reform judaism in israel the anatomy of weakness

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As her Co hen and Berna rd Sus se r REFORM JUDAISM IN ISRAEL: THE ANATOMY OF WEAKNESS Under the striking title ‘‘Searching for a Synagogue, 1 ’’ a well-known Israeli journalist and television personality described his failing quest for a house of worship that would suit his purposes. The article is wor thy of att ent ion bec aus e its conspicuous aut hor cou ld eas ily be ta ke n as th e ve ry image of the secular Is ra el i sabra. Wi th no li tt le bi tterness, the author tell s of hi s reserv ations with Orthodox syna- gogues—reservations that are standard for many liberal secular Israeli Jews. He tells his readers that he occasionally frequents the central Re form syna gogue in Tel Av iv (Beit Dani el ) but that ther e too he fe els alienated and out of pl ac e. ‘‘I wi ll probably continue going there,’’ he writes, ‘‘but I am not Reform and I don’t exactly know wh at Progressive [Ref or m] Judaism is.’’ He continues: ‘‘Re fo rm J udaism is esse nt ia ll y an Amer ic an move ment.’’ Mo re over, th e author finds the attempt to Israelize the American movement artificial and unappealing. ‘‘Why do we hear songs of Yehudit Ravitz [a popular Israeli singer] and how did Yehuda Amichai [a modern Israeli poet] find his way into the prayer book?’’ This discomfiture touches on the central argument of this essay: the basic structural weakness of Reform Judaism in Israel (as opposed to its success in the United States) and the unlikelihood that it will succeed in expanding in the future. Beyond the specific prognosis for Isr aeli Ref orm Jud aism, we con ten d that the mov ement’s wea kne ss reflects broadly on the character of Jewish identity in Israel. Secular Jews, despite their ostensible proximity to the more intellectually liberal and halachically latitudinarian Reform movement are not rushing to fill its ranks. They seem to remain attached to Orthodox Judaism even while criticizing it acrimoniously. What lies behind this paradox- ical phenomenon will occupy us in what follows. Beyond the theological and sociological issues just referred to, the historical antipathy of Reform Judaism to Zionism—its change of heart is, after all, only a few decades old—rendered ‘‘Progressive Judaism’’ problematic and suspicious in the eyes of the denizens of the Yishuv (the Jewish commun ity in pre-state Pal est ine ). And per ceptions die sl owly ; historical cont rove rsies are ra re ly settled instantaneously; doi: 10.10 93/mj/kjp 025 Adva nce Acce ss publ icati on Febru ary 2, 2010 ß The Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions,

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Page 1: Reform Judaism in Israel the Anatomy of Weakness

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