In comparing these last two days, I struggle. I struggle between defining Israel as a state in which Judaism is to be preserved and a state in which Jewish values are at the utmost expression. All my life I believed the later, as I study I believe the former.
The ultra-Orthodox, those who observe the laws of the Torah to the letter and devote their lives to study, are called Haradi in Israel- a term I only recently became familiar with. This population in Israel is about 1 million people (1/6th the population) and because of the laws in Israel they are 'taken care of' for their entire lives. As I've come to understand it, this was originally set up for a few hundred Jews with the notion that they are preserving Judaism in its truest form given the atrocities the Jewish people faced. This population has exploded and is now a growing social issue in Israel.
55% of Haradi men are unemployed and regardless of the number of years they receive in religious education, it is equivalent to 0-4 years of public education when translated to the job market. This leads to intense re-distribution of wealth in order to support this growing population. Our last stop yesterday was to the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel, an economic think tank mostly funded by the Joint Distribution Center. This is where these numbers became very real.
Our morning had begun at the Kiryat Ono College where there is a push to educate Haradi students in secular subjects so that they might have the tools to enter the work force and provide for themselves. This is a difficult task as the Hardai see themselves as purposely separate from modern society, as it is morally corrupt and their purpose is of a higher caliber in the preservation of Judaism and the Jewish people. This college also educates Ethiopian Jewish students and integrates them into studies with the rest of the Israeli student population. As with other nonprofits doing good work, it was great to hear from the college and their view point on educating Israel's population.
Yesterday's visits coupled with the previous days activities led me to the place I am now as expressed at the begining of my post. Although it is clear to many of my other classmates why the Haradi community is the way that it is, I do not have the in-depth institutional knowledge on the issue. What I do know is that a large percentage of the Israeli population does not have to work while there is a population of immigrants and refugees who want nothing more than to work and be a productive member of Israeli society.
This is my struggle. Is Israel here to preserve Judaism, in-turn supporting a population devoted to the study of Judaism, even to the detriment of the rest of Israeli society or is it a state in which living Jewish values for all inhabitants, regardless of race or religion (or religious sect for that matter), is of the utmost importance?
Thoughts? Which should it be? This is clearly a loaded question as I am writing it from my perspective, not a necessarily un-biased appropriate survey question, but the question I will keep with me as we continue to study.
On a lighter note, we also visited a modern day Kibbutz named Tammuz. The inhabitants do not work on this Kubbutz, they have non-agricultural jobs outside, they do however live together, celebrate together, deal with finances together, and make decisions together. The one defining element of the presentation was the emphasis on discussion, study, and dialogue. They have no formal rules or constitution or written foundational values, every decision (although ultimately a personal one) is a discussion among the collective. Our presenter did not like our hypothetical questions as the community is quite rational and together come up with solutions to problems as they arise.
They are compised of 14 families and was founded 25 years ago. To put it in a different context, imagine you belong to a small Synagogue but everyone else who belongs to it lives around the Synagogue or imagine permenant camp with families. In essence, this is socailism on a small scale. I think it's great! :)
I imagine for my life a similar situation when Barak moves to Los Angeles and we are able to find a small community of Jewish young adults whom we will meet regularly, celebrate holidays and life cycle events, study Judaism, and discuss the ups and downs of our lives together. I am also very blessed to have this currently in a group of friends whose company I do not get to enjoy as often as I would like but I envision as my life becomes more stable that this will be a constant in my life.
What I liked most, and what most don't like about socialism, is the financial aspect. This is the biggest difference between this Kibbutz and the havarah I currently enjoy or will enjoy in the future. Everyone's pay checks go into the same account and each family (depending on the number of children) gets a specific amount for their personal budget. The remainder is saved or used for communal purposes, i.e. food, electric bills, health bills, rent, etc. There is also an open account where community members can be reimbursed for various work or necessity expenses.
Ah, what a life where I do not have to worry about taxes!! A life where I work and am given just the net amount left after all other expenses are taken care of- for me, this is a dream, a very relaxing one. He spoke about a member losing his job and the fact that he did not have to rush to find any position to be able to support his family, that the collective was able to support him until he was able to find a job which ended up being better than the one he was fired from.
Lucky for me, I have a wonderful boyfriend who will take care of all those things for me, right Barak?? Nah, I really have no problem dealing with my finances and the rosy picture painted I'm sure has underlining issues. Would I actually ever live inthe Kibbutz like this, probably not, will I seek out a communal way of life, however that looks in the states, absolutely!
On an ending note there have been a few things here in Israel I'd like to take with me. For one, I have eaten more pickles in the last four days than I think I have ever in my entire life, they are soooooooo good :) There are also phrases I use on an hourly basis I'd like to keep in my vernacular- Toda and Toda Raba (thank you and thank you very much), Shlecha (sorry or excuse me), and Betzeder (my favorite- it's ok or it's alright). Lastly, their toilets are awesome, two flushing options, not a lot of water wasted and they have solar water heaters on every roof (come on SoCal this is a no brainer!).
Today we focus on politics but only till 1:00pm because it is Shabbat! Yeah!! This means I get to see friends who are studying at the HUC in Jerusalem, go shopping, and enjoy a wonderful Shabbat service, I am quite excited :) Today and tomorrow comprise of far more down time than we've enjoyed these past few days and I feel very blessed to not only be able to spend it in Israel but with my wonderful, intelligent, insightfully, interesting, another i word I can't think of, classmates and teachers.
Shabbat Shalom :)
"Is Israel here to preserve Judaism, in-turn supporting a population devoted to the study of Judaism, even to the detriment of the rest of Israeli society ..."
ReplyDeleteFrom your description, that seems to be the case, which I consider a sad commentary. The "state" is, at it's best, an institution that secures individual rights to *what each person has earned* (whether monetary or intellectual). It does that by overcoming coercion, not imposing it. The central idea is Just Desserts: you get what you deserve, based on your conduct in the real world.
The sense I get from your posts is that many Jews believe that, in Israel, because they control the means of social coercion, the religious elite can force everyone to support those who profess or practice the "correct" lifestyle ... even those with the equivalent of "4 years of public education", who are rarely engaged in any kind of productive work, yet they have a "right" to the values everyone else has achieved by their own effort. That hardly strikes me as any kind of "Social Justice".
"... In essence, this is socailism on a small scale. I think it's great! :)"
Not really. Socialism is the armed state forcing everyone to share equally. The Kibbutz you describe sounds like many U.S. Amish communities, where multipe families share everything voluntarily. That's a form of "communalism", which is far different than Communism or Socialism. It may sound great, if your goal in life is to evade responsibility and pander always to the social norms expected by the group. It's certainly not an environment that induces creativity, courage, or achievement.
Yes, "community" is important, in the same way "family" is important, since they can be - though not necessarily - a refreshing and comfortable group of people with similar values, lifestyle, and principles. In a truly civil society, everyone respects (or, at least tolerates) differences, even disagreements, with no one feeling threatened or intimidated. That is the environment that stimulates individual creativity and human achievements.
"... for me, this is a dream, a very relaxing one."
Perhaps. Until you realize that your comfort demands that someone else suffer the consequences of your poor choices. I couldn't be happy knowing that.
Shalom :)