I read the Jewish Report (South African Jewish weekly newspaper) conscientiously. The letters pages usually provide me with the greatest entertainment. Anybody with the slightest chip on their shoulder writes in to bitch about something (from the price of Kosher meat to the modesty of the bride of the year competition). Although often trivial, the letters page is one of the few Jewish fora for South African Jews to express their views.
Over the last few weeks the letters page has been littered with pieces hostile to the more religious members of our community. First it was the ‘religious Jews are racist’ article because they don’t let their domestic workers switch on the stove. Then there was the absurd ‘religious Jews promote alcoholism among Jewish youth’ article. South African religious Jewish youth were compared to the Cossacks of all people for having a good time at the Chabad and Ohr Somayach Purim parties. In another bigoted letter, the Jewish Board of Education was attacked for being dominated by rabbis and religious people. Finally last week some moron wrote in to complain that he saw a prominent Johannesburg Rabbi talking on his cell phone while driving and his kids - horror of horrors - weren’t even buckled in to the backseat.
It is easy to dismiss each letter individually as the ravings of a particularly small and bored mind. But together, I think they paint a very telling picture of the vicious anti-religious sentiments of many secular South African Jews. How could such sentiments have become so commonplace in a community that prides itself on its unity?
The increasing religiosity of South African Jewish Youth and the popularity of organisations like Chabad and Ohr Somayach have left many traditional secular Jews feeling extremely threatened. They worry endlessly that this ultra-orthodoxy will be imposed on them. They have begun to see the Beth Din as the Jewish equivalent to the ayatollahs of Iran.
This irrational fear has unfortunately been stoked by a small group of ‘progressive’ Jewish intellectuals who are determined to paint the Orthodox Rabbinate as religious fundamentalists. (I take particular offence to their self description as progressive. It implies that us Orthodox Jews are thus by definition backward.) The Chief Rabbi unfortunately did not help the situation with his decision last year not to share the podium at the Rabin memorial with a Rabbi from the South African Reform Movement.
Reconciliation between secular/traditional and religious Jews is the only way to restore unity to our community. The chief Rabbi as the spiritual head of the entire Jewish community needs to be the person at the forefront of this process. A good first step would be some sort of public meeting to allow all members of the community’s fears and frustrations to be aired.
In addition the chief Rabbi and the Beth Din need to reassure secular Jews that even though our community is becoming more religious, there is still a place for cultural and Zionist Jews. Our community would be best served by all leaders (both secular and religious) advocating tolerance. What does it matter by what system of knowledge each one of us seeks to find our Jewish identity? It is surely not only by a single path that we can attain such a prize.
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