State of the People

Tisha B’Av is rapidly approaching. The 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av, our national day of mourning, begins Monday night at sundown and ends Tuesday evening after dark. Tisha B’Av is the day the two Temples were destroyed and the Jews exiled from their land, among a slew of other tragedies. We spend the day reciting kinnot, lamentations, mourning over the catastrophes that befell our people. One day, though, the prophet Zechariah tells us, our days of mourning will turn into days of celebration. One day, we will celebrate. Until then, we mourn.

 

With that in mind, I thought about we, as a people, need to “fix” to get us to that celebratory Tisha B’Av stage. Yes, that is an ambitious topic to tackle. After all, we have no shortage of problems. And I’m sure many people will disagree with my list. But that’s OK—we excel at discussion and debate. It’s kind of our thing. So from my humble perch, just a regular person thinking about her people, her faith and her country, this is what I came up with:

 

 

Respect!

As I’ve said before, your way of life is right for you; it is not right for everyone. We won’t get anywhere without respect and tolerance for others! Respect for others, in fact, is at the root of so much of what’s going on in Israel right now, from the debate over the secular vs. religious nature of the state, to the power struggle over the Western Wall and the dilemma of Haredi enlistment. Respect and tolerance. If we had them as much as we demand them, perhaps we’d be dancing in the streets right now.

 

I don’t think everyone needs to move here; after all, we don’t really have enough water for y’all anyway. (Kidding! Come on over!) But although Israel is not the answer for everyone, it should certainly be a question. It saddens me that “aliyah” is not even on people’s radar or something they value; for many Diaspora Jews, it’s not even a discussion, a consideration, a decision to be made. Can we really afford to continue this attitude of “not-thinking” about Israel?

 

The agunah crisis is sadly still a crisis. We are making strides; for example, more and more rabbis are refusing to perform marriages if the couple doesn’t sign a prenup. But it doesn’t help the too many women who are already stuck, shackled to marriages they cannot leave. At a recent conference in New York, while Jewish communal leaders suggested many creative solutions to the agunah problem, they admitted that it would take a long time for the ideas to be accepted by mainstream Orthodoxy. However, Blu Greenberg, founder of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA) finds a kernel of hope in this attitude. She says that at least now, we are seeking solutions. We are no longer in the “oh-well” mindset of, “It’s halacha, there’s nothing we can do about it.” And that, she says, is a step forward. So while I’m still placing agunot firmly in the “to fix” category, perhaps we are starting to see a flicker of light at the end of this long, dark tunnel.

 

The other people needing our caretaking are our children. Every day, it seems, another story comes to light of an authority figure—rabbi, teacher, youth leader—who molested his young charges. And then, the Jewish leadership covered it up, either by ignoring the problem, blaming the victim, or in some cases, removing the perpetrator from the setting and sending him elsewhere. No reporting to authorities, no criminal charges. The abusers (and those aware of the abuse) could just move on and pretend this never happened; the victims, of course, will never have that luxury. Part of this attitude stems from the concept of “mesirah,” the prohibition of turning a Jewish criminal over to the non-Jewish governmental authorities. But mesirah was invoked during periods when Jews lived in fear of a hostile, anti-Semitic government. Now in America, and certainly in Israel, we do not need to fear the government. We can no longer protect the abuser. We need to stand up for our children; when we promise to do everything we can to keep them safe, we need to follow through on that promise.

 

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But, you know, I can’t be all doom and gloom. On the whole, we’re doing pretty well, as a people and a country. Here are some areas where we can pat ourselves on the back:

 

Seriously, us guys, good work. We have a built ourselves an amazing little country. A stable economy, a strong army and advancements in all fields (whether it’s solving the water crisisor creating technology that allows people with visual impairments to use smartphones.). We’ve accomplished a heckuva lot since 1948. Our challenge now, as it always is when you succeed at something, is to continue to be great. Not to become complacent, no laurel-resting—just more of the hard work that got us here in the first place.

 

Jewish learning, whether an interest in Jewish texts, Jewish life, Israel, history or halacha, has exploded. We can learn anything, anytime, anywhere, from any type of device, from smartphones to good old-fashioned books. Have we ever before so embodied our “People of the Book” appellation? Jewish learning sites (like, ahem, this one) cater to Jews from across the spectrum. You can find websites that will help you learn or keep mitzvot; help you find a spouse, a kosher meal, a synagogue or a mikvah; sites that can answer your questions or make you laugh.

And if you want to learn in an actual building with actual people, well, you can do that too, pretty much anywhere around the world. (Excluding some of my immediate neighboring countries). You can find Jewish day schools, yeshivot, learning seminars, workshops, community centers all over … it’s never been easier to learn and engage with your Jewish faith.

 

Well, I wasn’t sure where to place this one: in the “to fix” or “good job!” list. But I think we’ve made great progress in integrating women more fully into Judaism. We have yoatzot (women trained in the complex laws of family purity), mashgichot (trained to supervise a restaurant or catering kitchen to ensure its adherence to kashrut) and most recently, graduates of themaharat program (which trained women to become spiritual leaders in Orthodox congregations). Yes, we haven’t reached the point of total acceptance in all parts of the Jewish community, and there is still a long way to go. But, we’ve started. And that has to be a good thing.

 

So, not too shabby, overall. Though we definitely have our work cut out for us. Navigating the path going forward will not be easy. But I am hopeful—maybe even confident?—that we can do it.

 

Wishing you all an easy fast.