The Israeli "rabbanut" – not deserving of the name
We have, for many years now, heard of the various excesses of the Israeli rabbinical courts. Orthodoxy in Israel is not loved by the average Israeli, and in fact, is probably one of the greatest causes of people moving away from Judaism.
How are we to show the good parts of Judaism to a community that has to suffer under things like this:
OKay, so in this case, we simply have a more famous person (the son of Fackenheim) having doubts cast on his conversion. This is just one of perhaps hundreds or even thousands of people affected by the Israeli rabbanut’s hysterical – and by the way, not-halachic- refusal to recognize conversions if the person doens’t live according to the mostly cultural, and not necessarily halachic requirements of the hareidi community. Failed Messiah pointed out this article last month and offered his own translation. In fact, halacha states that once a person is converted, they can’t undo the conversion- the hareidi community has for years been innovating all kinds of halachot (while denying that any such thing is going on) whether rules of marriage or conversion or dress or which side of the street or seat on the bus one may use – and all sorts of other actually social control details, which have nothing to do with God’s demands of us.
Why, oh why haven’t we done anything about this chilul hashem? Politically, it’s pretty clear that the original reason for giving in to ridiculous hareidi demands is not going to happen – the hareidim aren’t going to disappear on their own and be relegated to a foot note of history. To the contrary the more power we give them, the stronger they get. The modern reasons for giving them power are less straightforward. Israeli’s complicated political structure means that many politicians hold their nose and give them what they want to that they can achieve other political ends – this is not an excellent strategy either, as in the long term it undermines civil society and fragments Israel, not to mention the chilul hashem that drives Jews away from Judaism – and for good measure feeds the bile of anti-Semites.
It is interesting to see that someone is actually thinking about maybe possibly doing something. The Rabbinical Assembly, currently having its yearly convention in Jerusalem, will today consider a call to dissolve Israel’s Chief Rabbinate.
According to JTA The Rabbinical Assembly has noted that “the Chief Rabbinate has had an ‘unfortunate impact on Israeli society,” which often associates it with “corruption, favoritism and cronyism.’ and that the rabbinate ‘misrepresents the nature of Judaism to the world at large’.”
O RLY?
Why even the moderate Orthodox haven’t yet joined for calling for this is a mystery, after all, the Hareidim don’t like them either – or for that matter pretty much anyone but a few select members of themselves.After all, the rabbanut has tried to get many Orthodox rabbis excluded from being able to perform conversions, as well. That was as far back as 2006.
But don’t worry, nothing is going to happen. After all, a bunch of Conservative rabbis aren’t really going to have any impact on Israel’s politics as usual. Never mind that not doing something about the growing absurdity of the the Jewish right may ultimately undermine Israel more than any number of other matters After all, what difference does it make to argue about whether or not to have a Jewish state, if the Jews themselves can’t stand what represents Judaism in that state, and turn away from it? I just hope God doesn’t turn away as well because the rest of us didn’t do anything to save Judaism.
While I also support the dissolution of the rabbanut, I am disappointed by the nod to antidisestablishmentarianism in the last paragraph of the article:
While some have responded to the problem by calling for an American-style separation of religion and state, the draft resolution endorses “state-supported religion in Israel” but calls for a more equitable distribution of resources to the various Jewish streams.
If the Conservative movement ever gains the power associated with “state-supported religion”, they’ll become just as corrupt as the rabbanut (and so will the Reform movement for that matter).
But don’t worry, nothing is going to happen.
Is there a word stronger than “depressing”?
I agree corruption is a stain and hindrance, but doing away with the Rabbinate is like throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
Jews in Israel have all gone insane – the seculars, religious, everyone. They are living in a country where the normal functions of government – basic security – are not enforced, and where politics supplants policy in every sphere of life. The government is leaderless, the army is confused, parts of the Rabbinate have become nothing more than political extensions of their parties and people are completely disillusioned with all of the above.
It is a miracle the country functions on a day to day basis.
Instead of imposing its will haphazardly, the Rabbinate should spend more time educating Jews about being Jews, focusing more on chesed and less on gevurah. The situation is very disappointing, but the Rabbinate serves an important, if abused, role in the functioning of the Jewish State.
The diaspora can have a positive effect on all Israeli institutions, including the Rabbinate, but this, too, must be done with love for your fellow Jew, not bitterness or anger (no matter how well deserved).
We need to stop trying to punish other Jews.
Geez, has this rabbi ever heard of lashon hara?
I was going to say I hate charedis. But I don’t hate them. I just intensely dislike the way they distort halakha and mislead ignorant people (including their own laypeople) on its implications.
