Yom Kippur Morning 2009: Redefining our Relationship with Israel

Yom Kippur Morning Sermon 2009
Redefining our Relationship With Israel
Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe, Congregation Emanu-El


In the summer of 1982, my family joined a United Jewish Appeal Mission tour of Israel. At the church of the Holy Sepulcher, reputedly built upon the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial, this six year old strayed from the tour and crawled down a small dark cave. About eight feet in, the ground suddenly gave way and I fell into one of the tombs. Luckily, a monk heard my cries and pulled me out. While my parents were mortified, I came away rather intrigued. When I returned to school that fall and was asked to share what I did over the summer, I proudly declared to my class, “I fell on Jesus!” Thus began my love affair with Israel.
A second experience took place on our tour bus on the last day of the trip. As its youngest member, I was asked if I wanted to say anything to the group. I nervously walked to the front of the bus, clenched the microphone in my small hands, and declared how happy I was to have gone on the trip and that I was proud to be a Jew. The tour guide was so pleased that when we met that evening for the closing banquet, I was asked to address the assembly and repeat my words. And so it was literally UJA Mission accomplished: another American’s Jewish identity strengthened through Israel.
I share this latter experience to illustrate how my view of Israel differs from many of my generation. The fact that my age cohort of Jewish Americans holds less affinity towards Israel is well documented. Yet I have felt a deep connection with the Jewish State for my entire life, having lived there twice and visited regularly. Only ten days ago, Rabbi Wolf-Prusan stood upon this pulpit and urged constructive dialogue about Israel and Rabbi Pearce added his own sentiment last night. Today, I accept this challenge by considering why my generation fails to connect with Israel and to propose a new model for engagement.
I was not alive to witness Israel’s heroic birth in 1948. Nor did I live through the triumphs of the Six Day war of 1967 or even the 1973 Yom Kippur war, 36 years ago today. My generation has never known Israel as the fragile David facing the Arab world’s Goliath. It is a strange and unfamiliar concept to us. We take images of Jews driving tanks and fighter planes for granted. Similarly, none of us under the age of 60 have ever lived in world without a Jewish sovereign state. Thus when my parents’ generation and my generation look at Israel, we see two very different things. In short, my generation has never known Israel the feel good story. Whether right or wrong, and even given Iran’s recent provocations, few consider the Jewish nation as drifting towards the brink of annihilation but rather as a nuclear power with the world’s fifth largest air force. Thus we lack both a sense of urgency and affinity towards the Jewish state.
Whereas Israel once stood as the proud child of the Jewish community, it has become the controversial uncle which none of us want to talk about. We live in fear of what it might do and what might be said about it. It shows up at moments of Jewish pride and at times, forces us to uncomfortably defend its existence. Whereas my parents’ generation gained pride from honorable leaders like David Ben Gurion and Yitzchak Rabin, today’s Israeli leaders match their American counterparts’ feats of scandal and corruption. And so we turn our attention to seemingly more noble issues of black and white, good versus evil, like Darfur.
Historically, the American-Israel relationship has been based on two models. Ben Gurion’s original model was simple: We Israelis will build the Jewish State and you American Jews will come. Our presence here this morning belies the fact that Ben Gurion’s dream never came to fruition. His generation of Israeli leaders went to their graves full of resentment and bewilderment over a Jewish Diaspora that did not flock to their newly established home. And so a second model of relationship emerged: We Americans will give Israel our support and in return we will receive our Jewish identity. America will serve as Israel’s patron and Israel will unite and motivate American Jewry. Or to put it simply, we give you money and political will and you give us character. This relationship worked wonders for those generations that precede me. But here in 2009, it has become stale and ineffective on both sides.
Let’s begin with the idea that Israel’s survival hinges upon our total support. Contrary to popular belief, the Jewish State is no longer the poor struggling nation to which we once donated our clothes and stuck coins in a can. Rather, it has grown into an international center of business, technology and science. Whereas we romantically hearken to pioneer farmers transforming the land from desert to an oasis, the reality is that only 2% of the modern population works in agriculture. The land of milk and honey is now a world of skyscrapers and fiber optic cables, and claims the highest per capita rate of PhDs in the world. Last year, Israel’s gross domestic product topped 200 billion dollars, up from only 3 billion in 1960. In fact, Israel’s closest modern comparison in terms of both population and economic output is Hong Kong. Yet we Americans often relate to Israel as if it was still the struggling agrarian community of the past and not the modern day Hong Kong of the Middle East.
At the same time, the American Jewish community is no longer dependent upon Israel for its identity. Just as my generation has never known the underdog Israel, so too have we never faced the sort of Anti-Semitism and persecution at home once suffered by our parents and grandparents. We were raised in a world where it is safe and acceptable to wear a kippah or large Jewish star in public. Our modern pop stars even dally in Jewish spirituality and enlightenment. Just last week, seven hundred young adults packed into this synagogue to hear a rock concert based on the High Holiday liturgy. In America, Judaism is, for the lack of a better world, cool. And as Israel has weakened as a source of Jewish identity, we have grown to rely less upon it, to the point that many of my generation openly question whether any relationship should be maintained. To wit, consider that whereas almost 80% of all American Jews age 65 or older say that Israel’s destruction would be a personal tragedy, less than half age 35 or under feel the same way.
