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13 Autumn 1986 injbI-- wi i= Trfu The Stemberg Centre for Judaism, The Manor House, 80 East End Road, Contents London N3 2SY Telephone: 01-346 2288 MANNA is the Joumal of the Stemberg Centre for Judaism at the Manor House and of the Manor House Society. 1 Editorial MANNA is published quarterly. 2 Michael Boyden ReformJewsMustlnvest in Israel Now Editor: Rabbi Tony Bayfield Deputy Editor: Rabbi William Wolff 4 Nickcarter PostscripttoYom Kippur Art Editor: Charles Front Editorial Assistant: Elizabeth Sarah 5 SallyGreengross Help! My Motherls over80... Editorial Board: Rabbi Colin Eimer, Rabbi Dr. Albert Friedlander, Rabbi David Goldberg, Dr. Wendy Green- 7 LionelBlue lnklings gross, Reverend Dr. Isaac Levy, Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Magonet, Rabbi Dow Marmur, Rabbi Dr. J.ohm Rayner, Pro- 8 AlbertFriedlander Leo Baeck-AManforThisseason fessor J.B. Segal, Isca Wittenberg. 10 Jonathan Romain Harold Reinhart,The Lonesaviour Vlews expressed in articles in Ma#7?a do of Pefugees not necessarily reflect the view of the Editorial Board. 12 MoelwynMerchant Asotherssee us-Whatshall We Whisper to our Neighbour? Subscription rate: £5 p.a. (four issues) including postage anywhere in the U.K. Abroad: Europe - £8; Israel, Asia, Americas, Australasia -£12. 14 Chaim Bermant WhyMendeletookto Laughter 16 Francesca Klug Knock DownToday's Ghettowalls 18 .Jonathanwittenberg [nthe HeartofJudah Ha Levy 19 Letters The cover illustration is an etching from 21 Williamwolff Lastword Ya'akov Boussidan's first Haggadah and is called `The Kid from Had Gadya'. An exhibition of Boussidan's work will be held at the Manor House from the 3rd to the 23rd NIvember. EDITORIAL BRIDGING THE DIVIDE ANNA HAS OFTEN endeavour to carry out the consequ- to legitimise themselves in the had occasion to refer to ences of their faith in a consistent sight of orthodoxy. An accep- manner - then they are re/I.g!.our M the vexed question of tance of that reality can at least orthodox-progressive relations people. But neither functional vcr/!.dzfy nor ease progressive frustrations and in Britain. Fairly consistent ten- spiritual dz.g#!.ty is identical with calm orthodox fears that the sion and sporadic bouts of open Jewish /cgjfz.77!czey. "Validity" derives progressives want something warfare have characterised this from the Latin vcz/z.dc4s, strong. It is a that cannot be given. factual, descriptive term. "Legiti- relationship for many years. It Even more importantly was therefore very helpful when macy" derives from the Latin /cjr, law. It is a normative and evaluative Lamm's definition forces prog- Rabbi Norman Lamm, President term. ressive Jews to accept that what of the Yeshiva University in New Vcz/j.dz.fy describes the /czcf of one's they do should be done because York, writing in the Jewish religious existence. Dz.grz.ty refers to they believe that it is authenti- the gzta/I.ty of one's religious posture, Chronicle, effectively defined cally Jewish and not because that relationship in a way which, not its co#fe7?f. It is the latter which, to my eyes, determines what we are they are looking over their shoul- if needed, could minimise bicker- terming legitimacy. ders. Progressive Judaism can ing in the future. In a key pas- Here I have no choice but to judge only find self-legitimacy in its sage in his article Lamm wrote: such legitimacy by my own under- own inner integrity and in its standing of what constitutes Judaism Facts cannot be wished away by and what does not. The criterion of fidelity to God's demands as theories, no matter how cherished. such legitimaey is the Jewish /ex -the progressive Jews hear them. No And the facts are that Reform, Con- halacha; not a specific interpretation amount of genuflecting towards servative and Liberal communities of an individual halacha; not a gen- tradition will cut any ice with globally are not only more numerous eral tendency to be strict or lenient; anybody unless it truly stems in their official memberships than but the fundamental acceptance of the Orthodox community, but they halacha's divine origin, of rorczfe mz.