I Agree

As happens not infrequently, Rivqa Yaffa says it as it is:

רוצה מדינה יהודית

רבקה יפה שחר דורשת מאותן המפלגות שרוצות במדינה יהודית להתאחד ולהכריז על מפלגה אחת
4/12/2005

הם נערכים לבחירות, נלחמים על כיסאות, תרים אחר כותרות, מנסים לנחש מה רוצה הבוחר. אני הבוחר, ואני רוצה מדינה יהודית. זו גזענות? אז זהו, שאני רוצה להצביע למפלגה שאין לה בעיה עם המילה יהודי ועם זכויותיהם וערכיהם של יהודים. מפלגה שחבריה מתרשמים מהמוסר היהודי יותר מאשר מהתרבות הפוסט-המערבית, וזוכרים למה מדינת ישראל הוקמה, ולמי. יש כמה מפלגות כאלה? על זה אני מדברת, שהגיע הזמן שיתאחדו וינהיגו את המדינה.

יהדות התורה, ש"ס, המפד"ל, מימד, האיחוד הלאומי וחלק מהליכוד צריכים להתאחד למפלגה אחת גדולה, שחבריה עונים על שאלת זכותנו על הארץ במילה אחת: ככה. בלי הסברים, בלי התנצלויות ובלי קשקושי נרטיב. מפלגה שתדאג לחינוך יהודי כזה, שילדים ישראלים יהיו גאים בשייכותם לעם הכי משכיל, הכי תרבותי והכי הומני בעולם, ושיזכרו מה זו אנטישמיות. מפלגה שתגיד בקול רם, שתרבות יהודית אינה גחמה מגזרית, ושתרבות זה לא רק ספורט ותיאטרון, אלא גם לימוד תורה, מצדי תקראו לזה תנ"ך. תשומת הלב שלנו מוסטת היום לביטחון, לגבולות ולדמוגרפיה, אבל על הפרק עומדת בחירה בין יהודי לישראלי, בין חופה יהודית לברית הזוגיות, בין חברון לתל-אביב. ויתרנו על חבל קטיף, מחר מערת המכפלה והר הבית, ושאיש לא יעז לשוב ולדקלם בשאננות: "היה לא תהיה". אני רואה את המריבות הקטנוניות בין ליצמן לרביץ, בין המפד"ל לאיחוד הלאומי, בין ש"ס לאריה דרעי, ותוהה האם אינם רואים שבלב מדינת ישראל כבר רוחשת האש, שעומדת לאכל את הערכים הכי בסיסיים של העם

היהודי: חינוך, משפט עברי, שבת, גיור, כשרות ונישואין.

הרוב רוצים מדינה בעלת צביון יהודי

אני מסתכלת בקנאה ביכולת של המפלגות החילוניות הגדולות להושיב יחד אנשים בעלי מגוון דעות, להניח בצד ניואנסים

ולהילחם על הנהגת המדינה. המפה הפוליטית בישראל משתנה ונערכת מחדש, החילוניות האידיאולוגית מתפשטת לפריפריה, ורק הדתיים תקועים בקבוצות אנכרוניסטיות קטנות וקטנוניות, במקום להתעלות ולהתאחד למען המשותף לרובנו: יהודיותנו. אישה חרדית צעירה שגרה מספר שנים באמסטרדם, סיפרה לי איך מהר מאוד למדה לוותר על הלוקסוס הישראלי לקטלג חברים לפי פרמטרים פוליטיים ודתיים, ולהבין שכל יהודייה ששולחת את בנה לבית הספר היהודי, היא חברה שלה. "רק כאן הבנתי מהי תחושת שותפות יהודית, ומה חשוב באמת". היא למדה את השיעור שחברי הכנסת שלנו טרם למדו. רוב הישראלים רוצים מדינה בעלת צביון יהודי, ובגלל זה "ביבי טוב ליהודים" הביס את פרס, ובגלל זה ש"ס קיבלה 17 מנדטים. להיות יהודי זה לא קשור לדתי, תשאלו את עוזי לנדאו, וגם לא לימני, תשאלו את הרב אלישיב. ועוד משהו, מפלגות דתיות חייבות להיגמל מרגשי הנחיתות שלהן, ולשאוף להנהגה. גם חרדים יכולים לעמוד בראש פירמידה ממלכתית. עובדה שאורי לופליאנסקי מצליח כראש עיריית ירושלים, ועוד מעט הרב לאו כנשיא המדינה.

