Rabbi Andrew Davids

Rabbi Andrew Davids is the leading professional of Arza, the Association of Reform Zionists of America. Arza's mission is "to make Israel fundamental to the sacred lives and Jewish identity of Reform Jews."

Rabbi Davids has been involved in Jewish organizational leadership and informal education for more than twenty years. Ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Rabbi Davids also holds a Master of Public Administration degree with a focus in non-profit management. He has served as a Director of the Union for Reform Judaism's Youth Division, a resident and day camp director, and an organizational management consultant. Davids is recognized as a leading speaker and educator in the Jewish community and beyond.

On the week of Israel's 59th Independence Day we will discuss the relations between the American Jewish community and Israel. Readers can send questions to rosnersdomain@haaretz.co.il.


Dear Rabbi Davids,

You seem to have bypassed the giant elephant in the room that separates Israel and American Jews. That is the Israeli government's persistent refusal to recognize Reform Judaism. Reform is the largest denomination in the US and people who grow up in that movement, if they go to Israel, find that they cannot practice their religion and are frequently denigrated by Israelis, even secular ones. Even more important is Israel's refusal to recognize patrilineal descent. A lot of Reform and even Conservative Jews don't "qualify" as Jews in Israel, which leads to a legitimate question as to why they should support Israel in the first place, let alone go live there. My own personal experiences in Israel have led me to rescind the support that I used to feel for Israel. I am a patrilineal raised in the Reform. I visited Israel as a teenager, fell in love with it and went to live there as a young adult, but quickly found that I could not be open about my background without being made to feel unwelcome. So I left. As a committed Reform Jew who will never accept Orthodoxy (or even Conservative) or convert what purpose does Israel have for me? After soul searching, I founded a web site, www.jewishjustice.com, to promote the acceptance of patrilineality and encourage patrilineals to not support Israel until they do. It pains me to have to do that, but I think what Israel needs, unfortunately, is tough love from the American Jewish community. Why are you dedicating yourself to Israel when they don't even recognize you as a Rabbi?

Jessy

Dear Jessy,

Your own personal story is shared by hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens from the former Soviet Union and elsewhere who are an integral part of the Jewish State, serving in the Jewish army and contributing to the future of Israel but are precluded from the right to marry within Israel, to be buried in a Jewish cemetery or to raise their children as recognized Jews. All who care about a strong civil society in Israel should be engaged in dissolving the unholy alliance between the Israeli rabbinate and the political and civil structures in Israel that is responsible for this unjust and immoral situation.

My strong commitment to this principle, however, does not dissuade me or the Reform Movement in America and Israel from remaining engaged in Israeli society and passionate about our role in ensuring change. I believe that the ?tough love? you call for demands even more intensive involvement, changing both the political and legal structures and informing the broader Israeli society of the facts.

During World War II, David Ben Gurion was wise in declaring the Yishuv would fight the Nazis as if there were no White Paper, the documents restricting Jewish immigration to the land of Israel at the time when Jews needed a safe haven, and to fight the White Paper as if there were no war. ARZA is committed to a similar strategy, fighting for religious freedom in Israel for Reform Jews, Conservative Jews and all who face religious discrimination while strongly supporting Israel as if we were fully equal citizens. The stakes are too high for us to walk away from our moral responsibility to build a better Israel.

We believe that now more than ever, the Reform Movement?s deep and historic commitment to religious justice is needed in Israel. The significant Israeli population living below the line of poverty, environmental concerns, the rights of the twenty percent of Israel citizens who are not Jewish and a host of other fundamental challenges require the involvement of religious Jews who will struggle for the Jewish State that reflects our deepest values. The fight for social justice is not just hallmarks of Reform Judaism ? it is at the core of Jewish values as expressed by the Torah and the rabbinic tradition.

When the religious parties in the Knesset refuse to stand up and demand appropriate social services for the 100,000 plus legal foreign workers, despite the call for equal treatment of the stranger in countless sections of the Torah, including this week?s parasha, it is our Reform institution in Israel, the Israel Religious Action Center, which fights this battle. This reflects our broad concerns. We also have a case before the Supreme Court of Israel to gain state recognition for Reform Rabbi Miri Gold of our congregation in the Gezer Region. Over 3,300 rabbis in Israel receive their salaries from the various branches of government. Not one of those rabbis is a woman. Not one is from a Reform or Conservative seminary. This situation cannot stand.

Jessy, this week?s observance and celebration of Yom ha?Atzmaut remind us that we are blessed to live in the generation that has witnessed the rebirth of the Jewish commonwealth after two thousand years. I invite you and the countless others who feel disenfranchised, disappointed or disenchanted to join me and all who truly care about Israel?s security and future to work with me as we strive to build the Jewish society and state called for in our Torah and in the Declaration of Independence - a state that is secure, democratic, and just.


Dear Rabbi Davids,

I am not surprised at the problems you mention. I am surprised by the lack of a solution. You indicate that you feel we are a decade away from understanding the cause - how did you come up with the estimate of a decade? What have we learnt from the past decade in terms of a solution? Why do you think that the next decade will provide more success?

