{"id":381,"date":"2012-05-23T18:35:00","date_gmt":"2012-05-23T18:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theatheistrabbi\/2012\/05\/israeli-reform-conservative-jews-have-the-wrong-idea.html"},"modified":"2012-05-23T18:35:00","modified_gmt":"2012-05-23T18:35:00","slug":"israeli-reform-conservative-jews-have-the-wrong-idea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theatheistrabbi\/2012\/05\/israeli-reform-conservative-jews-have-the-wrong-idea.html","title":{"rendered":"Israeli Reform & Conservative Jews Have The Wrong Idea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

One of Israel\u2019s biggest problems is its reliance on Orthodox rabbis in matters of Jewish practice and identity.\u00a0 For years the liberal Jewish religious movements have been seeking to have their say, including representation on government religious councils.\u00a0 The JTA has this to report today<\/a>:<\/p>\n

After a Jerusalem-area\u2019s religious council allowed a female Reform rabbi to participate in its proceedings, some advocates of liberal Judaism in the country are hailing their inroads into the\u00a0Orthodox-dominated religious infrastructure.<\/p>\n

The same story relates a Reform rabbi\u2019s quest for a state salary:<\/p>\n

\u2026In a 6-year-old case now in front of the Israeli Supreme Court, IRAC is demanding that the state of Israel pay a salary to Rabbi Miri Gold, a female Reform rabbi who heads a congregation at Kibbutz Gezer. Like hundreds of Orthodox rabbis across the nation who receive salaries from the state, Gold performs all the duties of a rabbi for the liberal-minded residents of the kibbutz, who like all Israelis pay the taxes that fund rabbis\u2019 salaries.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This approach is a mistake.\u00a0 Rather than fighting to receive all of the privileges of Orthodox Judaism, the liberal movements should be working to sever religion from the state.<\/p>\n

They seek equity with Orthodoxy because they are incapable of apprehending that the real problem is not Orthodoxy\u2019s monopoly.\u00a0 The real problem is that the state prefers ANY expression of Jewish belief.<\/p>\n

No Zionist is opposed to Israel\u2019s cultural expressions of Judaism such as designating holidays, employing certain symbols or speaking Hebrew.\u00a0 But the approach of these liberal religious Jews betrays their own prejudice that Judaism is first and foremost a religion.The state should remain completely neutral in all matters of faith.\u00a0 No religious councils.\u00a0 No state funding of synagogues.\u00a0 No state rabbis.<\/p>\n

Not that long ago, certain religious types began changing the words of the IDF\u2019s Yizkor (memorial) reading.\u00a0 Instead of \u201cYizkor Am Yisrael\u2026May the People of Israel Remember,\u201d they recited \u201cYizkor Elohim\u2026May God Remember.\u201d\u00a0 So the IDF had a special committee study the issue.\u00a0 The original \u2013 and secularized \u2013 wording was restored.<\/a>\u00a0 Still Jewish, but silent about faith.<\/p>\n

Liberal religious Israeli Jews should work with secular Jews to abolish the entire governmental religious infrastructure.\u00a0 The only recognition that they or their Orthodox colleagues are entitled to should come from their followers.\u00a0 If their message is so compelling, they shouldn\u2019t need the Israeli government to fund it.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of Israel\u2019s biggest problems is its reliance on Orthodox rabbis in matters of Jewish practice and identity.\u00a0 For years the liberal Jewish religious movements have been seeking to have their say, including representation on government religious councils.\u00a0 The JTA has this to report today: After a Jerusalem-area\u2019s religious council allowed a female Reform rabbi […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2281,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[20,24,31],"class_list":["post-381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogentries","tag-israel","tag-liberal-judaism","tag-orthodox-judaism"],"yoast_head":"\nIsraeli Reform & Conservative Jews Have The Wrong Idea<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"One of Israel\u2019s biggest problems is its reliance on Orthodox rabbis in matters of Jewish practice and identity.\u00a0 For years the liberal Jewish religious\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theatheistrabbi\/2012\/05\/israeli-reform-conservative-jews-have-the-wrong-idea.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Israeli Reform & Conservative Jews Have The Wrong Idea\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One of Israel\u2019s biggest problems is its reliance on Orthodox rabbis in matters of Jewish practice and identity.\u00a0 For years the liberal Jewish religious\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theatheistrabbi\/2012\/05\/israeli-reform-conservative-jews-have-the-wrong-idea.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Atheist Rabbi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-05-23T18:35:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jeffrey L. 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