“The Jewish world must act now before it is too late”
Reaction to incidents at Beit Shemesh
In a joint statement this week entitled: A Progressive Response to Recent Ultra-Orthodox activities in Israel and around the world – World Union of Progressive Judaism’s (WUPJ) president, Rabbi Stephen Lewis Fuchs (pictured) and chairman Michael Grabiner warn about Judaism “degenerating into corrosive fundamentalism.”
“For many years, both in Israel and around the Jewish Diaspora, there has been a worrying increase in Jewish religious extremism. Recent events in Israel have shown the world the very worst side of fundamental Judaism. In many countries this extremism has been used to try and exclude many Jews from community involvement,” says the WUPJ.
While conceding that “the extremism exhibited in Israel is not a recent phenomenon,” and that it has been “developing insidiously for decades,” the WUPJ says that “sadly, some Jews see this as ‘authentic’ Judaism but this emphasis on extreme ritual Judaism over an inclusive and accessible Judaism that encourages tikkun olam, has corrupted many in the Orthodox world.”
This has led to exclusiveness and has caused many Jews to simply walk away from their Judaism, says the statement. “It is at this stage that the Jewish world must start questioning what Judaism really stands for in the 21st century.”
Explaining their position, the WUPJ leaders say that Progressive Judaism “has long believed in a Judaism that demonstrates equality for all Jews irrespective of gender or sexual orientation. We are keen to learn from all of our rabbis both men and women and we are dedicated to reach out to all Jews, wherever they are on their Jewish journey.
“Women rabbis in the Progressive world have not only contributed as much as their male colleagues, but have provided a rich and intelligent interpretation of Jewish texts. We would have been poorer without their thoughtful insights. Women lay leaders have contributed equally to building vibrant progressive Jewish communities and institutions across the world.”
Fuchs and Grabiner say that “now is the time to really question customs that have become ‘Jewish Law’ - such as the religious prohibition on women singing in front of orthodox men in the secular sphere.
“What is the logic of this offensive culture that even requires separate seating at non-religious community functions or even on buses?” thay ask. “This side-lining of women has led to women generally being considered second class Jews and has led to verbal and physical abuse.”
They conclude with the following warning: “The Jewish world must act now before it is too late. We must not allow Judaism to degenerate into corrosive fundamentalism.”
...... 'irrespective of
...... 'irrespective of sexual orientation'
What could be more extreme, corrosive or immoral as the most vile sin of all.
Thank G-d the Israeli "constitution" only allows an Orthodox Rabbi to fll the post of Chief Rabbi.
Rabbi Fuchs, I submit you keep deformed/destructive 'Judaism' for the exilic cemetries of the Diaspora.
Choni, why do you choose
Choni, why do you choose pain yourself so much by reading Progressive Jewish stuff then?
If some Jews want to include other Jews in their religious observance, then so be it.
The rest of your comment is not useful at all. We all miss the mark, none of us are perfect, Orthodox or not.
Quoting from the Huffington Post ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/menachem-rosensaft/ultra-orthodox-judaism-...)
"no Jew, however learned and pious, may consider himself an iota better than a fellow Jew, however ignorant or irreligious the latter may be. This is confirmed by the law that if a learned and pious Jew were commanded to slay the ignorant or impious one, or be himself slain, he must accept death rather than kill the other. No one can tell whose blood is redder, and whose life is more important in the eyes of God. If a man in this crucial moment has no right to deem himself superior to another, what right can he possibly have to do so on less critical occasions?"
Extremism in all its forms
Extremism in all its forms is something to be reviled.
While I don't agree with Progressive Jewry on many points, I will agree that all those who banish women to the status of 2nd class citizens are unacceptable.
I do hasten to add that I'm not quite sure the premise that women
are 2nd class as a result of Orthodox halacha is a big stretch!
No Orthodox man has any right to spit on, or otherwise harm women and girls in the way that has been exhibited in Israel.
Anyone who claims their behaviour is as a result of their perceptions of women being formed by how they're treated in Jewish law is simply a manipulative and bad person a.k.a. a male, chauvenist pig bending the rules to suit his needs!
