Israeli Movement for Reform/Progressive Judaism
May 28th, 2008 at 7:52 am
“…highest expression of our ideal. ” The word “our” should be understood to refer to all Jews, not just Jews who consider themselves Zionists. Aliyah is not only the highest expression of Zionism, it is the highest expression of Judaism. Robert Heller’s comment that this term opens “a divisive and unproductive debate between Israel and the Diaspora” should rather acknowledge that such debate need not be divisive or unproductive, and in fact the debate was opened a long time ago. The debate is necessary and an unavoidable result of Jews living in multiple geographic locations. Only by engaging the debate can we foster the most productive and meaningful relationships between Jewish communities. The comment by Rabbi Marx that “the lives of many in Israel are not an expression of any mitzvah” begs the question of how anyone can make such a judgment about the purpose or meaning of someone’s life.
“…secure and recognized borders.” History shows us that borders are not static. The world is covered by examples of changing and contested borders. Europe has many many examples of frequently changing borders including in the recent past. The borders of Israel will be determined by the State of Israel as a direct result of its relationships with its neighbors. The security of such borders can only be guaranteed by the State of Israel. Borders as they were mapped by the United Nations or as they were in 1948 cannot be considered secure. Israel must always put its security first, including before peace. History shows us that peace is not always lasting. Despite a treaty with Egypt, Egypt’s educational system still teaches hatred of Jews and Israel. Egypt is known to allow smuggling of weapons to Hamas, which is sworn to the destruction of Israel. The long-term stability of Egypt’s political system is questionable with growing influence of extreme factions that ally with Israel’s enemies.
“…the Palestinian people also has the right…” Statements about other people’s national aspirations are out of place in a statement about the meaning of Zionism. The question of a Palestinian state is seen by some as resolved in the establishment of Jordan, which comprised the majority of the British Mandate of Palestine. The aspiration for the re-establishment of a Jewish state in the historical geographic homeland of the Jews dates back almost 2,000 years. The aspiration for an Arab or Muslim state comprised of Gaza and the West Bank dates back only a couple of decades at best and in fact such a state has been rejected numerous times. Nor was such a state in demand while those territories were the property of Egypt and Jordan.
“…confirms God’s redemptive role…” We must remember God’s role and the role of our faith, in God and in ourselves, in redeeming the Jews from two millennia of living at someone else’s pleasure when time and again we were denied even the right even to live.
How can we expand the conversation beyond the 8 other writers here and the six noted on the original document??
June 11th, 2008 at 1:06 am
The question of a theological-ideological definition of Reform Zionism is meaningless without an agreed upon action program. There can be no Zionism in Israel (including Reform Zionism)without three prerequisites:
1. An ideology with an action program for realizing a vision (Reform Zionist vision) of what Israeli society should be.
2. An educational system, formal and informal, from K to Grade 12 and beyond, with a rationale for inculcating the values and principles that stand behind that vision.
3. Projects where at least a small (but active and leading) minority attempt to realize that vision in intentional communities.
These criteria cover the two movements who have impacted on the Israeli polity.
1/In the past, before the establishment of the State, the Labor Zionist movement - via its educational system and kibbutzim/ (There is currently a renaissance).
2/ During the past generation, the militant wing of Orthodox Zionism - with the Religious Zionist educational system and the settlements in Judaea and Samaria.
As you can gather from some of the responses (Dr Yeshai Lachter) the issue of Zionism in the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism is an open question at this point.
In the Diapora - the suggested steps by Rabbi Andrew Davids are fine except that two cardinal points are missing.
1. Join ARZA in order to give ARZA additional clout in the institutions of the Jewish People - the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Agency and the Jewish National Fund.
2. Sponsor a scholarship for a Reform Zionist gap year program fore one or more high school graduates in your congregation (see also my letter to the editor CCAR Journal Winter 2008).
Those wishing reprints of some of my articles on these subjects are invited to contact me by E Mail
Michael Livni, Kibbutz Lotan, Israel
August 6th, 2008 at 7:56 am
I believe that all Jews should make Allyah. However, as a Reform Jew living in the United States, my definition of “Allyah” does not necessarily mean that we have to move to Israel. Visiting Israel often, supporting Israel in its seemingly never-ending quest for peace and justice is also, to my way of thinking, making Allyah. It is vitally important that more liberal Jews remain involved in Israel in order to ensure that the sometimes narrow interpretations of “Religion” are not more important than morality.
August 29th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
ekibastos…
ekibastos…