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Jason Orenstein is currently studying for a Masters in Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
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By Jason Orenstein
January 28, 2003
"A vote for Meretz is also a vote for new priorities in this country: Settlers and Haredim are out, and everyone who serves our society and contributes to it is in."
(Yossi Sarid, Meretz Party leader)
"We will cancel the Tal Law, the Large Families Law and the prohibitions of public transportation on Shabbat. We will introduce civil marriages alongside religious marriages. We will shut down the Ministry of Religious Affairs and cancel the religious councils. We will stop the pouring of billions into yeshivot and see to it that young and healthy Jews do army service and work."
(Yosef "Tommy" Lapid, Shinui Party leader)
The two passages above represent central tenets of the Meretz and Shinui parties campaigning in Israel's upcoming elections of her 16th Knesset this Tuesday. If early predictions hold true, these two parties can combine for anywhere between 25-30 seats out of the 120 available within the Knesset, certainly well on their way to putting together enough seats to either form a "Secular Unity Government" or a rather strong opposition to whichever party (along with its coalition members) is in power.
Let us first look at the situation regarding those referred to as 'settlers.' In order for Israel to make peace with the Palestinians, or to protect herself from the upcoming demography crisis that threatens Israel as both a democracy and a Jewish State, many believe that she must withdraw from lands acquired during the "Six Day War" in June 1967, and to many, the 'settlers' serve as an obstacle to achieving this. Yet, so long as the likes of Yossi Sarid, and far too many others, continue to demonize the 'settlers' as extremists and fanatics who have contributed nothing to the welfare of the State, this issue will never be resolved. The overwhelming majority of those living in these lands has served, and continues to serve in the Israeli army, and have fought in Israel's wars. They are people who have a love for the Land of Israel and the State of Israel as great as anyone in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, and have sacrificed the same, if not more for their country.
Only by recognizing this as a starting point to any future considerations regarding these lands, and those who live on them, can anyone discuss how to proceed in the best interests of the State of Israel. Only by viewing these 'settlers' as equal members of society, as those who have the same legitimate concerns, as well as aspirations as those living anywhere else in Israel can one hope to resolve this difficult issue. The 'settlers' dream of peace as much as anyone else in Israel and as Israel is a democracy; everyone is entitled to their own view on how to best achieve this peace.
On national issues as great as whether to withdraw from certain lands, decisions cannot be made unilaterally without taking into account the concerns of those who will be affected the most by them. Should Yossi Sarid and Meretz get their way, the Israeli Army will be forced to physically uproot tens of thousands (minimally) of Jews / Israelis from their homes, with the potential for confrontation being terribly high, and a civil war pitting Jew against Jew not too far behind it.
The Haredim are perceived by the general public in Israel as not contributing anything to the State, as the majority do not serve in the army or perform any form of National Service (alternative to the army). In its place, the men spend their days (and nights) learning in yeshivot. All the while, they are receiving welfare from the State, as well as receiving additional money for each child that they have. At the same time, the average Israeli gives the best years of his life to the army, after which, he finds that he must struggle to make a living, or even find a job, during this difficult economic period.
There are many, even within the religious community in Israel that would agree that a solution must be found to deal with these issues. This solution, however, cannot be imposed by political parties or individuals who hold no value whatsoever in Jewish tradition, heritage and the Torah, and fail to recognize the significance each had in the establishment of the State of Israel and continue to have today. Once that recognition is attained we can truly hope to achieve a solution that is acceptable to all.
Yet, Tommy Lapid is against more than just the Haredim, he is against religious Judaism as a whole in Israel. It is his goal to turn Israel into a state like all other states, to have a secular revolution within Israel, starting with the government itself. To Lapid, Israel should only be a Jewish State in the sense that the majority of those who live there (for now) are Jewish, but certainly not in practice - at least not on a national level. Shabbat would no longer be officially recognized, as the country would function like it were any other day. The religious courts would be disbanded, and civil marriages, divorces, burials and conversions would become commonplace. One need not think too hard to imagine just how long it would take for Israel to become devoid of any truly Jewish content, meaning and ultimately inhabitants.
Primarily, it must be kept in mind that Israel is the Jewish State based on the collective Jewish heritage, traditions and beliefs of the Jewish People. Jews the world over did not hope, dream and pray for 2,000 years to return to Israel only to have it wiped clean of any traces of its Jewishness by the likes of Yossi Sarid and Tommy Lapid. Israel belongs to all of the Jewish People, both to those living within her borders and to world Jewry abroad. No individual or political party has the authority to bring about any reality that will change this relationship.
Should Meretz and Shinui find success, major segments of Israel's citizenry as well as world Jewry as a whole will no longer be able to associate themselves with the State of Israel, and on that day, Zionism, along with the State of Israel can be pronounced dead. The State of Israel is not just a democracy, but a Jewish State as well, belonging to and with an allegiance towards the entire Jewish People. This must be kept in mind at all times when pondering solutions to all of Israel's challenging national issues.
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
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