I think the message that the Rabbi Stephen Lewis Fuchs letter can bring home for Orthodox Jews is that there is nothing deaming or 2nd class about being a women, or the fairer and weaker sex.
Let us also be realistic and recognize that there are men in our community treat women badly in many subtle and less subtle ways and it does need to be addressed. Women do not exist purely for the pleasure of men!
Lastly, let's be careful not to tar all those Orthodox people who live in those Israeli neighborhoods with the same brush. It is pretty clear from the news reports that this is a small, but not insignificant, percentage and I hope the Israeli government and the Rabbis step in to resolve the matter before it does become like how we're seeing women treated in the rest of the Middle East.
Kol Kavod Chabadgirl! I
Kol Kavod Chabadgirl! I share your sentiments.
The is Halachah and then there is Minhag, sometimes they are similar and sometimes not. Extreme interpretation create extreme chumrot, which by definition, is an extra stringcency you take upon yourself or your community (note private, or communal, not imposing it on seculars or civil society at large). Forcing your own stricter interpretation is against the intent and corpus of Jewish law. There are many interpretations of Halacha, Torah and minhag, it is the grand Jewish way.
It is a slippery slope to interpret Minhag or Halachah in such a manner, that is exclusionary, oppressive and yes corrosive to Klal Israel, women inclusive(I am being sarcastic here).
PS - I am not even vaguely an authority in matters of interpretation, if in doubt please consult your local Rabbi, Progressive, Orthodox or just plain traditional.
I wish everybody a Shabbat Shalom
I cannot understand! Can
I cannot understand! Can somebody please tell me?
I thought the Jewish community of S.Africa were predominantly tradtional and Orthodox. Yet where is the outrage from our orthodox shtetlers against this hatefull article by this progressive Rabbi.
Any diaspora Rabbi who expresses such hatred for Jews in Israel, and at the same time promotes the most immoral policies should never be given a forum in my shetel.
Ant, You censor Jews for Jesus, but allow Rabbi Fuchs view!
I don't think its right.
Our community need not be exposed to such an attack on Israel and its orthodox inhabitants.
Come on UOS! Show outrage at this blog, and have it removed from a decent website.
Shalom Choni, please
Shalom Choni, please remember that this is a website for all of SA Jewry – as are almost all of the Jewish organisations in SA (obviously with the notable exception of the UOS)! To serve SA Jewry, we need to serve the needs of those who use the Chev, Board, Fed, Israel Centre, youth movements, etc, etc.
We are very cognisant of the fact that a majority of our users (and SA Jewry) follow Orthodox tradition and hence we will always flag a story that has to do with Progressive or Reform Jewry as such on our home page teaser.
This allows our users who may in any way feel offended by such content the opportunity to opt out. When you see a headline that says “Progressives… followed by whatever, please do not click through to it. I know you are not a youngster, my friend, and I would not like to hear that you developed a health condition from the stress of reading about Progressive Jewry.
Why others don’t respond, as you have asked, is probably because they observe our “warning” and don’t read these items.
A Shabbat Shalom to both you and Miriam - ANT
"What is hateful to you, do
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellowman. This is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary." Talmud, Shabbat 3id
Choni, fundamentalism in any
Choni,
fundamentalism in any relgion is harmful,damaging and extremely dangerous, if spitting at an 8 year old girl, segregating men from women on busses(apartheid), not allowing womens faces on posters is what it is all about I am happy to be "deformed". Progressive Judaism has 1.8 million members worldwide and is represented in 45 countries, we are growing. Why do you want to silence people who think differently to you!
As far as I can make out
As far as I can make out from the various sources of statistics available on this subject, there are about 15,000,000 Jews in the world today - not Jews by any standard at all, save that they regard themselves as Jews. About 4,000,000 are "unafilliated" to any practising communities. No doubt a large number of the remaining 11,000,000 are reform/conservative/somewhere else on the sliding scale from saintly to evil.
Unfortunately, Jews are very good at telling each other that this or that person in their midst is "not a true Jew", with the result that if one were to believe all this nonsense, there are about three Jews in Glenhazel, five in Israel, ten in New York and a couple of others hanging around somewhere in Europe.