Experientially Challenged

For a very long time, I've been fascinated by the ways that medievals and moderns have perceived time and space. The way that medievals organized the way that they viewed their chronological and geographic existence was, in my opinion, incredibly rich a subtle. They were able to live on several levels of reality-perception at once, without losing their grounding in the here and now. A Jewish case and point is the Pesach Seder. The operative statement there is 'In every generation, one is obligated to see himself as if he went out of Egypt.' This is not pablum. It is an existential directive, aimed at the celebrant, to transcend the limits of time and space and to transform himself into a liberated slave on the morning of the 15th of Nisan c.1200 BCE.
Furthermore, it was an eminently doable charge, because of this multi-level type of time-awareness that is endemic to traditional societies in general, and to Judaism in particular. [There is, I am well aware, an irony in the fact that this represents a point of agreement between Rav Soloveitchik זצ"ל and mutatis mutandis Mircea Eliade. Perhaps that makes it all the more credible.] The ability to connect so intimately to the past was critical to Jewish continuity in general and to the success of the Zionist message, in particular.

Post-modernity, together with the so-called 'Information Highway,' have seriously wounded (and in some cases destroyed) this rich, nuanced human capacity. A life based upon sound-bites and instant images cannot sustain critical thought and leads, inevitably, to far-reaching, all-encompassing, superficiality. Such superficiality, which is the hallmark of contemporary culture, retards the capacity of the individual to think 'out of the box' and to feel 'out of the box.'

It should, therefore, come as no surprise that contemporary Israel (and Diaspora) Jews, find it extremely difficult to 'connect' (the widespread Hebrew word is להתחבר) to the same vital experiences that sustained their forefathers for two millenia. The thirst for just this type of deeper awareness is the challenge of the contemporary Jewish Leadership, which too often denies its existence.

[The above is, in a sense, a continuation of this posting.]

Realistic Religious Zionism

I will admit that I don't know very much about this group (though I do know a number of its members). However, if the very problematic musings of Haggai Efrati are any indication, I think I'll pass. Too much anger. Too much rage. Too many slogans. Too much pyrotechnics and no light or warmth.

Until they emancipate themselves from their frustrations, there won't be anything to discuss. It's too bad. We've got enough dialogues of the deaf cooking in this country, especially within the religious community (geselleschaft or gemeinschaft, that is the question). There really is no need for even one more.

On Tekhelet, Massoret and Autonomy

Mayvin Yavin has a series of very thoughtful postings concerning the wearing of Tekhelet. His most recent post prompted me to weigh in on the subject.

I waited a long time, and spent a lot of time learning, investigating and mulling over this issue, before I finally decided to add murex dyed tzitzit to my Tallitot. My quandry was