Yeesh! If we abandon putting Israel on an enormous pedestal, what will my local Conservative rabbi talk about in his sermons? It seems to me that every Shabbos sermon he gives is about Israel. Of course he doesn’t dare talk about encouraging congregants to improve their mitzvah observance or encouraging them to do more Talmud Torah. Our sanctuary’s row after row of empty seats is testimony to our losing strategy to sermon about topics that make no encouragement for people to increase their observance.
On another note: when will we see the day that our Conservative shuls just throw the United Synagogue in the trash. Take a look at this week’s Forward where our lay president Raymond Goldstein is basically saying that we have tried think tanks, surveys and all kinds of bells and whistles and yet our roles continue to decline. He says if you know the solution we will pay you for it.
Here’s the solution. Teach Torah. Live Torah. Teach that mitzvahs matter. Talmud Torah matters. Comitting sins matter and affect not just you but the rest of the klal. Toss the idea that men and women are both obligated to pray 3 times a day. It’s an impossible bar to achieve while trying to raise children. Clergy that make 6 figure salaries while their shul’s membership roles decline year after year should be tossed. Preschool teachers that make $10 an hour with no benefits, who are consistently the only people who are attracting families to Conservative synagogues, should get a much better deal. How many more articles do I have to read that discuss the ineptitude of the Conservative movement?
Lastly, the Hechsher Tzedek is a joke unless we provide our institutions non-clergy the same benefits and wages that we are demanding kosher food companies to do. When will we do introspection of our own institutions? Anyone know a Conservative Jewish institution that could get a Hechser Tzedek? That’s where I want to join.
Kishkeman, I agree with you completely. I came to yiddishkeit late – in my late teens – and solely because G-d smacked the daylight out of me a few times.
A few years ago, I was attending a reform temple for a friend’s daughter’s bat mitzvah (the girl wasn’t Jewish, but that’s not even the issue). I was already davening at the time at a local shul, and I was just stunned when I opened the Siddur at the temple.
The Shma consisted of a bad translation of the first paragraph, followed essentially by poetry. I recited it from memory and stood in the isle to say the Amidah as people watched me with incredulity like an artifact. Naturally, I had to recite it from memory as well (did the best I could) and then sat back down. The congregation was singing some tune about civil rights. It was painful to think what else they were missing out on.
Cultural Judaism is wonderful, but if you gut the essence of yiddishkeit, don’t expect kids to eat up the bullshit that remains. They can see through that nonsense, even if adults try to paper it over with “social justice” and “progressive activism”. We have so many Jews turning to Budhism because they feel no spirituality in their own faith. That is stunning and sad.
Kol Ra’ash Gadol writes:
…the Israeli rabbanut’s hysterical – and by the way, not-halachic- refusal to recognize conversions…
[…]
…the mostly cultural, and not necessarily halachic requirements of the hareidi community.
What’s your point in bringing this up? Are you suggesting that halacha should have more of a role in setting Israeli public policy?
As a person pursuing a Modern Orthodox conversion in America, I’m inclined to agree with your unfavourable opinions of the rabbinate (I like rabbinut, can I use that?). However, I must raise an objection to this…
“This is just one of perhaps hundreds or even thousands of people affected by the Israeli rabbanut’s hysterical – and by the way, not-halachic- refusal to recognize conversions if the person doens’t live according to the mostly cultural, and not necessarily halachic requirements of the hareidi community.”
While again I agree with you that Chareidim are hysterical in their rejection of any conversion besides Chareidim, some of it IS for halakhic reasons. The Torah commands that converts must accept all 613 Mitzvot. Conservative and Reform Jews do not. While I am not saying that these conversion experiences are not valid or worthy, they are NOT halakhic. Driving on Shabbat is not permitted for whatever reason and yet Conservative Judaism allows it! Do I respect the two movements? Absolutely. I have davened at all three services and well, feel more comfortable in a traditional environment. I don’t care if people want to convert Reform or Conservative, and respect honest Reform conversions over dishonest Orthodox conversions.
My idea for a good Israeli law of Return is to for one, throw Chareidim out of the Rabbinut, abolish the idea of a Rabbinut (since when did we need a Beit Din empowered by the state), and also extend the Right of Return to Modern Orthodox, Chareidim, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, Renewal, or Humanistic converts.
????? writes:
The Torah commands that converts must accept all 613 Mitzvot. Conservative and Reform Jews do not. While I am not saying that these conversion experiences are not valid or worthy, they are NOT halakhic. Driving on Shabbat is not permitted for whatever reason and yet Conservative Judaism allows it!
Refraining from melachah on Shabbat is just 1 of the 613 mitzvot. Different communities differ on the definition of melachah; some include driving in this definition and some don’t. I’m not expecting everyone to accept everyone else’s definition, and that’s precisely why the government should stay out of this business (and here I agree with you), but it’s not as simple as placing the movements on a scale from 0 to 613.