Shahar Ilan / Ultra-Orthodox parties are Judaism's greatest enemies (Haaretz - Israel News)
- The ultra-Orthodox are not only no closer than the secular to original Judaism, they are in fact gradually growing away from Judaism's principles. It is a sect whose supreme values are to evade serving the Jewish state, to evade gainful employment and to prohibit cooperation with the legal authorities. It is a sect that pays lip service to the principle of "ahavat yisrael," loving your fellow Jew, but in which hatred and contempt for the community dominate its media. It is a sect that neglects the commandments regarding the relationship between people and the society they live in, and which elevates the rituals regarding the relationship between people and God to levels approaching idol worship.
And it is not only Judaism that the left and the center are being asked to give up, but also Zionism. In recent decades, the right has monopolized the use of the word "Zionism," while the center and the left have simply ceased referring to it. This is one of the primary reasons it's so easy for Israeli Arabs to disseminate the specious Nakba narrative. Everyone who cherishes Zionism, particularly the Zionist right, should aspire to ensure that Zionism cease being a right-wing term.
The words Judaism and Zionism must be returned to secular discourse at all points of the political spectrum. The secular parties must reiterate how their solutions serve to ensure the continued progress of the Zionist enterprise and the Jewish character of the state. Thus, for example, there can be no doubt that the less religious legislation there is in Israel, the stronger the status of Judaism will grow. Thus, for example, if less funds are budgeted for Haredi education, the prospects for Zionism and the Jewish state to survive are greater. Thus, for example, it will be clear there are no greater enemies of Judaism than the ultra-Orthodox parties. These are things that must be said out loud.
No, Israel is not a ghetto, but it could become one (sdjewishworld)
No, Israel today is in no way whatsoever a ghetto. But some politicians threaten to turn it into one. The doctrinaire nature of right-wing politics has used the legitimate concerns for the country’s security – “this is a marvelous country in a lousy neighborhood” – to promulgate ideas and engage in actions that somehow imply that the whole world is against the Jews in general and Israel in particular, and that the only way to respond is to close ranks, fight back and suspect all peace initiatives.
That’s not only paranoia, for there’re still many who’re out to get Israel. Peace has been elusive so far, and it’s not only, perhaps not even primarily, Israel’s fault. But some political coalition parties to the right of Netanyahu’s traditionally right-wing Likud have greatly exacerbated the situation. Because of the proportional representation by which parliament (the Knesset) is elected, the country is difficult to govern.
Jewish leaders abroad who may be more in the grip of the ghetto mentality, even when aware of the good news listed above, tend to be blind to the implications and thus concur with the scare mongers. It seems to fit their own, often imagined sense of isolation in the Diaspora. But most of us, mercifully, totally reject this mentality. Some, alas, react by distancing themselves from organized Jewish life. It’s a great loss to the community and to Israel. Branding them as “self-hating Jews” is cheap and counterproductive.
The current demonization of the New Israel Fund is a case in point. The assumption that any Jew who shares the opinion of serious analysts of Israeli politics that the government should establish an independent commission to examine what happened in Gaza a year ago and to offer a responsible response to the – by all accounts greatly flawed – Goldstone Report is another example of the right-wing doctrine of defiance that seems to threaten the very nature of Israel. This wouldn’t be the first instance in Jewish history when excessive zeal produces the opposite to what has been intended.
A more centrist government in Israel (e.g., by Kadima joining it), could develop policies and initiate actions that would celebrate the miracle of Israel and provide security without exaggerating the threat of isolation in the guise of Jewish pride and self-defense. Such an attitude would make the prospect of peace with the Palestinians more real, even at a time when the latter are burdened by internal conflicts of their own making.
Hinduising India: Secularism in Practice (TheMulsim.ca)
- Gary Jacobsohn in a comparative study of secularism developed three models. He characterizes these models of secularism as assimilative (exemplified by the United States), visionary (Israel), and ameliorative (India). American assimilative secularism seeks to preserve religious liberty in the private sphere, while urging political assimilation in the republic. Israel’s visionary secularism involves the coexistence of the vision of Israel as a state for the Jewish people with commitments to preserve religious liberties and cultural autonomy.
(RSD) -- The largest cache of rare coins ever found in a scientific excavation from the period of the Bar-Kokhba revolt of the Jews against the Romans has been discovered in a cave by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Bar-Ilan University.
The coins were discovered in three batches in a deep cavern located in a nature reserve in the Judean hills. The treasure includes gold, silver and bronze coins, as well as some pottery and weapons.
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