No! ...to Pluralism in Israel.

Reform leader in Israel, Gilad Kariv (JTA)

Is there anyone that believes that the Jewish people can perpetuate Judaism without anything identifiably Jewish about it? If there was ever an oxymoron, this is it. And yet an entire movement was founded on this very principle.

In its attempt to fully assimilate into the general culture so that antisemitism might disappear, the founders of Reform Judaism determined that in the age of enlightenment, it was no longer necessary to be different. We no longer needed to be observant of the Torah’s ritual requirements since their purpose was to promote ethical behavior. And that since we all live in an enlightened age, we already know what is and isn’t ethical. 

Being different by virtue of Halachic prohibitions (such as eating only Kosher food or keeping Shabbos) or actions (like eating in a Sukkah on Sukkos) had no value. It was seen instead as a means to unnecessarily separate us from our fellow citizens. It was believed that being different was what generated antisemitism. Eliminating difference was seen as the solution.

Well, it wasn’t. The Holocaust proved that. Hitler didn’t care whether a Jew was observant or not. He didn’t care whether a Jew was blond, blue eyed, and as fully assimilated as every other German - or if he looked like a Chasid – beard, long Peyos, Kapaote and Shtriemel. It was all the same to Hitler. As long as there was even one grandparent that was Jewish, that made you part of an evil race worthy of  annihilation.

But Reform Judaism did accomplish one thing. It eliminated the need to be Jewish at all. If there is no substance to one’s Judaism, what is it about a Jew that males him Jewish? The accident of birth (i.e. being born of a Jewish mother) does make him a Jew technically. But it will not necessarily make his offspring Jewish. Why in fact should a Jew who does not value or do anything identifiably Jewish care whether he is Jewish or not? Ethical behavior as defined culturally is universal. Being born a Jew has no bearing on that.

Nevertheless back at its founding -  the founders of Reform believed that if a Jew lived an ethical life, that was all that was religiously required of them. You  would a be Jew in good standing without performing  a single ritual. The Jewish people would then become the paragons of virtue that the whole world would respect because of the high ethical values by which they lived. All while being as fully assimilated as their non Jewish neighbors. 

This paradigm was particularly relevant in the melting pot culture that existed at the height of European Jewish immigration to America in the early 20^th century. A lot of Jews welcomed it for a variety if reasons. Not the least of which was the ability to work on Shabbos with no guilt.

Reform leaders were so convinced of their philosophy that they practically outlawed religious ritual. If for example a Jew walked into one of their temples wearing a Kipa, they were required to remove it!

Fast forward to today. A few years ago, many Reform rabbis (many of whom now wear a Kipa) began to realize that their founders had made a colossal mistake. They had been losing members and realized that indeed - without any ritual at all Reform Jews had no reason to be Jewish. 

So they began to reintroduce rituals into their movement – saying that though it was no longer required, it was nonetheless still a good idea to practice as much of it as they could voluntarily. This was obviously a massive paradigm shift which was not accepted by all Reform leaders. But I believe it is now more the accepted Reform view.

However, the bottom line still is that ritual (encouraged though it may be) is not required at all in order to be a Jew in good standing. There is no requirement at all for keeping Shabbos or Kashrus. 

It is with this in mind that I am firmly opposed to introducing pluralism into Israel. I mention all this now because there is the possibility that Gilad Kariv, a Reform leader in Israel, will become a member of the Keneset . He is in the forefront of trying to change Israel into country where no ritual need be observed by anyone or any institution. Where Reform rabbis will have authority over Jewish law equal to rabbis of other denominations.

So that f a Jew wants to keep his shop open on Shabbos anywhere in Israel, Rabbi Kariv will consider his duty to fight for him. If a Jew wants to serve ham  or cheeseburgers  in his restaurant, he should have the right to do so. Matters of conversion should be left open to every denomination to do as they please. Making it virtually impossible to know who is and isn’t Jewish according to Halacha. There would be no government mandate for anything recognizably Jewish, if it is up to this Reform rabbi.

I cannot imagine a greater quagmire of confusion than that! Pluralism of this sort makes no sense to me. With the vast majority of Israelis being secular - it has the potential to try an eliminate much of what makes Israel a Jewish state. And turn it into a nation like all other nations with nothing particularly Jewish about it. It makes no sense to me to allow a movement founded on the abandonment of ritual Halacha to have any authority over Jewish matters. If pluralism is adopted, the rabbinate would be required to include rabbis of all denominations - allowing people go to the rabbi that would suit their personal desires rather than to a rabbi that looks to the Torah as the source for all his decisions.

What surprises me is that the Conservative Movement which claims adherence to Halacha supports that kind of pluralism. It surprises me even more that rabbis in the movement formerly known as Open Orthodoxy support that too.

Speaking of colossal mistakes, it would be a colossal mistake to give any religious authority to a movement founded on the premise that religious observance should be entirely rejected even though it is now seen as optional.

Let me be quick to add that my opposition to this should not be seen as a move to turn Israel into a Halachic state. Even though as an Orthodox Jew, I think that would be ideal, as a practical matter it is currently a terrible idea. The state must remain as it is now – identifiably Jewish where as much Halahca is observed as possible without causing a civil war. (Those who believe that a Halachic State would be the Jewish version of  ISIS do not understand what a Halachic state in our day would mean.)

If Rabbi Kariv would have his way, it would create chaos in the Jewish state. There would be no clear definition of who is a Jew, or what is or isn’t Jewish. It would probably be the most divisive thing Israel could do to its people. And destroy the Jewish state as we know it.