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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
August 25, 2004
"Israeli at heart of NJ gay scandal returns home," declared the Reuters headline. Political scandals involving sex and/or money are nothing new here in Israel. Yet, for a an Israeli Jew to be playing such a central role in the resignation of New Jersey Governor James McGreevey, as a result of his having admitted to an extra-marital homosexual affair, is causing new ground to be broken.
What would the founding fathers of Zionism say? After all, what better sign that Israel has been accepted amongst the nations of the world, and the overall success of the Zionist movement, then by having one of its citizens is playing such a central role in an international sex scandal. What better sign that the State of Israel has normalized the very existence of the Jewish People, both in its own eyes, as well as in the eyes of the world, when no one thinks that there is anything wrong with a Jewish citizen of the State of Israel having some type of involvement in this perverted tryst.
Perhaps this will be good for the State of Israel, both in the short and long terms, as it finds itself in the international headlines for nothing of its own doing, nor for anything dealing with the Palestinians. For once, the citizens of the State of Israel can stand tall, proudly declaring, "Look how far we've come! You have only been focusing on the Israeli - Palestinian conflict, and as a result, you have failed to notice, that underneath it all, we can be as decadent as any society in the West. We are just like you; there is nothing unique or special about the State of Israel or the Jewish People."
Jewish tradition teaches us that among the three qualities that identify one as a member of the Jewish People is the attribute of shame. This sense of shame is not one that is based on any sense of inferiority that the Jewish People have towards the nations of the world, quite the contrary, it is a feeling that stems from the tradition of the Jewish People - from Abraham, to Sinai, and until this very day, which calls upon us, even demands of us to act in accordance with true, authentic Jewish values, and to always be striving to reach the pinnacle of our moral and spiritual potential. When one does not, whether on an individual level or a national one, we, the Jewish People and the Jewish State are obligated to feel ashamed of ourselves and to take the necessary steps to correct the misdeed.
I do not know what is inside the heart of Golan Cipel. I can only imagine (and hope) that on a personal level he is terribly ashamed for having been involved in such a decadent affair (whatever his exact involvement may have been). Yet, I wonder, does he feel ashamed for irreparably tarnishing the reputation of the Jewish State and the Jewish People? For better or worse, when one says "Israeli," they are referring to Jews, and they are referring to Jew living in the Jewish State of Israel.
As citizens of the Jewish State and members of the Jewish People how do we feel about Golan Cipel's involvement in such a scandal, and what should our reaction be? Sadly, I have seen little amongst the coverage of the story by the Israeli media expressing any sense of national shame or disgrace. I have noticed nary a trace of national introspection. We need to be asking ourselves, how is it that someone with as much talent and ability as Golan Cipel, the product of Israel's educational system and army, can end up in the middle of such a sorry affair?
The Jewish People are not afforded the luxury of sitting back and patting ourselves on our back over our past accomplishments. While we have a lot to be proud of, there is still much work to be done. Yes, we have returned home to the Jewish Homeland after 2,000 years of wandering and persecution, by (re)establishing the Jewish State of Israel. Yet, did Zionism end in 1948? Was it the goal of the Jewish People, through the Zionist movement, to merely (re)establish a homeland for the Jewish People, and upon doing so, consider their task complete? While we may take pride in the fact that we have a Jewish army, a country where the day of rest is the Sabbath and where the national holidays are Jewish holidays, was that all that the Jewish People had hoped and prayed over the course of two millennia and countless persecutions, when envisioning their eventual return to their ancient Homeland?
We must ask ourselves, what does it say about the values that we are passing on to the next generation of "Israelis," when our best and brightest, like Golan Cipel, leave Israel for greener pastures abroad? What does it say about the values that are being passed on to the next generation when our young go out of their way to mimic every form of western culture and society, whether in the way they talk, the way they dress, or their forms of entertainment? When we lost the ability or the desire to pass on authentic Jewish values to our children, and instead replaced them with the Golden Calf of western, progressive values, we gave up on the future of the Jewish People. When we lost the ability to sense Jewish shame, we also lost the ability to feel true Jewish pride.
If the State of Israel is to truly become a Jewish State, and not merely serve as a haven where the Jewish People can become a nation like all the others, then we need to (re)acquaint ourselves with our own set of values - Jewish values, based on Jewish tradition that was set forth thousands of years ago. If we want our young to feel a sense of pride and dedication to the State of Israel rather than looking to the west to fulfill their hopes and dreams, then we need to give them a good reason to stay. If we want our young to continue enlisting in the army and reporting for reserve duty, we need them to understand what it is exactly that we are asking them to fight for. We need them to understand the centrality of the Land of Israel and the Jewish State to their Jewish identity.
So long as we are unwilling or unable to educate ourselves and our children of the uniqueness of the Jewish People, we will continue to lose our best and brightest to the foreign gods of western society, in all of their enticing forms. We have already failed Golan Cipel, let's not fail any others, after all, we're talking about the future of the Jewish People.
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
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