# from conviction. are also vital, powerful and dynamic; hashamayim. A second point, equally they are committed to Jewish survi- important, also flows from val, each according to its own lights; Two crucial points flow from they are a part of K/CZJ yisrcre/; and Lamm's definitions. First, non- Lamm's article. If the issue of they consider their rabbis their lead- orthodox Judaism is, by its very legitimacy defines the limits of ers. nature, illegitimate in the eyes of mutual acceptance, functional From a /z{#fz.o#a/ point of view, orthodoxy. There is a divide of validity leaves ample scope for therefore, non-Orthodox rabbis are belief which renders the most harmony and cooperation. vcz/I.d leaders of Jewish religious com- munities, and it is both fatuous and conservative, as well as the most Lamm sees no need for abuse, self-defeating not to acknowledge progressive , irredeemably still less for writing out a whole this openly and draw the necessary illegitimate viewed from the section of the Jewish people. A consequences -for example, estab- other side of the divide. As the disagreement over theology, lishing friendly and harmonious and however profound, must never respectful relationships and working American rabbi Eugene together, all of us, towards those Borowitz has pointed out, we hide equally profound common Jewish communal and global goals sometimes obfuscate the divide commitments to the Jewish that we share and that unite us inex- by using the same language to people and to Jewish values. tricably and indissolubly. mean different things. Progres- Would that the new year could As an Orthodox Jew, I not only bring a response to his call to have no trouble in acknowledging sive Jews may believe in the functional validity of non- fe¢/czchczfe (Jewish law) and in its establish "friendly and harmoni- Orthodox rabbinic leadership, but divine inspiration but they do ous and respectful relationships also in granting that non-Orthodox not believe in rortzfe 77cz.# and working together, all of us, rabbis and lay people may possess hashamayim (rForah £|om towards those Jewish communal spz.rz.fztcI/ dz.g#z.ty. If they are sincere , if and global goals that we share they believe in God, if they are moti- heaven) z.;7 £fec s¢mc wczy as vated by principle and not by con- orthodox Jews. There is nothing and that unite us inextricably venience or trendiness, if they that non-orthodox Jews can do and indissolubly. " .I MANNA AUTUMN 1986 the Law of Return says she ought to be. Hence, a government ministry, under the control of a scpfeflrdz. orthodox rabbi, now seeks to deter- mine which Jews shall have the right to be called so and, hence, to live in Israel. Obviously, this has consequ- ences for reform Jews wherever Im REFORn4 MovEnffiNT ffeey may choose to live. the orthodox rabbinate and a host is in the process of being Orthodox Jews represent but a of religious institutions. Twritten out of Israel. In a minority of Israel's population and Kocfeczv yczz.r is a new town of country in which the Minister for an even smaller percentage of 1,100 families, being built within the the Interior, Rabbi Yitzchak Peretz, World Jewry, but in the Jewish State Green Line (i.e. 1967 border) some can defer the introduction of Sum- their power is massive. This ten miles East of Herzliya. From its . mer Time for religious reasons, any- strength, in part, hinges on outset, it will have a synagogue and thing is possible. It is not just that orthodoxy's politicization, which religious day school to cater for the refomi rabbis cannot officiate at enables them to make or break any minority of its inhabitants who are marriages and funerals. Shoshana coalition government and, in con- orthodox. These facilities will be Miller, a committed Jew, who con- sequence, gain all kinds of conces- provided out of communal and state verted to Judaism in the United sions from the ruling party. They funds, while other Israelis will go to States of America under the author- control the Jewish section of the the secular day school and reform ity of a reform rabbi, was not recog- Department of Religious Affairs, Jews will search in vain for suitable nised here as Jewish, even though which among other things, funds religious education for their chil- MANNAAUTUMN 1986 dren and for somewhere to hold ser- ous Affairs and, as such, do not rep- all of lsrael's Reform Rabbis, oper- vices. Judaism in Israel is virtually resent an officially accepted religi- ated in 1985/6 on a budget of the monopoly of the religious estab- ous body. In consequence, we are $120,000, provided by the World lishment. out in the wilderness. We are on our Union for Progressive Judaism The implications of this are own -or almost. within an overall Israel budget of phenomenal. As Northern Ireland Those very coercive forces, which half a million dollars. Approxi- educates a segregated population of give orthodoxy such power in Israel, mately one dozen Reform Rabbis Protestants and Catholics, who have also generated a growing are emplolyed by the Israel Move- largely live apart from one another, resentment within the population at ment or the World Union on either so Israel has built into its school sys- large. They do not want Judaism on a full or part-time basis. This is the tern a divide between the so-called these terms and have expressed level of our rabbinic investment in `religious' and `secular' that not their opposition in a variety of the religious future of Israel.
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