Of Homesteads and Home

In 1881, Yisrael and Rebecca Lappin gathered their family and trekked by wagon, foot, and boat from Volkovisk, Poland to Eretz Yisrael. Part of the First Aliyah, they settled first in Petach Tikva. After a number of years, during which they tried to succeed in agriculture (and Yisrael lost a thumb, as a result of the lack of proper tools), they moved to Jerusalem where the Lappins opened a dry good store. In order to house his family (two sons and a daughter), he erected a grand house at 91 Me’ah She’arim Street, the (relatively) new, upscale neighborhood standing outside the walls of the Old City. The house contained four apartments and stood above three street level stores. It was, by all accounts, a very impressive edifice.
     For me the house always had special significance. It had significance because I am a great-great-grandson of Yisrael and Rebecca Lappin. I  am also (to the best of my knowledge) the only one of their descendants to return to live in Eretz Yisrael, together with my wife and children. I used to feel that this edifice of stones was the binding tie between them and me. Whenever I would pass by it, I would pause and just stare at it, trying to visualize what life was like for them. I used to feel very intensely a special sense of loss at not having known them. Having made the trip here, I would have liked to compare notes on what drove us to come to this most difficult and rivetting place.
I would also speculate about their reaction to the fate that befell their family. True, they left Europe before Hitler’s minions murdered their extended families. However, once they were forced to leave Palestine by the Ottoman authorities, assimilation and intermarriage exacted a bitter toll from among those children and grandchildren whose physical future their foresight guaranteed, but whose spiritual survival was nigh on obliterated. What would have happened, even historians ask, if they had stayed with their children? It’s a bitter-sweet act of speculation.
Recently, it became academic. The building, long ago donated to the Hevron Yeshiva by their pious daughter who had little faith in the capacity of the Torah to resettle in the hearts of her progeny, was torn down to make way for a large dormitory complex for the radical, anti-Zionist Reb Aryele Hassidim. Ironic that this homestead of one of the earliest Religious Zionist pioneers should be levelled by a group that despises all they stood for.
My first reaction was a mixture of loss and melancholy. My wife, who is much wiser than I, pointed out that (like the Bet ha-Miqdash, according to Hazal in Eika Rabba, parsha 4 s.v. va-yatzet ) the building was really nothing more than ‘sticks and stones.’ What made it special was the spirit it embodied and the vision it represented. The building may be demolished (right now it’s a big hole in the ground). The spirit it embodied has (hopefully) been transferred and dwells in our (more modest) home in the Hills of Hebron. That same spirit, that deeply rooted attraction to qedushah, moved Yisrael and Rebecca to defy reason and move to a place that did not approach the word civilized. The inner strength that they manifested is stunning to contemplate.
It is something to pray for, to cultivate, to hang on to dear life for; especially on days like today.  

And Now for Something Completely Different

I've got two articles, two books and dissertation reviews to work on, but I can't sign off without one of the lighter posts....

This is my (phtoo, phtoo, phtoo) thirteenth year teaching at Bar Ilan University. I thought I knew all about the place. I know about the courses, the politics, the library, the book store, and the food. Everything there is to know. Right?

Wrong.

Saturday Night, on the weekly dosi program on Channel I, I caught a ten minute report by Ravital Vitelson-Jacobs about the mating, sorry, dating geography at (you guessed it) Bar Ilan. [Actually, Maariv had a sneak peak on this.]

Go know that the Hilonim sit on the Hill in the center of the campus. The MO's congregate in the triangle formed by Katz-Nagel-DeHahn. The frummier types hang out in the sector between the Midrasha and the Koylel (aka 'the window of opportunity', because the central window of the Bet Midrash overlooks the area. More Orthodox sexism, I guess). So now I know why certain of my students hang out in one place, and not the other. (At least I know my MA and PhD students hang out in the library.)

What else do I know? My wife and I recently celebrated our 25th anniversary. After a quarter century and five kids, Thank God I know that I can file this information away under 'interesting but irrelevant.'

I Wonder...

I keep wanting to post something light, but life keeps getting in the way....

Haaretz reports that the proposed closing of the Gaza Crossings will constitute a violation of our recently signed accords with the PA, the ones that were brokered by Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleeza Rice. In other words, Dr. Rice will be very ticked if we do that.

I wonder...

I wonder if Dr. Rice ever had to start off a class the way that I had to today, twice. Quietly, I asked if anyone lived in the Netanya area. If so, they should know that there was a homicide bombing at the Sharon Mall and that if they wish, they are welcome to leave class to call home to make sure everyone is alright.

I wonder if she had to start off a lecture that way (one on Judaism and Christianity and the other on German Pietism) whether she would so blithely reject measures that will save lives, like preventing terrorists from infiltrating from Gaza or stopping the rocket and mortar fire on pre-1967 Israel.

I wonder whether Dr. Rice would reevaluate the sincerity of the Palestinian people, were she to watch this bit of PA Programming. She's an historian, after all. She knows that the hokhmas spouted by this little tyke reflect mainstream Muslim thinking and established Muslim tradition, not the prattle of some fanatic. Dr. Rice is a noted scholar. She knows that one can't argue beliefs (just as one can't argue with a Christian over Jesus' divinity or humanity).

