Torah...for the Nations? Part 6

When the dust settled after the Six Day War, and the absence of any type of help from the Christian community was painfully evident, the Jewish community demanded "where were you?" The Christians responded "our dialogue was supposed to be about religion, not politics". The Jews were incensed. "Politics?!?! Israel is at the very heart of our religion!" (This was especially true then, before many Jews began identifying with the Palestinian narrative.) Although one may argue with the details of this assessment, one needs to consider its deeper meaning. The time was only thirty two years after the Holocaust. Many Jewish leaders at that time were survivors. Even those who had lived in America during the war, bore the trauma of having looked on helplessly. Some bore guilt. Israel, like the name of its National Anthem, was "HaTikvah", "the Hope". It was the Phoenix rising from the ashes. For many of the Orthodox who did take part in Ecumenism, Israel was "the first sprouting of our Redemption". For the Conservative movement, Israel WAS the promised Redemption (an idea loosely based on RAMBAM). But it went further. The Christians had completely overlooked the idea of Jewish peoplehood and identity. When faced with the overwhelming accusation of betrayal, they responded "But you never told us!". They were right. The interfaith discussions had gone on against the backdrop of Christian ideology; "What is your concept of Salvation? Heaven and Hell? Law and Grace? Prophecy? Scripture vs Tradition?". No one had ever asked: "Hey, what do you guys believe?" And no Jews had volunteered this information, which might seem superfluous to the Christian theologians. There were deep hurts on both sides, and, as far as the Jews were concerned, the romance was over. To be sure, some dialogue, mostly between clergy, or the holding of an annual Interfaith Service (almost always boycotted by the Orthodox community), continues to this day. But suspicion, rather than openness, is always there. I ask myself the question posed to me by my friend, Masgr John Tutone "Jeff, given all the mistakes and atrocities of the past, what now? Where do we go from here?"

Torah...for the Nations? Part 5

The new ecumenical movement seemed to be changing everything. Negotiations between Rome and several Protestant denominations were underway towards reunification, after a four hundred year schism. (These would later fall apart over the issue of ordination of women). Conservative and Reform groups, both internationally and locally, jumped eagerly on the band wagon. Meetings of clergy, as wells as congregations, were happening everywhere. The talks were from a perspective of respect and acceptance. Orthodox leaders were concerned that the entire thing might be a trick; designed to catch us off guard. Right wing Orthodox leaders condemned the entire project as a sinister ruse. Perhaps Pope John intended not ecumenism, but evangelism? The head of Modern Orthodoxy (later redubbed "Centrist" Orthodoxy),  J.B. Soloveichik, was opposed to the new movement for other reasons. He said that the fundamental concepts of Judaism and Christianity only appear to be similar, but, in fact, have totally different ideas about the nature of G-d and Man, that are completely irreconcilable. There simply was nothing to talk about. Nevertheless, the facts on the ground were different. Many Orthodox communities were establishing lines of communication with their neighbors. Torah was, at both the clerical and communal level, at last being shared with our neighbors. The Prophetic ideals of peace, tolerance, and enlightenment seemed to be coming alive before our others. But, alas, those heady, euphoric days were not to last. In May of 1967, Egyptian President Gamal 'Abd el Nasser blockaded the Straights of Tiran, thus preventing vital goods from coming through the port of Eilat. The Syrians were mounting forces in the Golan Heights. King Hussein of Jordan equivocated, but was finally persuaded by Nasser to join the fight. It was clear to every thinking person that two and a half million Israelis were about to die. A new holocaust was imminent. Even the Jerusalem municipality prepared thousands of graves. Israel's Chief of Staff Yitzchak Rabin, informing the government of all the military preparations, concluded "None of this will work. We are all going to die" He spent the next three days in a drunken stupor. Retired General (and war hero) Moshe Dayan was called upon to lead the war effort. Jews everywhere prayed, and organized lobbying efforts. Sadly, the U.S. government took a wishy washy stance of favoring "territorial integrity" for all nations. Israel's greatest ally at the time, France (it was called the "special alliance"; it was as though the two countries were more like lovers than allies), announced that it would sever ties with whomever started hostilities. In the early morning hours of June fifth, Israel launched a preemptive raid on Egyptian and Syrian forces. Israel had accepted King Hussein's offer to do "just some token shelling", but Nasser convinced him that the Arabs were winning, and he needed to join in. Within hours, three great armies lay in ruins, weapons and boots strewn the desert, as frightened Arab soldiers fled for their lives. At the end of six days, Israel was in control of huge parts of all three countries. Many saw this as a miracle. But France had been lost as an ally. The U.S. stepped in; but with conditions. Territories that were captured needed to be returned. This has been U.S. policy since 1967 (Although President Trump has shown that he is not committed to that.). However, as the dust settled, it was discovered that another ally had abandoned us. None of the Christian denominations had lifted a finger in the lobbying efforts. Clergymen, who yesterday were enjoying Shabbat dinners at their local synagogues, were nowhere to be found. The Ecumenical movement had abandoned us in our hour of greatest need. I will describe in my next post the post mortem of what happened. Fault can be found on all sides. But the dream had come to an end. True, some contacts continue. But it is all half hearted. The Jewish community once again had to turn inward.

Torah...for the Nations? part 4

The rise of the State of Israel presented a theological problem for most Christians. The historical Churches had long maintained that the Jews were destined to wander and suffer as a result of our refusal to accept Christianity. Although Evangelicals eventually came to see Israel as a fulfillment of prophecy, the older Churches had long accepted the idea that the Biblical prophesies no longer applied to the Jewish people, who had been "substituted" and replaced by the Church. Once Israel was a fact on the ground, different groups expressed various ideas. They even began to demand of Israel to recognize THEM as the only real Church. Chief Rabbi Herzog records such a demand from the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem. He writes that he considered this to be a historical joke. But Israel was not in the business of promoting Torah, except to the extent that it could be used to political advantage. A decade later, the Catholic Church was in need of a new Pope. No suitable candidate was evident. The Cardinals decided in 1958, after much deliberation, to choose an old and feeble man as Pope, giving a few years' respite before a better Pope might be chosen. Surprisingly, Pope John XXIII, managed to change the course of history during his five year reign. He challenged many ideas that had been held by the Church for centuries. When a Jewish delegation came to visit him, he said: "I am your brother, Joseph." He called upon Christians to do penance for their treatment of the Jews. He called for an Ecumenical Council to examine what Christianity is and isn't, how to relate to non-Catholic Christians, and, perhaps most importantly, how to relate to the Jews. This Council continued until 1965, two years after the Pope's death. One of its main conclusions was that the ancient charge of deicide ("killing G-d") was false and the Jews are therefore under no curse. Open dialogue, on the basis of mutual respect, was called for. The Jews now had the authority of the Catholic Church to teach our Truth to the world. What followed will be the subject of my next post.