With the establishment of the State of Israel, the question of who is and who isn't a Jew became very pressing. Would Jews who practiced another faith still be considered Jews, with the right to immigrate and receive full citizenship? According to halachah they are still Jews, but how would this impact the communal structure of the new country? This was tested in the 1950s by the "Brother Daniel" case. Daniel Rufeisen was a Polish Jew who had been given refuge during the Holocaust in a Polish convent. He accepted Catholicism, becoming a priest and monk. He came to Israel (where he lived until his death in 1998) and applied for citizenship as a Jew. A huge public debate arose. The Secular Courts finally ruled that one who had taken another identity was no longer a Jew. Similar questions arose regarding claims of people and groups all over the world who put forward claims to Jewishness, or at least Jewish ancestry. What about the Doenmeh of Turkey? They were outwardly Muslim, but secretly practiced a bizarre form of Judaism, following, and in some cases actually worshiping, the false seventeenth century Messiah, Shabbeai Tzvi? One Israeli President advocated bringing the community to Israel. This was blocked by both rabbinical and secular bodies. There are many similar cases.
When it came to the Karaites, these questions came into more focus. They were Jews, but practiced a Judaism that was radically different from the Mesorah. Many already lived in the Holy Land...since the eighth century! What about the thousands who lived in Egypt, the Crimea. and other places? Should they be encouraged to come to Israel? The policy for the fist twenty five years of Israel's existence was to allow immigration of those communities, but not encourage it. An arrangement was made in which they would have their own courts, religious leadership, as well as lay decision makers. This meant autonomy, but not real acceptance. As time went by, Israeli Karaites tended more and more to gravitate to the traditional rabbinite practices. Since society, schools, businesses ran by the traditional Hebrew calendar, it became increasingly difficult to observe holidays by their own calendar. The shock of neighbors seeing no mezzuzah on their doors, made many accept this practice due to social pressure. Hanukkah, which had been abhorrent to the Karaites as post Biblical, was nevertheless all around them; in schools, in the media. Many adopted the festival as a "national" holiday. Virtually all restaurants were kosher based on rabbinite understandings, not Karaite. Many went over to the more accepted Kashrut. But were they to be considered Jews? Could they marry other Jews? Although this had been a disputed issue since the twelfth century, there had been few cases. But now the two groups lived together, went to the same schools, and fought side by side in the same army. Until 1973, the rabbinic authorities of Israel resisted accepting heretical groups into the fold, even if they were willing to rejoin the body of Israel. However, upon the election of the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (may the memory of the righteous be for a blessing) to the position of Sepharadic Chief Rabbi, the situation changed drastically. Rav Ovadia was opposed to heresy, of course. But he was very open about bringing back into the fold various communities that had either strayed, or whose Jewish identification was questionable. This included far-flung Jewish communities in Asia and Africa, as well as entire communities that had accepted, under duress, another faith. He dismissed concerns of bastardy which I dealt with in my previous posts. All these groups needed to do was to reaffirm their Jewishness. In cases of doubt as to actual ancestry, a minimal conversion would be done in order to eliminate all doubts. To be sure, there were those who balked at this leniency, but it did become the policy of the rabbinate for several decades. In the case of the Karaites, although Rav Ovadia found their views to be contrary to the Torah as we understand it, if they re-accepted Jewish tradition, they were to be welcomed home, with no questions asked. Some Israeli Karaite leaders, however, took to the media, and even the courts, to reaffirm their commitment to their own ideas and ways. Legal challenges arose regarding Karaite butcher shops displaying signs claiming to be kosher. Kashrut is legally in the hands of the rabbinate, and Karaite kosher is not the same as halachic kosher.What is kosher to us, is not kosher to them, and vice versa. As an autonomous group, they had the right to their own system, just as Muslims maintain a system of Halal. But calling it "kosher" was seen as crossing a red line. Twelve hundred years of animosity do not vanish quickly. In 2013, the Chief Rabbinate issued a controversial ruling, saying that Karaites wishing to marry other Jews needed a full conversion. This is still being fought over, and is not likely to be settled any time soon. There is a significant tension between fostering Jewish unity on the one hand, and maintaining the integrity of the Torah on the other. We must add to this the question of non Orthodox Jewish groups as well. Some reject the Mesorah, while others modify it. These movements are, in any case, in flux. REform, in recent decades, has returned to much of the Mesorah, whereas Conservative has been going further away. Both movememnts are tiny in Israel, but they are backed by wealthy donors from abroad, and are challenging the hegemony of the Rabbinate in the secular courts. The Rabbinate, for its part, is stonewalling these efforts. The issue of Mesorah is, indeed, at the very heart of Judaism. May Hashem speedily send us the Mashiach, who will lead us all on the proper path!
