Reform Zionism — Ten Years and Six Lessons

RICHARD G. HIRSCH Reform Zionism — Ten Years and Six Lessons For us Jews, religion and nationality with you six of the lessons learned or re have been inextricable. The Temple was affirmed during this last decade. not only the center of religion but the symbol of national independence, just as the Lesson One: We have learned the return to the Western Wall of the Temple in validity of three simple interrelated pre 1967 has become the symbol of renewed mises: There can be no Judaism without sovereignty. By our very presence here the Jewish People. There will be no Jewish today in a reunited Jerusalem, we the reli- People without the Jewish State. There will gious movement of Progressive Judaism be no Jewish State without Judaism.The affirm the rebirth of the Jewish People. circle is complete. Catastrophe has been superceded by res- Our colleague David Polish has called toration, destruction by reconstruction, to our attention that both the pioneers of desperation by aspiration. classic Zionism and the pioneers of classic Ten years ago the international head- Reform selected the same verse from the quarters of the World Union were moved Bible as their motto. Isaiah, Chapter 2, from New York to Jerusalem. When a verse 5 Bet Yaakov lekhu venelkha beor child reaches the age of ten, according to Adonai "House of Jacob, come and let us walk Pirke Avot, ben eser shanim la Mishna he is in the light of the Lord." In all, the sentence ready to study the Mishnah. The word contains six Hebrew words. Both the Mishnah literally means study, teaching, Zionists and the Reformers retained the two middle words "lekhu venelkha — Come ששה סדרים lesson. The Mishnah comprises — six sections. I would like to review and let us go." But each deleted two words from the Hebrew original. The first mod ern Zionist movement of Aliyah, the BILUIM, organized in 1882, took their Richard G. Hirsch is a member of the WZO Execu name, from the first letters of the first tive and Executive Director of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. four words of the sentence BILU. FORUM:50 41 42 FORUM.-50 Bet Yaakov lekhu venelkha "House of Ja• in the eastern and western centres of Jew• cob, come and let us go" (intending to the ish population, so was it an historic land of Israel). They left out the last two imperative for our world Jewish move• words beor Adonai "in the light of the Lord" ment to have its center in the spiritual and because the early Biluim were either neg• cultural heart of the Jewish People. ative or indifferent to the dimensions of the To move to Israel required a compara• religious heritage. When in the same tively easy decision; it was only a cross- decade the Central Conference of Ameri• ocean leap of faith. To create a vital world can Rabbis was organized, it selected as movement is far more complex; this its motto the very same verse, still requires a leap of action. And to have inprinted on its seal, but it left out the two impact on Israeli society; that demands a words at the beginning of the sentence, rocket-like propulsion of energy, person• Bet Yaakov "House of Jacob," because nel and funds, which our movement has as they did not believe in the perpetuation of yet been unwilling or unable to commit. the Jews as a people. They kept the last The fundamental issue is not now nor two words, 6eor Adonai "in the light of the has it ever been religious rights. To be Lord," because they wanted to stress the sure, the public media and some of our essence of Reform Judaism as a faith own members have focused on the lack of grouping. rights and the numerous odious acts of The World Union's move to Jerusalem outright prejudice and discrimination. So is a declaration that we today are commit• far we have waged successful political ted to the complete ideology efforts against amendment to the Law of Return and even now have a case before Bet Yaakov The People of Israel Israel's High Court of Justice demanding lekhu venelkha The Land of Israel and that two of our rabbis be allowed to serve beor Adonai The faith of Israel. as marriage registrars. We shall continue to plead, pressure, persuade, cajole and Without the synthesis of all three com• lobby in the pursuit of our rights. But in the ponents, Jewish life in the twentieth cen• final analysis, as we Jews have learned tury is neither comprehensive, nor from our historic experience, rights for comprehensible, neither endurable, nor minority groups are never bestowed will• enduring. ingly by any majority. Rights have to be Lesson Two: A movement, like an indi• carved out in social conflict over genera• vidual, is judged not by ideological for• tions. Although Israeli and world Jewry are mulation, but by life commitments; not by truly pluralistic, given the current context resolutions, but by resolute actions; not of Israeli society, it is not seen to be in