There are none in Cape Town. How do I know this? - Because a visiting Israeli Rabbi once came here and gave a shiur and he told us so: but it wasn't an arranged visit - it happened almost by coincidence, because he had been booked to speak in Joburg, and someone up there had told him: "don't bother to go to Cape Town - there's nothing down there" - so when he actually came here just for a few day's break and found a frum community who clamoured to hear him speak, he was astonished - Joburg had told him that we didn't exist!
The rest of the 15,000,000 just don't count, I guess.
Mazeltov to the Jewish Taliban. They are doing a fine job setting themselves up as the final arbiters in the "who is a Jew" debate. If we leave it to these bigots, they will wittle us away to nothing at all, except for a few self-righteous, self-important, holier-than-thou individuals.
The future of our religion lies with the kiruv movements, not with those who would lock out as many Jews as possible.
Lion613
"the future of our religion
"the future of our religion lies with the kiruv movements"; so says Lion.
Strange that there is no mention anywhere that kiruv activity is a mitzvah.
I would say that the only future for the Judaism is the rapid ingathering of all *true Jews into Eretz Yisrael heralding the final redemption.
As the Lubavitcher Rebbe so wisely states ". "For we will only reach our true destination when we , and all the Jewish people, arrive in the Land of Israel, with the true and complete redemption" (Likutei sichos vol2 p348).
* true Jew is one born from a Jewish mother, or Orthodox conversion.
(the latest figure I know of is that the U.S. has no more than 3 million who fit this criteria.)
Here we go, folks! - a
Here we go, folks! - a walking, talking example of my theory ... leave it to this man and the only "true Jews" in the world would be the 6 million in Israel (whether they could find their way to the nearest shul or not).
And himself, of course, and a couple of other tzadikim dotted around the globe.
Thus he would eliminate a huge chunk of the rest of the +/- 70,000 Jews of South Africa, about 3,000,000 in the USA and millions in other countries outside Israel as well.
For many Jews, the favourite game is "Who is not a Jew" (not him, not her, not them, not those guys down the road ... we've heard it ten million times).
And another thing: in one post you vilify Chabad and all that they stand for, and then again in this post you rattle on about the Rebbe as an authority for your position. Don't quote selectively. Its a cheap trick. In fact, rather don't quote at all because whether you can find an authority which says that kiruv is a mitzva or not (I suspect that you just haven't looked hard enough, but that point aside), I think that the line has generally been that it falls under ahavas Yisroel (I think you knew that, too).
I think that the saddest thing about the Jewish Taliban and the "Who is not a Jew" brigade is that you will never hear them talk about ahavas Yisroel. It's not their strong point, to put it mildly.
As long as we carry on like this, don't expect to see another Beis Hamikdash anytime soon.
Lion613
We are both elderly Jews, so
We are both elderly Jews, so lets have a truce. "the future of or religion lies with kiruv movements"
If only those movements would include in their kiruv programes the supreme mitzvah of Yishuv Eretz Yisrael with all the others like Kashrut and Sabbath observance.
I say this because one of these movements 'mekarevd' me, and many others, with much love, but failed in the most important mitzvah of all.
Ahavas Israel means love of Israel, both people and Land, which are inseperable.
Your freind
Choni
Choni, as they say in a
Choni, as they say in a certain country in the Middle East, "ata tzodek"! It would be "pas niet" for two old guys to be slugging it out when the whole point of the argument is that we need to love each other more.
I'm getting ready to go home now. Tonight we have a "matric reunion" for my old Herzlia class (I'm not telling you which year) and I'm looking forward to seeing a bunch of old Jews who once irritated the hell out of their teachers, all in the name of Jewish education. We were a team!
Your friend
Lion613
I am one of the 90% of world
I am one of the 90% of world Reform/Conservative/Liberal/Orthodox Jews who live in Harmony.
As long as the "Ultra-Orthodox" continues their confrontational activities, financial support for Israel will continue to decrease.
If ALL Jews of both sexes were equally recognized in Israel and the diaspora and the confrontational activities, stop. Monetary support would resume with even greater enthusiasm. Why must I support people who do not support themselves. Alas the community to whom this message is addressed, would lack the diligence to understand and digest.
Frikkie in Perth