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?"