the by promises, but by performances vested interest of the major political reflected in the achievements of its adher• groupings nor the religious establishment ents and institutions. Just as the Union of to encourage that pluralistic character. To American Hebrew Congregations moved the contrary, the trend toward political its headquarters from Cincinnati to New extremism and religious fanatacism is York, the center of American Jewish life, conducive to opposing any progress and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish for the non-Orthodox movements in Institute of Religion established campuses Israel. TEN YEARS AND SIX LESSONS 43 Hence, the ultimate test confronting our We have joined the World Zionist world movement in regard to Israel is not Organization both as a World Union and what we say, but what we do; not what we through the organization of ARZENU — protest, but what we create; not what we our international movement of Reform proclaim ourselves to be, but what we in Zionists. We are sending shlichim to the fact are. United States, Great Britain, South Africa Without rabbis to perform religious and Australia. We have created a new acts, to what avail is the demand for rab• international Zionist youth movement, binical rights? Without institutions to be NETZER OLAMI. We have mobilized the recipients of government subsidies campaigns for Aliyah. We have given to all other religious groups, to what increased the number of youth and adults avail is the insistence on government sup• who undergo educational experiences in port? Without a movement to exercise Israel. At the culmination of this confer• religious rights, in Israel, to what avail are ence, in full cooperation with the HUC- pronouncements outside the Land of Israel? JIR, we shall begin construction of the Judged by what we would like to be, we World Education Center for Progressive have fallen far short of our objectives. Judaism, a magnificent campus of Jewish Judged by what we were, we have come a learning and living comprising a youth long way. It was only twenty-five years center-hostel, a world headquarters- ago that Har-El, the first Progressive con• tourist reception center and synagogue to gregation, was organized, and only be erected by the World Union, and an twenty years ago that the first building of archeology museum, class-room center, the Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem and library to be erected by the College- was dedicated. We have developed fifteen Institute. congregations and are planning synagogue-community center building Lesson Three: In the process of moving programs in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Nahariya to Israel and establishing an Israeli Pro• and Ramat Aviv. We have expanded the gressive movement, the World Union Leo Baeck School into an impressive insti• itself has been transformed. Prior to the tution of learning and communal activity. development of the Israel Program, the We are ordaining Israeli rabbis at the world movement was an organization Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of whose primary task was to send rabbis to Religion. We have established a flourish• far-flung Jewish communities such as ing Israeli youth movement with camp Latin America, South Africa and Austra• programs for our own youth as well as for lia. The World Union provided seed Arab, Jewish and disadvantaged children. money for rabbis and new congregations. Together with the United Kibbutz Move• Once they were able to establish them• ment, the Jewish Agency and the Govern• selves and attain a condition of financial ment, we have established the first Reform independence, the World Union's task kibbutz, Yahel, and during this confer• was to provide a framework for sharing ence we shall formally dedicate our common concerns and encouraging coop• second kibbutz, Lotan. We are now erative ventures among the constituen• beginning work on Har Halutz, a Mitzpeh cies. We shall continue, and indeed settlement for families in the Galil. strengthen, our endeavors to stimulate the 44 FORUM:50 expansion of those vital purposes. With Israel becomes a public, national issue, the move to Israel, however, the World since in Israel even irreligious persons do Union assumed a new dimension. We not think of driving on Yom Kippur. How have evolved from a service agency prim• much more serious are public controver• arily into an operating agency as well. sies over major issues relating to !shut — Every new program we have initiated has "Personal Status (marriage, divorce, con• attracted new support and new suppor• version, who is a Jew, and similar issues). ters. The more creative are the programs These public policy questions reflect the we develop, the more funds we mobilize ongoing role of the State in the process of and the more people we involve.

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