So there you have it. Israel is no longer utterly dependent upon our support and likewise we are no longer entirely dependent upon it for our Jewish identity. The model is outdated and demands rethinking, lest future generations of American Jews stop caring altogether.
Today I propose a new model, a “new deal” between our communities: We Americans will share our pluralistic and spiritual brand of Judaism. And in turn, Israel will share with us the unique way of life that it has developed while granting acceptance and recognition of our modern Jewish practices. Allow me to explain.
Why would Israel need America’s brand of Judaism? After all, many of us take for granted the depth of Jewish knowledge held by even the most secular Israeli. Israeli children grow up speaking and reading the biblical language of Hebrew, living the Jewish calendar, celebrating the seasons, and studying Jewish text in their schools.
When I was a first year rabbinical student in Jerusalem, I would often discuss my subjects with my Israeli girlfriend and now wife, Yael. One day I brought home what I thought was the most brilliant text I had ever read from my Talmud class. I was so happy to share it and bask in its magnificence. I proudly handed Yael the sheet of paper. She carefully examined it, paused for a moment and replied, “Oh yeah, I remember this one from 8th grade.”
But as Professor Yoav Shoham of Stanford University argues, precisely because Israelis are exposed to Jewish customs with such intensity, usually without having a choice in the matter, and in the uniform flavor reflecting the Orthodox hegemony in Israel over progressive streams of Judaism, the majority of Israelis conceive of religion in concrete rather than spiritual terms. Indeed, they often develop a deep antagonism towards religion and the establishment that represents it. For the average Israeli, Judaism is most definitely not cool. It is a heritage which they deeply honor, but rarely think about.
On the other hand, why should we American Jews care about Israel? What does Israel have to offer us other than ancient sites and modern controversies? To my generation, I offer four answers.
Let’s begin with the realization that within the next decade, Israel is poised to eclipse America as the largest Jewish population in the world. Some demographers believe we have already reached this point. A meager birthrate and generations of assimilation have shrunk the American Jewish community. As our percentage of the population has dropped from almost 4% in the 1950s to under 2% today, while the populations of other ethnic and religious groups have soared, our influence is clearly waning. At the same time, a growing birthrate and steady inflow of immigrants have bolstered Israel’s population and economy. Like it or not, Israel sits in the driver’s seat of Judaism’s future.
Secondly, while the image of Israel as the plucky underdog no longer holds water, one historical truth endures: That Israel stands as the greatest social experiment of our age. Years ago, a dream was born to collect people from all corners of the earth, each with their own language, customs and norms, and build a society based upon Jewish and democratic principles. Today’s Israel is a messy hodgepodge of clashing cultures and viewpoints, hastily sewn together into a haphazard social fabric, like Clement Street, but on a national level. It is for this reason that you simply cannot visit the country without entering into deep reflection. Touring the modern state of Israel gives the visitor a glimpse into the processes that form and sustain a unique nation. It may lack the serenity of visiting Hawaii, but the modern Jew will find no parallel in intellectual stimulation and self discovery.
Thirdly, this scenario will hopefully lead towards an authentic acceptance of our brand of liberal Judaism from our Israeli brethren. Only two years ago, Israel’s Chief Sephardic Rabbi argued that the Holocaust was God’s punishment for the emergence of Reform Judaism. Similar polemics against progressive Judaism are common in the Jewish State. And although a small minority of Israelis observes traditional Jewish laws, Orthodoxy enjoys a unique monopoly over civic and religious affairs. Reform life cycle events such as marriage and conversion are not recognized by the state. Orthodox synagogues receive public funding while progressive synagogues must charge membership dues and are thus removed from broad public access. My generation receives a clear message from Israel’s religious leaders: your pluralistic religious expression is dangerous and inauthentic. Stay away. And so we do.
But were we to invigorate the millions of self identified non-orthodox Israelis to develop their own indigenous brand of progressive Judaism, we could achieve acceptance and connection to our brethren across the world. While we Americans hold a clear love and respect for Israel, many of us desperately want it to love us back in the form of acceptance of our beliefs and practices. We anxiously await the day when Israel will grant legitimacy for women rabbis, same-sex partnerships, and Reform conversion, marriage and burial rites. We want to share our love of Judaism and our ability to blend our sacred heritage with our modern sensibilities.
