Israel: the Great Stuff - Part 2

April 27, 2008 · Filed Under Jewish Thought, Yom Haatzmaut ·

Written by: Zemer

Part of The Yom Haatzmaut Project
Part 2 of 2 — for part 1, click here.

3. Easy to live as a Torah Jew
There’s a famous saying, hilariously corrupted in the movie Anchorman, that goes, ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do.’ I’m proud of how Israel has built a society where keeping the Mitzvot is very easy and very convenient. When we consider the secular and sometimes anti-religious tendencies of a significant part of the founders of the secular Zionist movement, and those who breathed real life into their ideas in building up the state in the days of the Chalutzim, we realize that the strong influence of Torah on the State is not something we should take for granted.*

It’s Israeli law, I understand, that every government building has to have a Mezuza on its doors. That’s fantastic! That’s amazing! And until very recently, it has been completely forbidden to buy or sell Chametz on Pesach! Incredible! Understand that it’s not just the Torah-observant Jews who are keeping Pesach in Israel: even the shops, retailers, and industrial suppliers do not deal in chametz on Pesach, whether they want to or not!

And the Jewish holidays are all national public holidays too. You don’t have to ask your boss for yet another leave period from work, and earn yourself the jealous envy of your co-workers, who think you’re just using religion as a weak excuse to get off work. In Israel, it’s all part of how the society works.

Another incredible part of this, something that I really love, is how Israelis work on the Jewish calendar, in years, months, and days of the week. Why use the idol-based names of the week and month, and of course year count, when you can use those that the Torah uses: names, dates, and concepts that are deeply rooted in Torah and Torah concepts. These, and many other similar institutions, bring the very fabric of Israeli society a bit closer to Torah, and allow Torah-true Jews to live their lives in the ways of the Torah, which is amazing and, as I said above, not to be taken for granted.

4. A close society: one big family
Lastly, I’m proud of the wonderfully open and alive society and culture in Israel. You can get on a bus and have the deepest, most personal conversation with a total stranger. And when you get off the bus, it doesn’t feel at all weird. It feels right, and normal, and something in your heart says, Wow! That was incredible. And in Israel, as is almost a cliché to say, the children belong to everyone. If your child is crying, strangers will stop to find out why, and will have no reserve in telling you what you should or should not be doing. I’ve done this myself, on a crowded bus! (I offered to take a crying child, whose cries seemed to be ignored by its mother, and to comfort it and feed it) And this is not weird, or abnormal. It’s part of the fabric of society. Sure, there is often a lot of tension, and lots of energy to steam off, but at its core, it is a society of brotherliness, closeness, and a connection to one’s fellow citizen that is incredibly special. Sure, there are feuds between sectors of the society, and, sure, there are problems. But deep down, there are bonds of friendship, love, and trust that I am so fiercely proud of, and that I can’t wait to become part of.

Conclusion
I end with the proud and excited announcement that I will be making aliyah in the next few months; packing up and starting a wonderful, exciting new chapter of my life in Israel. I know very well of the issues and problems, and even of the dangers that loom overhead in Israel. But while they disturb me, they don’t affect my desire, and decision, to make Israel my real home; or to look at it another way, to finally come home, to where I really belong.

Because, while it’s so easy to focus on the negative (I often find myself doing this), it’s so much more empowering, inspiring, and rewarding (and often challenging!) to focus on the positive. One thing I have personally gained from this special Tzipiyah.com Yom Ha’atzma’ut project, and which I hope many of you have, too, is the reminder that there is so much positive in Israel: so many good things that happen every day, and so many good processes that are being played out from day to day, mingled in with the negatives that we see. The negatives are real, but our focus on them, or off them, is our choice. To see the good, you just need to open your eyes!

—-
* In fact, most of this is the fruits of the hard efforts of great people like Rav Kook, Rav Goren, the Chazon Ish, and others, who worked immensely at planting, and fostering, a Jewish nature and spirit in the Yishuv in Palestine and in the young State of Israel.

You liked this post? Here is a list of related posts:

- Israel: the Great Stuff - Part 1 by Zemer
- Im Tirtzu - Bringing Zionism Back To Israel by admin
- Pride! by admin
- YNET Poll: Rav Kook most influential Jewish leader by Dan Illouz
- Israel’s Greatest Accomplishments - Part 4 by Dan Illouz
- Why I appreciate the Olympics by Dan Illouz
- Yom Ha’atzmaut Project by admin

Bar Kochba Says:
April 27th, 2008 at 7:52 pm

Beautiful! Am Yisrael chai!

BTW, I’ve also done my part to contribute to this project. masada1234.blogspot.com. Check it out.

aliza Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 2:20 am

i really enjoyed this “part 2″ of your post. these two issue are really something i appreciate as well.

one issue though. or thought, rather. often people say that living here in israel is easier because the environment is jewish whereas in chutz laaretz, the Jew is constantly defining and defending his or herself against the other; the same though, is true here. in some senses, yes, being a Jew is simplified as many of the laws, as you have mentioned, are in accordance with Jewish law. On the other hand though, the great melting pot of judaism here creates a sense, sometimes, of great discordance between Us Jews. It often happens that the Jews must define and distinguish himself from the other Jew, as well.

