A religious revolution is in progress in Israel. It will either upend or extend the reach of the Ultraorthodox religious establishment, which presides over the institutions of marriage, divorce, and conversion in Israel, siphons off public funding for yeshivas, and worst of all has prevented the state from enacting a constitution that could provide significant protections for religious minorities.
For much of last year, Ultraorthodox factions seemed ascendant and able to exercise their clout in new ways. They pushed for gender-segregated public buses in particular neighborhoods in Jerusalem and agitated against the tradition for Jewish women to gather for special prayers at the start of each month. Initially, the Israeli government yielded to their demands, sanctioning the segregated "mahedrin" buses and arresting medical student Nofrat Frenkel, whose only crime was to wear a prayer shawl at the Western Wall. A theocratic movement seemed to be moving frighteningly close to the levers of power.
But Reform and Conservative Jews both within and beyond Israel responded to the Ultraorthodox aggression as never before. Nofrat Frenkel's arrest sparked protests around the world, while her fellow congregants in the "Women of the Wall" prayer group continue to meet each month at the Western Wall. The liberal Israel Religious Action Center recently brought suit against the Transportation Ministry for the segregated busses, and the Israeli Supreme Court struck down the medieval seating arrangement as illegal. These forward-looking Jewish organizations are pushing back against the Ultraorthodox establishment, and not merely to return to the status quo. They are trying to marginalize fanaticism altogether.
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, reflected on the situation this week in Reform Judaism: "Unconditional support is not the same as uncritical support." Implicit in the statement is that American Jews may in the future apply their political and financial support for Israel more selectively. Giving the country carte blanche, many have recognized, is tantamount to giving the Ultraorthodox an advantage in the tug of war for Israeli identity.
Israeli delegates to the United States seem keenly aware of the potential loss of support from American Jews. Ambassador Michael Oren was asked this week about what he would do to ensure equal treatment at the Western Wall for all branches of Judaism. Though cloaked in diplomatic rhetoric, his message was clear: "I will only assure you that I think there are good solutions for the problems at the Kotel... They are at the top of my agenda. And that at the end of the day, it will require compromise on everyone's behalf." (Read: For the first time in six decades, the Ultraorthodox may need to make concessions about religion.)
The question remains, however, which group will win the war over Israel's identity. The Ultraorthodox are an entrenched interest group, which preys on the fragile system of political coalitions. But moderates have begun to court a surprising number of religious conservatives. When it became known that a growing number of Orthodox and even Ultraorthodox Jews had called in to support the Israel Religious Action Center's petition against gender segregated bussing, one of the Supreme Court justices quipped, "The Haredim [Ultraorthodox] are calling Reform Jews? That's progress." The downfall of the Ultraorthodox establishment might ultimately come from the disaffected within.
Follow Joshua Stanton on Twitter: www.twitter.com/dialogueeditor
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My bet is not on the guys wearing the funny hats with the Rastafarian braids, although that could change depending upon their sponsors.
But there is definitely a movement within the "Charaidi" sects that are pushing for a much stricter version of Judaism than was ever known before. This is what I term the "Islamization" of Judaism, to coin a phrase. The movement seems to make Judaism more similar to those parts of Islam that are very strict with relations between the sexes, and many other little rules and codes.
And, in opposition to the Charaidi movements and the Modern Orthodox movements, I am proposing a new movement, to what I call "Antique Orthodox", basically, if it was good enough for my grandfather, then it's good enough. No new "chumras" (strictness).
Nice bash at the Arab word.
You couldn't have just the the extremist elements of Judaism could you? Obviously the bash had to take place. And yes, we do say Ultra Conservative Christians. Look it up.
I'd actually make a comment about the article, but why? The situation in Israel and Palestine is pathetic. The more I think about, it's more like a tragic comedy.
The statement above is incorrect.
Please see The Jerusalem Post update from February 18, 2010:
"In its show-cause order, the court instructed [Transportation Minister] Katz to explain why he did not want to operate the buses according to the committee’s recommendations.
At the same time, the court issued an interim injunction according to which, until and unless another decision is reached, the mehadrin buses will operate in accordance with the committee’s recommendations."
Joel Katz
Editor, Religion and State in Israel
http://religionandstateinisrael.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/religion_state
I very much appreciate your comment and the important distinction you raise between an injunction and ruling. I apologize for my overstatement and will more carefully cross-reference my sources in the future.
All the best,
Josh