While the Jewish world has focused for decades on the Arab-Israeli conflict, it has given far less attention to an equally important conflict: the conflict between Judaism in Israel and Judaism in America. Everywhere I turn, I see more signs of the growing religious schism between these two communities.
First, within Israel there is the well-publicized disrespect for non-Orthodox denominations. If it's not Reform women rabbis being humiliated at the Western Wall, it's Conservative rabbis not being allowed to officiate at weddings.
But don't think this is just a problem for the non-Orthodox streams.
As activist Orthodox Rabbi Shaul (Seth) Farber from the organization ITIM told me in a phone call from Israel: "If you're a Jewish convert who wants to make aliyah, it's actually easier to get accepted if you have a non-Orthodox conversion."
Why? Because, unlike the Reform and Conservative streams, the Orthodox don't have an official "head" group in America that the Israeli Chief Rabbinate can check with, so the Rabbinate has decided to take on that role. And over the years, despite valiant efforts by groups like ITIM, the Rabbinate has gotten more and more stringent in terms of accepting Orthodox converts.
As New York Rabbi Marc Angel wrote recently in Haaretz, "This [the Chief Rabbinate's] policy had little to do with religion, and much to do with power grabbing. In one fell swoop, the Rabbinate cast aspersions on the credentials of many hundreds of Orthodox rabbis throughout the world; cast doubt on the conversions of thousands of people and their families; and created painful obstacles to those Orthodox converts who wished to make aliyah."
When the Chief Rabbinate in Israel starts to go against strict Orthodox rabbis in America, you know we're approaching a breaking point.
I hope Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keeps all this in mind as he puts together his governing coalition over the next week or two.
As Farber told me, no real progress can be made unless the Chief Rabbinate undergoes a complete "overhaul," including oversight by an Interior Ministry that doesn't have a Charedi agenda. This overhaul simply can't happen if any of the Charedi parties continue to wield their power in the government.
Will Bibi have the courage to exclude from his coalition a Charedi party like Shas, one that usually cooperates with him on other issues? We'll see.
In the meantime, damage continues to be done. Damage, first, to the relationship between the Jewish communities in Israel and the Diaspora, and, second, damage to the Jewish religion itself.
r less attention to an equally important conflict: the conflict between Judaism in Israel and Judaism in America. Everywhere I turn, I see more signs of the growing religious schism between these two communities.