When it came to the Karaites, these questions came into more focus. They were Jews, but practiced a Judaism that was radically different from the Mesorah. Many already lived in the Holy Land...since the eighth century! What about the thousands who lived in Egypt, the Crimea. and other places? Should they be encouraged to come to Israel? The policy for the fist twenty five years of Israel's existence was to allow immigration of those communities, but not encourage it. An arrangement was made in which they would have their own courts, religious leadership, as well as lay decision makers. This meant autonomy, but not real acceptance. As time went by, Israeli Karaites tended more and more to gravitate to the traditional rabbinite practices. Since society, schools, businesses ran by the traditional Hebrew calendar, it became increasingly difficult to observe holidays by their own calendar. The shock of neighbors seeing no mezzuzah on their doors, made many accept this practice due to social pressure. Hanukkah, which had been abhorrent to the Karaites as post Biblical, was nevertheless all around them; in schools, in the media. Many adopted the festival as a "national" holiday. Virtually all restaurants were kosher based on rabbinite understandings, not Karaite. Many went over to the more accepted Kashrut. But were they to be considered Jews? Could they marry other Jews? Although this had been a disputed issue since the twelfth century, there had been few cases. But now the two groups lived together, went to the same schools, and fought side by side in the same army. Until 1973, the rabbinic authorities of Israel resisted accepting heretical groups into the fold, even if they were willing to rejoin the body of Israel. However, upon the election of the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (may the memory of the righteous be for a blessing) to the position of Sepharadic Chief Rabbi, the situation changed drastically. Rav Ovadia was opposed to heresy, of course. But he was very open about bringing back into the fold various communities that had either strayed, or whose Jewish identification was questionable. This included far-flung Jewish communities in Asia and Africa, as well as entire communities that had accepted, under duress, another faith. He dismissed concerns of bastardy which I dealt with in my previous posts. All these groups needed to do was to reaffirm their Jewishness. In cases of doubt as to actual ancestry, a minimal conversion would be done in order to eliminate all doubts. To be sure, there were those who balked at this leniency, but it did become the policy of the rabbinate for several decades. In the case of the Karaites, although Rav Ovadia found their views to be contrary to the Torah as we understand it, if they re-accepted Jewish tradition, they were to be welcomed home, with no questions asked. Some Israeli Karaite leaders, however, took to the media, and even the courts, to reaffirm their commitment to their own ideas and ways. Legal challenges arose regarding Karaite butcher shops displaying signs claiming to be kosher. Kashrut is legally in the hands of the rabbinate, and Karaite kosher is not the same as halachic kosher.What is kosher to us, is not kosher to them, and vice versa. As an autonomous group, they had the right to their own system, just as Muslims maintain a system of Halal. But calling it "kosher" was seen as crossing a red line. Twelve hundred years of animosity do not vanish quickly. In 2013, the Chief Rabbinate issued a controversial ruling, saying that Karaites wishing to marry other Jews needed a full conversion. This is still being fought over, and is not likely to be settled any time soon. There is a significant tension between fostering Jewish unity on the one hand, and maintaining the integrity of the Torah on the other. We must add to this the question of non Orthodox Jewish groups as well. Some reject the Mesorah, while others modify it. These movements are, in any case, in flux. REform, in recent decades, has returned to much of the Mesorah, whereas Conservative has been going further away. Both movememnts are tiny in Israel, but they are backed by wealthy donors from abroad, and are challenging the hegemony of the Rabbinate in the secular courts. The Rabbinate, for its part, is stonewalling these efforts. The issue of Mesorah is, indeed, at the very heart of Judaism. May Hashem speedily send us the Mashiach, who will lead us all on the proper path!
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