Lee Diamond – When does a Jew cease to be a Jew?
The Rabbinic tradition describes 24 circumstances when a Jew could be placed in חרם or excommunication from the community. Most of these cases have to do with monetary matters that cause harm to the community or matters related to non observance of Jewish law. The punishment was meted out by a Jewish court which would determine the nature of the offense and the length of the punishment. Needless to say, excommunication was a severe penalty in a community which existed in a Christian or Moslem state prior to the emancipation. A person in חרם (excommunication) had no access to the Jewish community and was severely isolated.
As Jews were emancipated in Western Europe and became equal citizens of states, Jewish courts ceased to be able to function with this kind of authority. Individual Jews could survive much more easily as equal citizens of the states they lived in. The power of the חרם (although rarely used) was rather insignificant in the community . The Jewish court limited itself to internal matters such as Jewish marriage and divorce. In fact only those who chose to submit themselves to the authority of the Jewish court in their secular state were subject to this authority.
Effectively this renders the Jewish court in the western world today a voluntary authority upheld only by their rabbis and observant Jews.
I’d like to address a question to the millions of us who no longer subject ourselves in most matters to the Jewish court today:
How do we deal with Jews who publicly and vocally denigrate Israel?
I refer not to Israelis or Diaspora Jews who disagree with a government policy or a political party’s position. I refer to those who deny Israel’s right to exist or Jews who call for boycott of Israel. Such people do great damage to the Jewish community from within and without– in Israel, in the diaspora and in the non Jewish world in which we live. It’s fine to disagree about ideology as long as it comes from within; it’s not so fine when it strikes a bitter death blow to us from a Jewish 5th columnist!
This matter needs to be addressed by the total Jewish community. NOW!
We can not allow the lone voices of radical and disconnected Jews to influence our very existence and future– be they”Natura Carte fundamentalists” or Jewish BDSers
While חרם or excommunication is hardly possible today,
people of note;
caring Jews;
rabbis
educators;
Jewish philanthropists
Synagogue executives
prominent Jews in Israel and the Diaspora
Must stand up as a body and individually to condemn this internal Jewish anti Semitism. We must be absolutely clear that this behavior is abhorrent and unacceptable to the Jewish community.
We carry the burden and responsibility of the nation that left Egypt only this week;
And rebuilt the Jewish people from slaves to proud Jews
And rebuilt the land of Israel for all time for the entire Jewish world.
חזק ואמץ
כי המקום
שאתה עומד עליו
קדוש הוא
Be Strong and of Good Courage
Because the place
that “WE” stand upon
Is Holy