I believe the problem is that Jewish education is not clarifying sufficiently to the next generation what our relationship to the land is, and from whence that relationship 'rightfully' comes. I say 'rightfully' since I have not been able to justify for myself a right to the land other than the torah's claim of God's assignment of the land to us. What are your thoughts on this?

Respectfully and thank you,

Naftaly Kleinman

Dear Naftaly,

As we begin Israel's 59th year, we recognize that we are in a time of change and transition. Given our almost 4,000 years of history and memory, I think it prudent to withhold making definitive statements about our current situation until we have some time to reflect.

I am in complete agreement with you that Jewish education plays a critical role in establishing Israel and Jewish peoplehood as essential aspects of Jewish identity. Effective education that begins early in life - within the home and within early childhood settings - helps imprint Israel in the growing minds and souls of young children.

Starting young establishes a critical foundation for a lifetime of Jewish learning where Hebrew, the relationship between the Jewish holidays and the natural calendar of Israel, and the central role Israel has played in Jewish history are only a few of the core elements of an effective Jewish education that sees Israel as integral rather than a separate subject.

We have analyzed sufficient data at this point to make definitive something that I have felt and supported for a long time - the most effective Israel education comes out of a well structured first-hand experience and encounter with the land and people of the Jewish State.

I do not agree with your claim or Rashi's interpretation that God's assignment of the land of Israel to the Jewish people reflected in the Torah is the only way to justify a right to the land to ourselves or others. Historical records from antiquity such as Josephus or contemporary non-Jewish texts, unbroken Jewish settlement of the land of Israel, the archeological record, and our own powerful oral traditions are only a few alternate and powerful proofs that legitimize our claim on the land of Israel.

Dear Rabbi Davids,

I grew up in the reform movement. From what I've seen, if the reform movement was a business, it would have been declared a failure a long time ago. To be perfectly honest, it is hard to find seriously vibrant 24/7 Jewish life in the reform movement.

It seems to me that rather than focus on the core issues of Judaism, the reform movement spends way too much time on all sorts of other things - like getting reform Jews interested in/more committed to Israel.

What if the reform movement spent more time getting members to be more committed to being Jewish? The basics. what about a real focus on Shabbat, Kashrut and other basic building blocks of Judaism? The orthodox world barely needs to spend any time getting their folks to be dedicated to Israel....it seems to be a natural outcome of their education system, values and behavior.

Reform, on the other hand, always seems to be scrambling for the next "solution". But the "core business" gets ignored. Any company that did that....would lose all investors.


Sam

Dear Sam,

This logics suggest that 2.1 billion Christians and 1.3 billion Muslims in the world prove that, with only 14 million adherents, Judaism has been a complete failure. In both ancient times and today, the strength and success of our people is defined by the size of our spirit.

I certainly understand that your own Jewish path took you from one understanding of Judaism to another; as someone who attended Orthodox day school as a child, my own journey towards greater meaning and practice continues to this day. There have always been individuals who take a minimalist approach to their Judaism; the biblical and rabbinic texts spend sufficient time calling for return to the tradition that we have to assume not everyone was "checking their shatnaz." However, there are serious Jews to be found in every denomination.

The beauty and challenge of being Jews in the modern world involves the responsibility of drawing from our rich and varied traditions in a manner that keeps Torah as a living and dynamic structure. The young Orthodox men photographed burning the Israeli flag presented on the home page of today's Haaretz would probably claim they were making such a choice. The young adults from the American Reform Movement who choose to delay college to study in Israel for a year or join the IDF are expressing their Jewish choices in a different manner. However, I would hope that we could agree that not all choices are actually Jewish choices

As the focus of this week's conversation is on American Jewry and Israel, I would refute your final statement. Seventy-plus years of Reform Movement commitment to the Zionist enterprise - I would mention Reform Rabbis Abba Hillel Silver and Stephen S. Wise, key leaders of the American Zionist community and Reform Rabbi Judas Magnes, first President of the Hebrew University as only a few examples - cannot be categorized as "scrambling for the next 'solution.'"


Rabbi Andrew S. Davids


Dear Rabbi,

Thank you for your reply.

Your focus on the younger generation is definitely understandable, but you do not address another notable component on the data you mention: The fact that it is Reform Jews, more than those of other branches, who seem less committed to the relations with Israel. Is this because Israel doesn't treat the Reform movement equally? some say it is, but the fact is that the same can be said about Conservatives.

So, do you have any way to explain this? Is it something about Israel? About Reform Americans?

Best

Rosner

Dear Shmuel,

It would be too simple to blame the lack of religious freedom for Reform, Conservative and other heterodox forms of Judaism within Israel for this measurable gap. Despite the Reform Movement's official embrace of Zionism in its 1937 platform, the thirty-five year old requirement for all first year seminary students to begin their studies in Israel, and the deep commitment to Israel, Hebrew and Zionism on the part of our Movement's top leadership, too many in the pews still do not place Israel high enough on their agenda. Given that the Reform Movement is the largest Jewish denomination in the world, this is a legitimate concern to all working to build the Jewish future.