Finally, allow to me share the fourth reason why this relationship would benefit us Americans. Given its population’s deep knowledge in Jewish practice and history, Israel constitutes the greatest untapped potential of biblical scholarship and Jewish leadership in the world. Think about it: The average Israeli receives a world class Jewish education, yet encounters few opportunities to develop a career around it. Imagine if here in America, our children received a comprehensive education in mathematics, but were told they could only use it to become bookkeepers. We would lose the potential of all those who might have pursued alternate paths. I look at Israeli society and see a potential incubator for great Jewish scholars and innovators.
So there you have it: our relationship with Israel will be redefined and renewed. We Americans will share our modern spiritual brand of Judaism. And in turn, Israel will share with us the lessons of its unique makeup while granting acceptance to and forging leadership from our progressive practices. Whereas we Americans were once united through the foundation of the Jewish State, we will now be galvanized through the development of its modern spirituality. As historian Jonathan Sarna writes, “The great causes that once invigorated and united American Jewry – immigrant absorption, creating a Jewish state, rescuing endangered Jews – are essentially behind us. Diaspora Jews today are the poorer for not having a well-defined, elevating Jewish mission to inspire us.” I believe that this is the mission we have been waiting for.
The outdated model of money for identity suggests that we Americans should send Jews of weak identity to Israel and Israelis of strong identity here to the United States. This is the philosophy behind both the Birthright and Sheliach programs. We send our children on birthright to learn about Israel and thereby become more Jewish. We then bring Israeli Shelichim or emissaries here to the US to continue the relationship. I believe that this exchange should be reciprocated. Currently, whereas we Americans go to Israel to visit Masada and the Western Wall, Israelis only come here to see Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge. Let us bring them here to our centers of progressive Judaism. And let us create pluralistic institutions in Israel to serve as incubators for modern Judaism.
I take great pride in serving as the rabbinic member of the Jewish Community Federation’s Peoplehood Commission. This group oversees the allocation and distribution of our community’s funds towards Israel and Israeli programming. Our flagship program, Gvanim, promotes support and seed money for pluralistic programming in Israel. To date, over 20 such programs have been launched, including an upstart synagogue in Tel Aviv called Beit Tefilah.
We took our boldest initiative this past June, when we received 15 representatives from Beit Tefiah here at Emanu-El. With an idea planted by Rabbi Pearce and funding from the Jewish Community Federation, these 15 leaders flew to San Francisco to share best practices with our team and the San Francisco Jewish community. We held workshops with our staff members to describe how Emanu-El meets the prayer, study and social action needs of our congregants. We talked about how, as Rabbi Mintz explained last week, we build a sacred community.
In turn, the members of Beit Tefilah shared their current initiatives and left us with many ideas for future experimentation. What is the lasting effect of such interaction? Rather than explain it myself, I prefer to read you a letter I received from one of our visitors from Beit Tefilah just last week:

Dear Rabbi Jaffe, we would love to wish you, your family and the entire congregation a sweet and happy new year. The Emanu-el experience is still deep in our hearts and inspires us in our efforts to do things better. Your custom of asking people to make a chala chain is already a must in our kiddush and just yesterday we held a new member reception which drew 40 people, deeply inspired by your practice at Emanu-el. Thank you so much for this partnership. Shana tova, Avi.

You may ask, how can I take part in this challenge? For starters, and here I speak with special emphasis to my own generation: visit Israel. It is not the country you think it is. Consider joining our Emanu-El Winter trip led by Rabbi Wolf-Prusan. But when you go, keep two things in mind. First, do not limit yourself to the heavily scripted sites of Israel’s past, such as the old city of Jerusalem. I urge you to explore the emerging communities of Israel’s future, such as Rosh Ha’ayin and Modin. See both Ancient Israel and Hong Kong Israel. Second, while you should take in the amazing sights and history, don’t forget to communicate the ideals of progressive Judaism which you honor today. Don’t just be a tourist. Be your own sheliach – an emissary for the Judaism you know and love and that we celebrate here at Emanu-El. And when you finish visiting the Western Wall and its partition separating the men from the women, continue on to our sister congregations of progressive Judaism throughout the country where men and women not only pray together but also share equal religious status.
There is much you can do at home at well. I have posted links and information several organizations promoting progressive programming in Israel on the front page of the Congregation’s website – I urge you to look at them. If you prefer a more personal touch, I invite you to contact me directly to explore how we may foster a sense of Judaism in Israel more akin to the tradition you come here to celebrate today. I promise you will not regret it.
27 years after my first visit to Israel, I may have earned the title rabbi, but deep inside I am still the same six year old kid, nervously declaring my love for Israel and Judaism into the microphone. I am saddened that my peers do not share my sentiment and deeply desire to foster a connection with the land I love and the people I so admire. I want my brothers and sisters in Israel to respect my love for Judaism just as I respect theirs. Yom Kippur is our day to sweep out the old and take hold of the new, to shed past iniquities and dedicate ourselves towards the future. And I believe that the opportunity for a redefined and renewed relationship with Israel lies before us today, if only we choose to engage. Please won’t you join me.