“If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill!” –Psalm 137:5
There’s just something about Judaism. We’re fully Abrahamic, but don’t ideologically enforce doctrines as specific as Jesus’ divinity or even Muhammad’s prophethood. We’ve survived for thousands of years carrying traditions from each place we’ve been. We’re in so many other countries, but not quite of those countries. We’re an introspective culture with an ancient, powerful tradition of thoughtful dissent. Perhaps this is what gave us the mindset to beat at the heart of the Islamic Golden Age, the European Enlightenment, and now the American technological revolution.
I often feel as though I speak two cultural languages – Jewish and Liberal American – which gives me multiple perspectives on both. I care enough about the Jewish to have learned more of it than I was taught. Unfortunately, much of my community doesn’t understand what tools Jewish tradition provides and why it is valuable. The demographic effects on the liberal Jewish community are catastrophic.
Judaism must be preserved as a religion of the larger world rather than of a small cloister. Orthodox Judaism, which is quite restrictive, should not become the only form of Judaism. I’m terrified the increasing rift between the Orthodox and the on-the-way-to-no-longer-identifying-as-Jews will leave Jewish culture with less flexibility to adapt to different environments. This could adversely impact world civilization.
In nature, there are many species that do what we consider breaking type to claim their own niches in the ecosystem. For example, otters look like weasels and are members of the weasel family, but are water and sea creatures. Spotted hyenas are relatives of cats that look and act like dogs, with females that look like males, and are among the most unfussy of scavengers and the mightiest of hunters. I just love all that breaking of type. I have a similar fascination with Reform and other liberal movements of Judaism, for similar reasons. These movements are effectively Judaism’s innovation lab, committed to breaking type and expanding Judaism’s niche in the human social environment. Can our experimentalism make them strong?
What Palestinians have, that we need the most
Israel-Palestine is currently at an impasse, with the brunt of the suffering falling on the Palestinians at the moment. Israel and Palestine are like two strong vectors pointing in opposite directions, cancelling one another out. Do these vectors actually need to be pointing in opposite directions, though? I think not. The Oslo negotiations, their aftermath, and much of what is really going on reveal a number of areas where they don’t actually cancel. The vectors are Zionists and, despite their name, Anti-Zionists.
Right now, liberal Jews are like scattered forces pointing in many directions, especially out of the picture. We are forgetting thee, O Jerusalem. Even Anti-Zionism remembers.
We most need a mission of our own and something similar to Palestinian sumoud, that steadfast perseverance which can make us a mighty and growing force. It would not and should not be the same aspect of the same mission as traditional Judaism’s. Our approach puts us in a different place with different powers. As William Blake wrote, “The apple tree never asks the beech how he shall grow, nor the lion, the horse, how he shall take his prey.” In the liberal West, Judaism’s box-cutting movements now have an opportunity to do what we do best – cut boxes.
The Palestinian cause might be just the right challenge to power the reforms I want to see in progressive Judaism. I’d like to see a progressive Jewish community gathered around all getting things together, a somewhat different dynamic from the Orthodox focus on separating oneself from the world. Palestinian society has an interesting model of how progressive Jews can do this sustainably. With both Christians and Muslims as Palestinians, they have a strong identity not based on religious restrictions, kind of like what we want.
I dream of a high-tech, secular, liberal-democratic Israel or Israel-Palestine ready and willing to absorb Palestinians who could and would contribute to society as equal citizens. In my dream, there is still a secure country that will not forsake its commitment to protecting the Jewish people. This might be just the right benchmark for progressives to aim for by trying to grow our democratic mandate through proselytization. Liberal Judaism has fewer barriers to conversion, and influx of those who were not born into our movements is our one demographic advantage over the Orthodox. Let’s press it.
What we have, that Palestinians need the most
We are better established in the West, our very movements having originated there. We can offer Western credibility and, even more importantly, power to change the system the Palestinians fight.
Omar Barghouti was quite wise when he said, “Palestinians living under oppression…have no choice but to use the services of the oppressor.” He himself founded the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement while a student at Tel Aviv University. Similarly, our power is multiplied when we use the services available to us by striking from a right-angle, working with rather than against Israel. Because we are Jews, we can even leverage Israel’s Right of Return to exert peaceful democratic force.
A center strike from us has the greatest potential to move the other forces closer to alignment. That way, they can amplify one another rather than cancel. This brings us nearer to the peace Israel also desires.
Right now, the center is the most silent part of Israel-Palestine. Many of us are there. We might look awkwardly pieced together from Jewish and Christian parts, and we might seem cowardly, but if we stand our ground and show enough force we can embolden the fearful. In numbers, we can defeat the lions of violent extremism and build the truly noble country.
Which steps make the most sense?
In much of the liberal West, moderates on both sides are numerous and proud. Here, there are enough good win-win moves that these are the ones I really want to make. We don’t need or want to do what’s done right now in much of Israel. Peace is here in New York where I live, it also seems to have come to Haifa, and I think what we should do is stay strong, stay proud, and keep the conflict off our land. If we can fend off the conflict, we can show how to expand the peace to other regions, disciplines, and communities.
In the U.S., one Israel-Palestine battle the center might win is preventing U.S. Republicans from using BDS as a wedge to divide U.S. liberals. In 2020, most U.S. Jews and U.S. Arabs will be on the same side of the U.S. national elections, and taking that position can bring us even closer. A good democratic fight side by side in the U.S. can fuel the next one, and is a meaningful step toward closer alignment in the Middle East.
I consider progressive Jews to be among the Palestinians’ strongest geopolitical allies, if we don’t abandon the Palestinians after making all the changes we would want to make to Israel. Palestinians are manipulated by everyone and abandoned by everyone else. This is something we should never, ever do if we try this approach, to the group of Palestinians that would accept it. We need to put in theological and democratic safeguards so we don’t. Many Palestinians may not accept us. That’s okay. And if a few individuals are dangerous, either they don’t come in or they get treated like ordinary criminals depending on how powerful we become. We don’t need everyone. We just need the critical mass of people to accept that this is what we are trying to do – turn the Israeli-Palestinian dynamic into a win-win for a just peace, and that is why they should be part of our cause.
***
Rebecca Sealfon maintains Unity is Strength, a popular online pro-peace Israel-Palestine discussion forum, and was named a Top Writer by Quora.com. She is also a technologist ranked among RecruitLoop’s Top 50 female all-around software developers in New York City. If you’re interested in following up, Rebecca can be reached at rebecca (dot) sealfon (at) gmail (dot) com.