The major focus of ARZA is to connect Reform Jews and Israel. Driving our work is the Institute for Reform Zionism, a body of Israeli and North American clergy, academics and practitioners engaged in analysis of these survey data, developing new language for Israel engagement that speaks to modern, liberal Jews, and creating the policy and programmatic agenda for the Reform Movement that will embed Israel within the North American Jewish experience.

We are exploring the role of Israel and Jewish Peoplehood and their meaning within the changing demographics of the American Jewish community. We have focused our energies on youth and young adults, families engaged in our Movement's early childhood programs and the role of Hebrew as a core component of identity. There is much more work to be done but I am truly optimistic about the future.

For these activities to succeed, we look to Israel for partners in this endeavor. As our Movement in Israel grows, tens of thousands of Jewish Israelis are finding their home in the programs and congregations of our modern, non-coercive practice of Judaism. Prime Minster Olmert's recent statement that "the Reform Movement is a vital and vibrant part of modern Judaism, and the government and people of the State of Israel admire your contribution to Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora" sends a powerful message to American Reform Jews that partners exist at every level of Israeli society.

But there is still much work to be done both here and abroad. Last week we heard the outrageous claim by the former Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu that Reform Judaism was the root cause of the Holocaust. This past weekend presented the embarrassing case of the removal of Reform Rabbi Michael Boyden - a bereaved parent who lost his son in Lebanon - from the Hod ha'Sharon Yom ha'Zikaron ceremony due to religious pressure on the city government. These are remnants of old ways of thinking that can only be categorized as hateful and destructive to a pluralistic and democratic state.

Within the United States, my colleagues and I are also working tirelessly to provide ways for Reform Jews to take seriously the need to integrate Israel into our long-held commitment to religious justice, social action and deeply meaningful spirituality. We understand that the prophets who continue to speak to us from our sacred texts were firmly grounded in a commitment to the Jewish people and the land of Israel.

Rabbi Andrew S. Davids


Dear rabbi,

I usually start with a more general question as to frame the subject we will be discussing. So let's start by this: Do you think that in the last couple of years and months the Jewish communities of the U.S. and Israel were growing apart at an accelerated pace? If yes, why is that? If not, why do people think they do?

Rosner


Dear Shmuel,

One of the joys of being a rabbi is the opportunity to serve as mesader kiddushin, to be the agent that brings two individuals into a deep and sacred relationship. When I meet with couples, I tell them that arranging a beautiful wedding is the easy part; the challenge is to build a marriage that is based on a mature and honest love that can withstand the hardships and tribulations that life presents. Over the past number of years, I have reflected on the questions you present regarding the relationship that exists between Israel and the American Jewish community and have dedicated myself to move these two great segments of the Jewish people from an adolescent crush into a deep, mutual and lasting love affair.

My immediate response to your question is that we are a decade away from truly understanding the variations of the past few years. However, if we look backwards over the past number of decades, it is clear that this complex relationship is undergoing profound change, with some sectors of the American Jewish community maintaining a strong sense of identification and genuine concern for Israel and Israelis and others expressing, at best, ambivalence about Israel. Survey data continues to suggest that there are a number of age cohorts that see the Jewish State as irrelevant to their personal concept of Jewish life. Within the Jewish community of Israel, there is also a significant trend towards internal concerns and greater focus on the individual. While many within Israel articulate a commitment to the broader Jewish world, this is often not reflected in either personal choices, such as learning about overseas Jewish communities, or in public choices, such as in the recent closing of the Diaspora Affairs office by the Israeli government.

As someone who has worked with Israeli and American Jewish youth and young adults over the past twenty years, I am particularly troubled by the distancing that is taking place within the next generation of Jews. For many young Jews in America who choose not to take advantage as such opportunities as birthright Israel, MASA or other organized opportunities to experience Israel first-hand, the Jewish State is not on their radar screen beyond a source of discomfort stemming from media images of Israeli use of power. Concern or connection to the Jewish people and the modern Jewish State has been replaced by a pithy statement on a t-shirt or hipster ethnicity. Within Israel, young Israelis plan their trips to South America and the Far East and ignore the possibility of visiting centers of Jewish life in America or elsewhere and thereby add to this distancing. For too many of our young people on either side of the ocean, the other is no longer referred to as our Jewish brother or sister but as a cousin - wouldn't it be tragic if we become third cousins, twice removed?

This rift that will continue to expand if left unattended should be of great concern to Jewish leadership in Israel and abroad. It is clear that we will need to develop a new set of paradigms and interventions that will remind people of our common values and heritage and inspire both communities to recapture a sense of common destiny. This cannot be done unilaterally and will require active bi-national partnership. A mature relationship is based upon both sides capacity to first individuate and then to unite. I look forward to our conversation and the possibility of pointing out some key areas where this sacred work must be done.