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.