My American Jewish nephew recently declared to me that most secular Israelis aren’t very Jewish .photo by debretts.com
Lee Diamond – Secular Jewish Skin
My American Jewish nephew recently declared to me that most secular Israelis aren’t very Jewish.
He is not at all alone in this thinking and it indeed reflects a distorted view of Jewishness that my grandfather( his great grandfather)) promoted.
My grandfather’s goal as he arrived in America was to integrate into the “New World” and the “Goldene Medina” and to be part and parcel of it as quickly as possible.
He changed his appearance.
He changed his clothes
He change his language
He made sure that his children would speak English without his accent.
He sent his children for American education.
Success to him was climbing the American ladder rung by rung and discarding any traces of a previous culture.
In one generation his children succeeded in becoming literate English speaking —illiterate Jews!
All that was left of Judaism was religion.
Will Herberg described this phenomenon in his book Protestant, Catholic and Jew . Jews were now Americans of the Jewish persuasion. Their shuls became Temples. Their Yamulkas became skull caps if they at all allowed for this differential aberration. Their food became American!
In one generation in America we became Americans in every way. Jewishness became an issue of belief and of which Temple one belonged to.
Judaism. became a religion only.
Jewish Ethnicity was dead and buried and remains even more so today.
Indeed, If Judaism is a religion, why not marry a non Jew? It’s simply a matter of love . The children will choose the religion that they prefer.
Instead of Ethnicity defining Jews, the word tribalism replaced Ethnicity. To be ethnically Jewish was and is a form of tribalism with all the pejorative meaning of this word.
So of course my nephew thinks that Israelis are hardly Jewish
Indeed most secular Jews in Israel are not religious.
If being Jewish means being religious then indeed Israel is not s Jewish State.
But something seems to be Very strange here!
There has never been a Jewish community as Jewish as Israel.—Certainly not since the destruction of the second Temple in the year 70 CE..
Our names are all Jewish
The street signs are all Jewish !
All of our holidays are Jewish.
Our language is Jewish. Yes Hebrew is Jewish!!
All of our children learn in Jewish schools — 100 %!
Our day off from work is Jewish — Shabbat
Our Parliament’s (Knesset) internal shape is built as a Menorah.
The symbol of the state is a Menorah
The flag of Israel is derived from a Talit!
Our music, our literature our theatre is based upon Jewish themes
Our heroes are Jewish
Our national institutions are all kosher.
Our national anthem is very Jewish!
The rhythm of life is Jewish.
Our press is largely Jewish in content.
Our internal struggles with each other are based in Jewish differences.
We feel the pain of every act of anti Semitism in the world as our own because we are Jewish.
Every soldier is given a Tanach as well as a rifle as s/he is inducted into the IDF!
Induction ceremonies into the IDF take place at the Kotel or Masada or similar places of Jewish content.
We search our land through archeology for Jewish roots from our past!
Israel stops altogether on Yom Kippur!
Bread disappears on Pesach!
Succot appear everywhere in public on Succot.
Even our secular president has a Succah at the presidential home.
Chanukah donuts start appearing in the shops from Sinchat Torah onwards.
This list is just the tip of the iceberg (or is it “Goldberg” ) of the Jewishness of Israel.
Are we Jewish?
Are secular Israelis Jewish, my nephew?
You see my dear nephew, we in secular Israel live in Jewish skin! We can’t change this skin for a new model or style.
That skin is with us and covers our soul always.
And I think that our secular Jewish souls, like yours, are profoundly Jewish.
So pleased to have Rav. Diamond share his thoughts at Israel Seen.
Rabbi Lee Diamond, is based in Israel and began his unique rabbinate as an Israel Educator for the Diaspora. Rabbi Diamond has served as director of the Alexander Muss High School in Israel, and Associate Director of the Israel office of the UJR and NFTY Israel programs. He has dedicated his life to sharing the Israel he loves and creating an educational experiences for everyone visiting Israel. Rabbi Diamond’s philosophy: Israel is the stage on which I want to act out the drama of the Jewish people, its creative survival, and to affect people’s lives. When we see each other our discussion always seems to find its way to the ever changing political situation in Israel. In the end of course we come around to what is dear to the hearts of both of us: the importance of emphasizing Jewish values and ethics in our society.
Lee Diamond – Secular Jewish Skin
