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| A sex segregated public bus in New York City - Photo Credit: New York Times |
There is an article in the New York Times that discusses the clout
Chasidim in America have achieved. And it does not paint a flattering picture. Some might say that this is just typical New York Times bashing of religious Jews. But I'm not so sure it is. Let us examine the issue.
Chasidim do have clout. There is no question about it. How did they get so much clout? Prior to the Holocaust, Chasidim in
America barely existed as an identifiable entity. But they grew exponentially into huge numbers
since the Holocaust. Chasidim tend to get married early (in some cases both bride
and groom are in their teens) and have many children. A family of ten or more
children is not uncommon. As a result, now over sixty years later they are a
force to be reckoned with.
Although I have argued that – despite their rate of growth -
their current numbers do not necessarily
predict their future dominance as a culture in Judaism… their numbers are very definitely huge
as is their current influence in government. This is mostly seen in the power of
their vote. If their rabbinic leadership tells them to vote for a certain candidate,
they tend to do so in large numbers without question and without needing to know what that candidate stands for. This gives Chasidim as a group out-sized political power!
This power does not go to waste. This community uses it to
their full advantage. When they make a request to a government official, he pays
attention. And often sees to it that the request is granted.
I have no problem with using one’s clout to get things done
for your community. There is nothing wrong with petitioning your government for
your cause. It is no different than any group lobbying for their particular
agenda. In that sense Chasidim are no different than – say – the gun lobby. It
is the right of every American citizen - no less Chasidic citizens - to petition their government.
The question arises when petitioning for rights becomes pressuring
for rights. Requests then turn into demands
with unspoken threats of political defeat in the next election if those demands aren’t met. Although it may be
legal to do that - it can easily be interpreted as a form of political extortion to get what they
want – sometimes at the expense of
others.That can only result in resentment at best… and at worst create (or expose
latent) anti-Semitism.
First let me say that I view it unethical to vote for a
candidate without knowing what he stands for just because you were told to do
so by a rabbinic leader. I understand why they do this. It is obvious.
It gives them an extraordinary amount of power over elected officials. But one ought to vote for a
candidate because of believing what he stands for – not because it will give your
group collective power over him.
This is not good citizenship. And it makes religious
looking Jews look bad. How does this affect the image of religious Jews in the
world? Does this result in a positive image of Chasidim - or a negative one? What
about the rest of Orthodox Jewry? Will we all be judged the way?
And how necessary are those demands? Are they Halachic or
cultural? Let us look at some examples (described in the Times article) of achievements their clout has brought them.
How important is it for Chasidic women to demand a female lifeguard at their beaches that are apparently sex segregated? Although I understand their
request - it is a not a Halachic requirement to have a female lifeguard. Is it worth exercising the community’s clout to get one?
I also do not understand why they insist on well water for their
Pesach Matzos. They apparently object to chlorination. What does chlorine have
to do with Chametz? It is not a leavening agent. It is a poison which if used
in small quantities kills bacteria and has no harmful effects on human beings.
Separate – sex segregated public buses are now the norm in
their neighborhood. Men in the front and women in the back. That is no doubt
illegal. But since they do it voluntarily, no one bothers them. Is that so
necessary? I know Chasidim consider separate seating on a bus to be more modest.
But is violating the law the right thing to do if it isn’t a Halachic necessity
– even if no one bothers them about it?
Last year the city’s Commission on Human Rights issued
complaints to Chasidic stores in Williamsburg that demanded that Halachic norms of modesty be followed by a customer or they would refuse service. One can debate their right to refuse
service to anyone they choose for any reason.
There is a legitimate argument to be made for opposing views on this
issue. But one cannot debate the negative image this projects to the world
about religious Jews discriminating against non Jews or non religious Jews.
They are pressing for public libraries in their
neighborhoods to be open on Sundays at taxpayer expense – since they cannot be used on Shabbos. (Which
raises the question about what kind of books public libraries carry that are
appropriate for Chasidim anyway… but I digress.) Do they really need the library to be open on Sunday?
And then there is Metzitza B’Peh (MbP) – the practice of
drawing out the blood of a circumcision wound orally by direct contact with the
mouth. Based on the studies done by national health officials New York city’s
health officials consider it a dangerous practice. They wanted to ban the
practice. Chasidim believe that without MbP the circumcision would be invalid.
Despite the fact that there is an abundance of opinion that this is not so… and
that the requirement of Metzitza could be fulfilled in sterile ways. Nonetheless, city health officials decided to
allow the practice if it included a warning about the possible health
consequences. That outraged Chasidim. Now - some mayoral candidates seeking
their vote are in favor of rescinding that requirement.
The Times article puts this issue in a nutshell:
The remarkable rise in the population and the influence of Hasidim and other ultra-Orthodox Jews has provoked repeated conflicts over revered practices, forcing the city into a balancing act between not treading over constitutional lines by appearing to favor a particular religious group and providing an accommodation no more injurious than suspending parking rules for religious holidays.
The bottom line is that Chasidim now use a subtly intimidating approach on elected officials to get what they want. Which can easily generate resentment.
On the one hand something like requesting a female lifeguard
for a beach frequented exclusively by Chasidic women does not seem like an
unreasonable request. No one is harmed by it, and Chasidic women will benefit.
But when taken in the aggregate, it makes for a lot of pressure on an elected
government official. New requests no matter how innocuous – now seem like demands.
This enormous power – far beyond
their percentage of the general population - can easily feed all the
anti-Semites of the world and their canards about Jews controlling the government.
I therefore believe that the Chasidic community should
re-think when and how they use their clout. They ought to not seek to satisfy every religious
whim they can think of. They should instead deliberate very carefully - weighing
need against negative consequences before making a request. Because feeding the
anti-Semitism that their clout might generate if used too frivolously could
backfire on all of us.
