I was in Israel two weeks ago, participating in a conference on Israel education, when I observed a interaction between a Jewish educator from France and Hagai El-Ad, the director of B’tselem, the Israeli human rights organisation. El-Ad described B’tselem’s work in monitoring and documenting human rights violations in the West Bank and Gaza – the majority of which are inflicted on Palestinians by the Israeli authorities – and explained his belief that we have a responsibility as Israelis and Jews to look this harsh reality in the face and call our government to account. My French colleague responded by accusing him of peddling disinformation but, once El-Ad had refuted this idea, went on to her main point: that by making this material public, B’tselem are whipping up antisemitism and endangering the security of French Jews. ‘You are killing Jews in France,’ she told him. The interaction ostensibly presented a clear dilemma – should we campaign for human rights or should we stand up for Jews?
There are some Jewish organisations which feel able to take a clear position on this dilemma. In this time of war, some choose solidarity, backing the decisions of the Israeli government, defending Israel’s unconditional right to self-defence, explaining the humanitarian nature of the IDF’s actions in Gaza, and fighting against antisemitism in the Diaspora. Others (I’m talking about mainstream Jewish organisations, not anti-Zionist ones) call for ceasefires, advocate for the resumption of negotiations and hold Israel at least partly responsible for the failure of the political process, recognise the truth in some of the criticisms of Israeli actions, and condemn the rise of anti-democratic trends within Israel.
I’m proud to be an Israeli citizen, having made aliyah and lived in Israel for over ten years. But this dilemma, accompanied by growing feeling of despair at the situation, is where I’ve found myself over the last two weeks. I also believe a similar dilemma affects Masorti Judaism as a whole. The diversity of our members’ views means we can’t respond to the conflict in a one-sided way. What, then, can we say about it?
I believe there are three vital ideas, deeply rooted in the ethos of Masorti Judaism, all of which we need to hold in our minds if we are to respond to the situation in an authentic way.
1. The value of nuance and complexity. The situation in the middle-east is extraordinarily complex and cannot be reduced to right and wrong. Any interpretation of events which seeks to put all the blame on one side or attribute it to one single cause can always be challenged by taking a different perspective, changing context or bringing in a different historical frame of reference. Not only Israelis and Palestinians disagree over the causes of the violence and what path might lead to its resolution. Even within the Jewish-Zionist community, there’s no consensus. I believe we need to look reality in the face and do our best to understand the complexity of the situation, even when this is difficult or painful. And this should lead us to be cautious about advocating simplistic, one-sided diagnoses and solutions, as if the situation could be resolved easily if only we were in charge.
2. The value of Jewish peoplehood. I see the Jewish people as an extended family. It causes us pain when other Jews are killed or injured, and it troubles us when we see Jews doing things we disapprove of. When I hear news of Israeli casualties or rocket attacks on Israeli communities, it touches me more deeply than similar news from elsewhere in the world – and that’s okay. Israelis are part of my family and siding with my family is natural and good. But that doesn’t mean I agree with everything my family members do. The challenge I experience is finding a way to express this love and solidarity with the people of Israel, while avoiding one-sided statements which don’t reflect my values or my understanding of the conflict in all its complexity.
3. The Jewish value of human life. Jews of all political persuasions like to invoke values drawn from the tradition to defend their position. In the UK, universal values of peace and human life tend to dominate our discourse, but Judaism just as often emphasises the values of military force and the right to the Land. Jewish tradition is no less complex than contemporary political reality and, in a way, can be seen as an ongoing argument between welcoming, egalitarian, universal attitudes, and discriminatory, exclusive ones. Once we understand this, we have a choice as to how we want to interpret our tradition and which of its values we want to promote. I choose (and I believe that Masorti Judaism should choose) openness and universalism over insularity and hostility to the Other. We should draw on Jewish tradition to teach the values of compromise, reconciliation and, most importantly, the idea that all human beings are created in the image of God and that all human life is infinitely and equally valuable.
To rephrase in a different order and, perhaps, with a different emphasis. I believe our role is to live out the fundamental human values which Judaism teaches: human life is sacred as we are all created in the image of God. We should do our best to comprehend the historical, political, social and military reality of the situation, no matter how complicated or difficult it is, and make sure our speech and actions adequately reflect this complexity. And, against the background of these two principles, we should remember that we have an additional, profound obligation at this time of crisis: to demonstrate love and support for our extended family – the people of Israel.
