Subscribe to Print Edition | Thu., November 20, 2008 Cheshvan 22, 5769 | | Israel Time: 13:07 (EST+7)   Back to Homepage web haaretz.com Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate GA 2008 Travel Week's End Anglo File

The Shekel Before the Storm GA Magazine / Jerusalem of moderation By Brian Blum Tags: jewish world, GA, Israel news Full coverage of the 2008 GA conference There are a few constants in my world: Siblings will rival, property taxes will rise, and following a trip to North America, I will ruminate over how different our life in Israel has turned out. Our most recent family vacation was no exception. The trip was book-ended by the bar mitzvah of our nephew in Toronto and the wedding of my brother-in-law in San Diego. The two events couldn't have been more different; on a scale of religious observance, they occupied the far extremes. The bar mitzvah was held in strict ultra-Orthodox style, with a glatt-kosher menu and separate seating and dancing for men and women, while the wedding was uber-secular, with a judge and vows in place of a rabbi and huppah, and nary a yarmulke in sight. Advertisement As I headed back to Israel, it occurred to me that such a dichotomy was far less likely to occur in moderate Jerusalem. Jerusalem, a place of moderation? That may sound counterintuitive; after all, Israel's capital has long held a reputation for being a leader in polarization. There are neighborhoods that are exclusively religious or secular, schools that are segregated, and even public buses where women are relegated to the back. But that's often just what makes the news. Behind the scenes, there is a flourishing middle ground, a space where the city's less extreme majority can explore a wide variety of religious options and experiment with bridging tradition and modernity. There is certainly a thriving secular culture that beckons seductively to the observantly minded. In recent years, it's grown even stronger, with more places of entertainment open on Shabbat than ever before (and that's under an ultra-Orthodox-dominated city hall). But for even the most devout atheist, the calendar and holidays in Israel are decidedly Jewish. The food in the supermarkets is nearly all kosher, as are many restaurants (even if they are missing an official kashrut certificate). And when it comes time for my kids to find someone to marry, the kind of assimilation that is the subject of so much discussion and concern among Diaspora Jewry is pretty much non-existent in Israel. Over in this part of the world, I'm not at all worried about my kids even dating someone who's not Jewish. Israel, as a result, provides a more solidly Jewish base than the Diaspora, one where I don't have to work as hard at "being" Jewish and can spend more time just "doing" Jewish. That means my family and I are freer to proactively search for the community that offers us the most, to figure out where we best fit in without having to dive in too deep in any one direction. Sure, sometimes we find ourselves pulled more to one side of the pool or the other, but it's easier to maintain our balance. Take synagogue membership as an example. Our family regularly attends three different shuls: a modern Orthodox community, a Carlebach congregation and a Jewish Renewal gathering. Kehilat Yedidya is a liberal Modern Orthodox community where women participate to a much greater extent than in the mainstream Orthodox world. There are regular women's Torah readings where bat mitzvah girls like my daughter Merav, now 15, get called up for an aliyah and where, on the holiday of Simhat Torah, women come from all over the city to dance with the Torah just like the men. Amiqa D'Bira is a boisterous Shlomo Carlebach-inspired congregation with so much singing and dancing that Shabbat morning prayers don't end until 2:30 P.M. Both men and women are called up to the Torah, often at the same time - my wife and I were given this honor on our wedding anniversary a few years back - yet the synagogue still divides up the sexes with a traditional mehitza. Nava Tehila is a monthly egalitarian Jewish Renewal gathering led by a female rabbi whose congregants play musical instruments during the service. On a recent Shabbat, there were at least three guitars, several darbukas (the local version of the bongo drum), a violin, French horn and an Australian didgeridoo. The atmosphere is ecstatic, drawing more on rock and folk than cantorial crooning. My wife and I frequently find ourselves clapping, swaying and even dancing the occasional polka during the Lecha Dodi prayer in the Kabbalat Shabbat service Friday night. While people who live outside Jerusalem might see our family as decidedly eclectic, at times even eccentric, many of our friends and neighbors also freely flit back and forth between these different davening options. Beyond the synagogue, Jerusalem offers pluralistic Jewish learning and performance art from multiple perspectives. A recent concert featured the secular Ilan Green, founder of the well-known Israeli rock band "The Tractor's Revenge," playing music inspired by liturgical texts using reconstructed instruments from the First Temple period. All this is part of the moderate, surprisingly progressive Jerusalem that we discovered when we made aliyah some 14 years ago. It is a privilege for my family to take part in strengthening the Jewish middle ground in the best - perhaps the only - place to do that naturally and organically: Israel. Brian Blum writes the popular blog ThisNormalLife. He lives in Jerusalem's Baka neighborhood with his wife and three children. Full coverage of the 2008 GA conference Bookmark to del.icio.us   The King is dead Archeologists find new evidence for King Herod's tomb site. Al-Hasbara Israel launches Arabic YouTube channel to bypass Arab media.

Read & React Israel to boycott 'Durban II' anti-racism conference Responses: 91 Latest poll gives Likud big edge over Kadima Responses: 49 Peres: Evacuation of settlements may lead to civil war Responses: 30 IAEA: Syria site bombed by Israel bore features of nuclear reactor Responses: 52 Defense Min. turns blind eye as Israelis sell arms to enemies Responses: 18 More Headlines 11:56 Violent clashes erupt at Hebron house slated for evacuation 03:31 Latest poll gives Likud big edge over Kadima 10:10 ANALYSIS / Obama embrace of Arab peace plan could benefit Livni 09:25 Defense Min. turns blind eye as Israelis sell arms to enemies 11:38 Peres: Evacuation of settlers may lead to civil war 11:58 In Gaza coffee shops, men and women break strict taboos 12:00 Letter to the Editor / Museum of Tolerance is a beacon of light, not a wall 06:09 PA to publish first-ever ads in Hebrew explaining Arab peace plan 08:16 IAEA: Syria site bombed by Israel bore features of nuclear reactor 08:39 Abdullah II warns Olmert, Barak: Gaza action could snowball into Jordanian instability 22:05 Israel to boycott 'Durban II' anti-racism conference 08:00 Top media executives protest Israel's ban on journalists' entry to Gaza 12:24 Palestinian witnesses: Hamas man killed in Gaza explosion 02:07 Warsaw completes restoration project marking Jewish Ghetto boundaries 07:14 Finance minister reveals NIS 25 billion stimulus plan Previous Editions Select Day 19 nov 18 nov 17 nov 16 nov 14 nov 13 nov 12 nov 11 nov 10 nov 09 nov 07 nov 06 nov

Special Offers Advertisement Living in Israel Studying in English Click & Meet our students from all around the world Dan Boutique Jerusalem New Dan Hotel in Jerusalem Young, Fun & Distinctively Dan Book Now Online! Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Car rental in Israel Shlomo Sixt Receive $15.00 from our low rates. Dial 013 for your long-distance calls and get all your money back US CITIZENS Vote for real change. Request your ballot today! Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Jewish Singles Personal Ads Find the love of your life on JDate.com Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved