An Independence Day of Disunity

A Charedi speaks with with a non-religious person (TOI)

I often say how proud I am of my country, the United States of America. And how proud and grateful I am to be an American living at this particular time in history. I say this fully aware of the increase in antisemitism, a truly disturbing phenomenon that had been accelerated by the media focus - without context - on the high number of Palestinian casualties during Israel’s defensive war against Hamas.

I am equally proud of my country, Israel. (Yes - both Israel and the U.S. are my country!) I could not be prouder of what my people - both religious and secular - have accomplished in the relatively short span of about 80 years since its founding. I say this despite its many flaws, some of which are deeply troubling. But Israel’s accomplishments far outweigh those flaws. Without getting into details, this should be obvious to anyone with an open heart and open mind.

I only wish the rest of my coreligionists felt the same way I do, whether secular or religious. But what I often find is the opposite. Instead of focusing on Israel’s many accomplishments in fields both religious and secular - the criticism from across the Jewish world is often so harsh that it borders on abandonment of the country.

On the religious side, where the Charedim make up the bulk of the religious world in Israel, the venom I have heard from some of the Charedi leadership about the secular leadership (often parroted by their devoted followers) is reminiscent of rhetoric once reserved for our Nazi tormentors during the Holocaust.

Not to be outdone, some among the secular leadership have openly threatened to destroy the Torah world. One Supreme Court justice was recently overheard saying that this was his mission!

And as if that weren’t enough, we now have religious Jews from different camps saying hateful things about each other. While it may be understandable why some of these things are being said, it does not warm the cockles of my heart to hear them so often.

Today is Israeli Independence Day. A day that ought to signify unity. A day when all factions in Israel - and Jews everywhere - should unite and declare that we are one people: the Jewish people. ‘One nation under God.’ (Sound familiar? If that phrase applies anywhere, it should be the Holy Land. But I digress.) It seems, though, that we are further away from that ideal than ever. Not only in Israel, but also in the United States.

The Jewish people are as divided as ever. Never in a million years, for example, would I have believed that Jewish members of Congress would turn on Israel so sharply. And yet that is exactly what is happening. This does not mean that Israel cannot be criticized. Lord knows there is plenty to criticize. But to abandon her - rejecting her primary advocate in the U.S. (AIPAC) as though it were a supporter of mass murder, while ignoring the great accomplishments and contributions to the world made by its people - Jewish people like themselves - goes far beyond mere criticism. By denying military aid, do they not realize that they place themselves squarely in the category of being collaborators with Israel’s enemies...

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