75% of Israelis Identify With Non-Orthodox Judaism
Maariv reports,
Thirteen percent of all Israelis planning to attend services during the high holydays will do so at either a Reform or Conservative synagogue.
[…]40% of [the 70% of the Jewish population] who will be going to [High Holiday] services said that if they had the option of attending a non-Orthodox congregation within walking distance of their homes, they would prefer it to the Orthodox synagogue they plan to go to out of lack of choice.
Wow! That’s a shocker! Definitely contradicts the oft-heard contention that when Israelis feel like doing religious stuff they only care to do it in an Orthodox manner because they know it’s the only “right” way to do it. Meh. CHAVURAHS FOR ISRAEL NOW!
Hmm… Kind of makes me sad. One of the reasons I was originally attracted to Israel is because the distinct categories of American Jewry (i.e. Ortho, Conserv, Reform, Reconstructionist, etc…) seemed to take a far less important role.
Meh.
Either way, shana tova, all…
i think it could be good for israel to have different religious movements flourish (without the partisan and sectarian complications obviously) because it will provide secular and disaffected israelis with a venue for connecting more deeply with their individual jewish experiences.
i’m finding that a lot of people here believe it’s all or nothing, and i don’t think that it does them or judaism much justice. if people can find a way to be actively jewish on terms with which they’re comfortable, i think that’s a good thing, particularly for jewish continuity.
g-d willing this can happen without the community fractionalizing more than it has already. hence why, actually, i’d really rather see chavurah’s flourish than particular religious movements, because chavurahs are community-oriented and based on meeting the needs of the individuals involved, as opposed to fitting the agenda of a particular movement. there are a number cropping up here in jerusalem now and i’m looking forward to checking them out.
Daniel,
I’m happy that you’re learning arabic here in Israel
🙂
Shana tova to you and all jewschool bloggers and posters.
“i think it could be good for israel to have different religious movements flourish (without the partisan and sectarian complications obviously) because it will provide secular and disaffected israelis with a venue for connecting more deeply with their individual jewish experiences. ”
Right on dude.
I’d have to agree there, Mobius. While not the ideal situation in any movement’s philosphy, I can’t argue that having Jews partially involved in Judaism is better than them not being involved at all. Alienating people will do nobody any good.
I’m a little confused.
“…said that if they had the option of attending a non-Orthodox congregation within walking distance of their homes, they would prefer it to the Orthodox synagogue”
Why don’t they drive?
not being orthodox doesn’t mean you reject keeping mitzvot … it means you take on mitzvot that you feel are relevant, applicable, and meaningful to you
I intend to convert to Judaism one day as soon as my personal situation allows it. However I think it would be unfair to myself to consider anything other than orthodox Judaism.
The reason I think that is because I learnt that every Jew should consider himself as if he personally came out of Egypt and stood at sinai. How can anyone who stood at sinai tell G-d ” thanks but i’ll take whatever is relevant, applicable and meaningful to me and whatever the rest of the 2.999.999 people do is none of my business”.
And how exactly is such a principle derived from the Torah? How are the commandments 6/10-10/10 non negotiable (i’m just assuming they are) but all the spiritual and communal ones are not.
And does anyone here actually believe in the G-d described on the Torah? You know, the G-d that punishes those who do not keep ALL his commandents and rewards those who do? Or is the first commandment in doubt as well.
I don’t totally reject all that ‘relevant, applicable and meaningful’ stuff. Cartainly levites, cohen’s, kings prophets, rabbi’s, judges all have unique commandments to follow.
But am I the only one on this board who believes that G-d should be taken a bit more seriously. That when He gives us a command we should interpret it as a command and not as ‘good advice’ or a ‘recommendation’? This is what draws me to orthodoxy. The internal consistency and devotion to doing G-d’s will and not their own. Certainly some (maybe many) maybe flawed or even sinners. But none of them is trying change the entire bedrock on which judaism is based.
The whole point of Conservative Judaism is that if you live farther than walking distance from a shul, you can drive there, since you are better off going to shul, than keeping Shabbos at home. Driving to shul is the essence and basis of the Conservative movement.
Reform is truly anything goes. It completely depends on the Reform Rabbi’s personal agenda. I’m not sure what the essence of the Reform movement is, but I’m sure you can drive to shul.
You can pick and choose from any Jewish movement.
Mobius picks and chooses, doubts the validity of Moses receiving the Torah from G-d at Sinai, and calls himself Orthodox.
“Driving to shul is the essence and basis of the Conservative movement.”
the sheer ignorance and arrogance is staggering. Conservative Leader Condemns Driving on Shabbos — see shaya’s incredibly astute comments on this post.
i don’t call myself orthodox. i call my website orthodox anarchist. i did grow up orthodox though. i often daven at orthodox services. i had an orthodox bar mitzvah. i’m going to an orthodox yeshiva. i layn tefillin, say tefillah in the morning, keep kosher, and i’m trying damn hard to start keeping shabbos again. but um, nope, i don’t believe that the torah was given at sinai. and i don’t have to to be a practicing jew, nor to be orthodox. my friend avi and his wife are orthodox. i mean, she covers her hair and her elbows. she doesn’t believe the torah was given at sinai.
13 principles of faith: divine origins of torah do not necessarily intimate that it was handwritten by god and delivered at sinai
Mobius;
I have to agree with you on this. I like the idea of getting more people involved. The continuity is the important part. If we as a people can become more involved in our own religon, then maybe the future isn’t so dim for us, and for mankind in general.
As stated earlier and elsewhere.
L’Shana Tova.
May everyone have a sweet, healthy and successful (not to mention safe) New Year.
“divine origins of torah do not necessarily intimate that it was handwritten by god and delivered at sinai”
Divine=from G-d. Belief in G-d as the Torah mentions Him is also the first of the big 10 commandments. It’s a pretty basic tenet of Judaism, certainly of Orthodoxy.
Mo, you call yourself Orthodox. I don’t care.
The article you quoted about the “Conservative leader” only proves my point. Let’s take Shaya’s comment at face value. One of the two opinions were to permit driving to shul on Shabbos. All the Conservative Rabbis I know permit it. So maybe it’s not the “essence and basis” but it was a big issue in the beginning, and certainly one of the reasons for the split away from Orthodoxy.
Besides, their reasons for not wanting to permit driving to shul wasn’t because of anything that has to do with halacha. It’s because of the “Shabbos Community”, a highly un-Orthodox reasoning.
I’m not putting down the Conservative movement. I’m trying to figure out why Mo is just arguing for the sake of arguing.
Mo,
I thought the Chassid in the Jewschool logo was you.
mm again, no velvel — i don’t call myself orthodox. i call myself a jew.
and again, whether or not you can drive to shul on shabbos is not the essence of what conservative judaism is all about.
“i don’t call myself orthodox.”
I got excited during my last post and I lost track of that argument. I just brought it up originally, as a contrast between “picking and choosing” and “Orthodox Anarchist.” You don’t call yourself Orthodox. I admit it.
“is not the essence”
This line I conceded and addressed in my last comment.
I apologize for my iniquities against you, and I hope we can work together towards a greater understanding of our Judaism.
Do you forgive me, Jew?