Saturday, December 22, 2012

Problems beyond my control


I am filled with intense sadness. How did Israel get like this? Thousands of years in exile, we finally have a land of our own and this is how we choose to run it. As I listened to Anat Hoffman, the executive director of the Israel Religious Action Center and Women of the Wall, talk about her fight to end female male segregated public buses, radio stations who do not allow women to speak, the 49 racist rabbis who call for the murder of Arabs, Orthodox only marriages, divorces only able to be given by the man, and to allow women to pray with talitot on, to pray aloud or to have a Torah at the Kotel (Western Wall), my previous feelings of detachment solidify. Israel is stuck in the 1960s, the feminist movement has yet to begun and religious extremist rule the land, and not many Israelis seem to care. 

I went walking with some friends this morning to the old city and although I do not remember the context of the conversation, I said to my friend 'remember, I am not Jewish'. In the eyes of those who dictate Israeli law, I am not Jewish. My heart is broken. How did it get like this? How did Israel become a country with an intense divide between the secular and the ultra-religious? We went to the Kotel, I touched it, I said the Shema, I tried to feel but felt nothing but emptiness. 

Last night we had services with the HUC students who are currently studying in Israel, about 50 of them. I have not been to a Friday night service is quite some time because there is nowhere in Los Angeles like what I experienced last night. Singing, praying, clapping, smiling, feeling, with fellow young adults who have dedicated their life to being professional Jews, this is my Judaism! 

So why should I care about what goes on in Israel? One of the comments made to me was 'look at all then hope! Things might seem bleak but they are getting better, little by little'. But why should I spend my money, time, and energy helping to make another country better? Another country that is just as backward as its neighbors, that turns its back on Jewish values, clear Torah based Jewish values, for the interest of the few religious extremist. I say let them have it, let the Haradi continue to take over Israel and then when there are no other people to support them, let them figure out what to do. How dare they ask to be supported from cradle to grave by people they consider heretics, unclean, non-Jews. Lets start this Jewish experiment somewhere else becuase this is not working. 

One thing that I've noticed which might help Israel get on the right track is the underlining purpose for our visit, the civil sector. For so long being a part of government was not something regular citizens thought about and in that vacume religious extremism grew and hijacked the state. Secular Israelis are now waking up and they are pissed. There is hope but its not my hope to have. 

I have a somewhat unique perspective. Many of my classmates have much stronger ties to Israel- family, friends, significant time sent here, well versed in Hebrew, and therefore have the perspective that yes Israel has its problems but so does America and we should love Israel and work for its preservation despite its flaws, as you can tell, I do not agree. In addition, not many of my classmates immerse themselves in American politics and news the way I do and personally I would rather spend my energy fighting for the rights of people who live in America.

Another aspect of this that frustrates me is that yesterday we heard from a gentlemen who explained the Israeli political system to us. Complicated and very different than the US's, I was left with the prevailing question, who is Israel for? I raised the question to my classmates, that if this is a Jewish state, how come not every Jew has a vote in Israeli politics? The common response I received is that we do not live here and would not feel the consequences of our votes but there are many other ways to be involved with organizations who do have influence in Israeli politics. Well that makes a lot of sense... instead of being formally involved in the land that is supposed to be for all Jews, just maneuver around and be involved informally. This simply makes no sense to me- a Jewish state for the Jewish people should invovle every and all Jewish persons, period.

In the interest of respecting your time I will end here. As our trip continues, we will be exploring this idea of peoplehood and why Jews in the diaspora should care about Israel. Maybe in the next week someone can convince me of such. For now my disconnectedness to this land remains strong and my commitment to my community in Los Angeles, living and being an example to others of true Jewish values, to being the Jewish voice for issues in America, to ensuring that the greatest democracy in the world can be even greater, remains my passion and drive. 

Shavua tov :)

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