I wonder if Dr. Rice would sacrifice American lives so blithely. After all, the American Army is in Iraq in order to defend the equivalent lives in the continental US.

I can't help but return to an old refrain.

There's nothing to wonder about. After all, it's only Jews.

[As Tom Gross wrote: Dead Jews Aren't News. Hattip: Maria]

Is All of Gush Etzion on the Chopping Block?

If anything was required to further undermine my faith in the Israeli government, this letter was it. You see, the minute we are cut off from the so-called Green Line, the point is made that we are expendable. In addition, the surrounding of Yishuvim with concrete fences and barbed wire (yes, I'm not making this up) would render us more vulnerable than ever to Arab terror.


To all the residents of Gush Etzion,

A few minutes ago I had a conversation with a senior source from one of the government ministries that is dealing with the "security fence". During the conversation a number of issues came up that I felt concerns all the local residents. Please distribute this letter to all your friends and acquaintances as soon as possible.

1.. The planning authorities in the Ministry of Defense have now concluded their work concerning the fence on the Green Line that will keep Gush Etzion out of the main fence of the state of Israel. So as not to arouse the residents of the Gush it was decided to first implement the eastern fence (around the Gush) and only after the elections to build the fence on the green Line (the direct quote of the source: "The decision to build an additional fence on the Green Line has already been taken with tens of thousands of shekels already invested in the planning and with instructions being not to disclose the actual building of the fence on the Green Line till after the elections."

2.. The actual work on the fence is to begin this week with the actual area chosen being the Abu Suda Forest between Migdal Oz and the Gush Etzion Junction (since the area is a nature preserve there was no fear of an appeal to the Supreme Court). It should be mentioned that this is a blatant violation of the agreement with all the local councils that there would be no work begun on the fence until there is total agreement on the route.

3.. During the situation evaluation that was held in the Ministry of Defense considerable fear was raised of the possibility of opposition to the fence by the residents of the Gush. To this end Danny Terza, the head of the fence authority, was sent to be interviewed for Makor Rishon for the edition published this past Friday (the most comprehensive interview ever conducted with Terza).

4. The Ministry of Defense is fully aware that they do not have a chance of successfully defending then present route of the fence in the Supreme Court so they want the work to be commenced so that afterwards the Supreme Court will rule that the fence should be built as close as possible to the settlements (as the proposed route of Shalom and Bitochon including a fence 500 meters north of Neve Daniel, a fence between Efrat and Neve Daniel, etc.) this way permitting the Ministry of Defense to claim innocently that it is not them but the Supreme Court that decided on the dangerous route.As it seems now the Gush will be surrounded by fences that will be as close as possible to the settlements with an additional fence to be built on the Green Line affectively cutting us off from the State!

To summarize:We have been hoodwinked in broad day light.


Yaron Rosenthal
Kfar Etzion

[Note: The Council for Peace and Security is a Leftist organization that works for a return to the 1967 borders. Imagine! With the great job Sharon did with the people from Gush Qatif (unemployment, depression, suicides, divorces, drug use....), it will now move on to do the same to another quarter of a million. ]

Further thoughts on the matter, here.

Diabolization Continues

For the information of those who villified the people of Gush Qatif, cheered as their lives were destroyed, and jeered at these new 'millionaires,' Haaretz Reporter Nadav Shragai provides an insight into their ongoing suffering, as the State ignores them.

So, if Israel can't deal with 8,000 refugees...How does it expect to throw 80,000+ out of their homes with nowhere to go, no employment, no schools, and deep psychological scars?

Finally! A Response to the Diabolization...

Professor Stuart Cohen and Dr. Asher Cohen of Bar Ilan's Political Science Department have published a much needed (and long overdue) reaction to and analysis of the disparity between the realities in the Religious Zionist community and the way it is portrayed in public (especially media) discourse.

I would only add two points:

1) It can't be stressed enough that principled Right Wing politics can be based upon non-messianic considerations.

2) The diabolization of the religious community is part of a wide-ranging, post-Zionist kulturkampf.