This, though, seemingly negative aspect is what makes israel so great. the diversity here is that which allows each Jew to focus on deepening his or her religion, with constant examination, instead of focusing on protecting and defending himself against others. The act of defense here, in israel, is that which creates a sense of self and demands that the Jew considers his or her opinion in relation to the other Jew’s opinion.

And thus it is not necessarily an easy life; it is, though, a meaningful life.

Zemer Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 10:29 am

Bar kochba, great stuff…

Aliza, thanks for your comment. You make a very good point.

I definitely felt uneasy and uncomfortable in the face of all the different streams, options, facets, and crazy meshugennes who all contribute to the incredibly diverse world of (Torah) Judaism in Israel. It does sometimes feel like I’m on a little boat in a massive ocean, and before long I seem to get lost and things look very different to how they were when I started out.

Yes, for once in our history we’re not bolstering the ghetto walls; the fierce intra-community unity and the unquestionable difference between Jew and non-Jew that was often more a result of our cruel enemies who surrounded us on all sides than of a deep inner truth and knowledge of Judaism, is, almost exclusively, no longer a reality. I see this as being very closely linked to the existence and history of the State of Israel, although the very comfortable physical and emotional state of the Jews of America (perhaps as an extension of the liberal and ‘Human Rights’ movements and their beginnings at the death of Czarist Russia) is also related to it.

I saw a book by Alan Dershowitz, written in the 90s, which discussed the problem of assimilation, and the very real question of whether the grandchildren of today’s American Jews will actually be Jewish or not. It’s a very interesting book (I forget the title), although he tackles the issues from quite a secular approach, mostly removed from the Torah-true lifestlye, an approach that I largely disagree with. But the one fascinating concept that he deals with is this transition from the defensive ghetto life to a life of openness, much reduced existential threat (at least on a regular lifestlye basis), and the breaking down of the necessarily protective ghetto walls. Our generation faces a different challenge to that of the ghetto generations. And we need to face it with wisdom and strategy.

That same transition is in the fabric of Israeli society. As you say, we find ourselves creating our own mini ‘ghettoes’, or structures, or groups, or societies, thus cutting ourselves off from the whole, which would have stood in strong unity under the ghetto circumstances of 70 and more years ago.

But, as you say, this adds another whole dimension of depth and meaning to the Jew’s life. I’m no longer ‘just a Jew’, living among the non-Jews, but I’m a Jew living among other, different Jews. And, perhaps, when confronted by approaches, ideas, or people that deeply challenge my inner truths and convictions, and that clash, often horribly, with my way of thinking and living as a Jew, then I have two options.

The easier, more small-minded way, is to declare war against the opposing force, whether active or frostily passive; whether by throwing stones or using political or psychological advantages to hurt the other, or simply by building literal or proverbial fences between Us and Them. This way gets them out of my face, and my discomfort at their existential fundamental challenge of me and all I believe I convert into ‘righteous’ anger directed towards them, or use to stew and spread my resentment. This way also allows me to label, and to return to the undeniable truth that my way is, of course, The Only Way.

The second, more difficult way to deal with a person or idea that deeply and uncomfortably challenges my deepest convictions and beliefs is to be honest and to have what my dad calls a big mind. To realize that this deep discomfort is a challenge and an opportunity to re-examine my beliefs in a new light, a light that may reveal new facets, new positives and new negatives. I need to be brave enough to do this; I need to be able to accept that my way might not be perfect. However, sometimes I also understand that just because someone else has a different way to mine does not mean that my way should come under any criticism or be challenged at its roots: I can live with the fact that you, or your ideas, are different, safe in the knowledge that There Is More Than One Way, one of which is certainly mine. To do this last thing requires self-confidence, self-knowledge, and humility.

So, I think that if we can internalize the fact that, as Rav Shlomo Carlebach says, to open your heart to someone different doesn’t make you smaller, but rather makes you bigger, and doesn’t need to detract anything from who you are, we can really take advantage of the melting-pot of Israeli culture and society. There’s so much to learn, so much to teach, so much to share. But, again, the challenge is in being brave enough to let our own inner beliefs be questioned to some extent, something that, if we educate ourselves and our children well enough, will not weaken those beliefs, but rather fortify them. And the beauty of it is that we can learn something from everyone — even if it’s only not to be like them!

I definitely agree that this could, and hopefully will, lead to a much deeper and more meaningful life, and an appreciation for ourselves, our ancestors, and our brothers and sisters who are different to us, and with whom we ultimately share the same mothers and fathers.

aliza Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 7:34 am

well said.

that’s the point: on a personal level it is enriching to challenge and redefine and renew my Judaism; on a national level it is important for it fosters an environment of empathy with the Other despite Our differences.

the question, though, is: what’s next? cause empathy and happy feelings and positive thoughts are all nice but tachlis– action is what gets things done.

and truthfully alot of these issues dont have answers. for now, at least. and thats okay. but that doesnt mean we should stop trying.

Zemer Says:
April 30th, 2008 at 1:56 am

yeah, it is a difficult one. I suppose your approach to these issues can change from day to day… no simple answers really

Unknown Says:
April 30th, 2008 at 11:56 am