Jewish Renaissance and Renewal in Israel
A report of the Dorot and Nathan Cummings Foundations
by Elan Ezrachi, Ph.D.
The Dorot and Nathan Cummings Foundations have worked together for over four years in the Israel Cooperative Program to support the development of the Jewish renaissance in Israel and to strengthen religious pluralism. They have now formed a partnership with the New Israel Fund to continue this important work.
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The Dorot Foundation
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The Nathan Cummings Foundation
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Elan Ezrachi is Executive Director of the Charles R. Bronfman Mifgashim Centre, and chair of Panim, the Coalition for Jewish Renaissance and Renewal in Israel.
FUNDERS’ PREFACE: RENAISSANCE AND RENEWAL, WHY NOW?
As this paper is being completed, there is violence and unrest in the Middle East. With no peace agreement forthcoming, is it even relevant to ask if Jewish renaissance and renewal in Israel is a meaningful concern? Should nurturing and supporting this movement remain a priority for Diaspora Jews?
The answer is yes — more so than ever. In this time of crisis, Israelis are asking fundamental questions about the meaning of their lives and of their State. What, they wonder, is the role for the Jewish people in the larger context of the Middle East? How do we understand such profound issues as the appropriate use of power and of restraint, of compromise? What is realism, what is messianism? How do we nurture hope and courage when things look so bleak? These are profoundly Jewish questions. Many Israelis are beginning to understand that in order to meet the challenge of moving forward, they must turn inward to understand more deeply who they are individually and collectively. They need Jewish resources to guide them on this path.
Feeling the lack of any spiritual guidance in this overwhelmingly confusing and frightening situation, many are turning to their teachers and spiritual leaders. 150,000 largely secular Israelis gathered in Rabin Square at the commemoration of Rabin’s fifth yahrzeit, looking for the comfort of community. They heard no Jewish words, only political speeches. What religious voice could speak to these Israelis, who do not, in the main, find their spiritual home in Orthodoxy? There is great need for more Jewishly-informed, spiritually-grounded teachers and leaders. Only a strong movement for Jewish renewal can develop this leadership, which will emerge from among the modern Orthodox, the liberal movements and the secular Jewish study centers.
Furthermore, Israelis will need hope and energy to respond to new political realities. Many people have already experienced the possibility for Jewish expression and community, and will draw on that experience in the coming months. A more vibrant pluralistic Judaism will help undergird the search for peace because of its values of tolerance, respect for differences, and belief in a robust civil society.
The new geo-political reality will not stop the changes in Jewish life that are occuring. There may be slowdowns, obstacles and changes in priorities. But at the end of the day, the civic trend of developing a vibrant, pluralistic Jewish culture will prevail. It is even possible that the crisis will accelerate a deeper interest in spiritual matters.
The following report will show that efforts to re-imagine Israel's Jewish vision are rooted deeply in its history and culture. The Jewish renaissance is not a passing fad that will disappear in the tough times ahead. It is likely that many Israelis will find hope and renewal in this dynamic exploration of their Jewish and Israeli identities.
The Nathan Cummings and the Dorot Foundations are pleased to support the work of the Jewish Renaissance, and to serve as resources for individuals and groups who wish to work in this area.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
What this report calls "the Jewish renaissance" is really a burst of Jewish creativity that has happened in Israel over the last decade, variously called Jewish renewal, revitalization and renaissance. New expressions of Jewish spirituality, new organizations for Jewish renewal, and new venues for expressing Jewish identity have entered the Israeli scene. Some players identify themselves as part of a loosely-organized movement, some not. All share a spirit of Jewish pluralism, and the belief that no one group or ideology holds the key to Israeli Jewish life.
In the wake of momentous social and political changes, Israelis have become more interested in Jewish diversity. The tragic assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 shook all of Israel. For many Israelis, it brought new social realities into focus, and crystallized the need for change. They began to question the exclusively Orthodox definition of Israeli Judaism, and the Orthodox establishment’s political and legal control over Jewish identity.
In this new environment, alternatives to Orthodoxy made headway in Israel, and segments of the Orthodox world also began to change. In greater numbers, Israelis began to engage in text study, explore the Liberal Movements, promote dialogue with other Jews, and pursue other activities that fall generally under the rubric of "Jewish renaissance." These are described in detail below.
The appeal of these activities has until now been limited. Participants have predominantly been a small elite of well-educated Ashkenazi Jews, and seekers alienated from mainstream Jewish life. Happily, there is evidence that this is changing. Israeli society is more open to efforts to revitalize Judaism. And organizations working in this area, now more mature and sophisticated, are interested in extending their influence and in becoming more inclusive.
This is a good time for Jews who care about religious pluralism in Israel to nurture and to support renewal efforts, and to help sustain their growth. As Jewish alternatives develop and flourish in Israel, these new "Israeli" expressions of Judaism will also renew and replenish the Diaspora, bringing community and spiritual meaning to Jewish life in Israel and abroad.
PART I OF THE REPORT IDENTIFIES SPECIFIC PHENOMENA THAT INDICATE SIGNS OF JEWISH REVITALIZATION AND PLURALISM. THEY ARE:
- Acceleration of the "Return to Jewish Books" activities , which have engaged thousands of Israelis, including some influential intellectuals and public figures, in the reexamination of Jewish identity through the study of Jewish texts. This movement is now beginning to move beyond text study. It has spawned large-scale Jewish cultural events, and has begun to use text study in conjunction with activities to further social justice;
- Marked openness to change in a growing sector of Orthodox Jews, who are engaging more directly in modern Israeli life, and who are seeking a meaningful and spiritual Jewish practice. This group is known as the Religious Zionist, or "Modern Orthodox" community, to distinguish it from Orthodoxy at large. Signs of change in this community include the rapid growth of women’s study programs, the emergence of personal forms of religious practice--like meditation, music--alongside traditional prayer, and, generally, a greater comfort and familiarity with secular Israeli life;
- Heightened visibility and influence of the Reform and Conservative Movements. Israelis have become more interested in what these movements have to offer, and are making use of their services: most significantly to mark life-cycle events, holiday celebrations, and educational programs. For the first time, for example, large numbers of Israelis are turning to non-Orthodox rabbis to perform weddings;
- An increase in the quality of dialogue programs between different segments of Jewish Israeli society, particularly between religious and secular Jews who are otherwise segregated by Israel's system of education and social structure;
- Greater integration of "new age" spiritual practices with Jewish spiritual practices, and the dissemination of new rituals through large festivals, alternative life-style communities, alternative publications and new institutions.
PART II IDENTIFIES CURRENT CONDITIONS THAT MAKE ISRAELI SOCIETY MORE OPEN TO JEWISH REVITALIZATION. IT ALSO SHOWS HOW JEWISH REVITALIZATION ORGANIZATIONS ARE GROWING INCREASINGLY SOPHISTICATED. THEY ARE WORKING TO BECOME MORE INCLUSIVE, TO GIVE THEIR WORK NEW DEPTH, AND TO LAY A FOUNDATION FOR THE FUTURE. WHILE THE JEWISH RENAISSANCE IS NOT YET A FEATURE OF PUBLIC DISCOURSE IN ISRAEL, THERE ARE SIGNS THAT THIS MAY BE CHANGING. THESE ARE SOME SIGNS OF CHANGE:
- In Israeli society, there has been a shift in the decades-old balance between religious and secular Jews, and the emergence of a "post-Status Quo" Judaism. This new balance effectively breaks the monopoly of the Orthodox in defining Jewish life.
The changes of the last decade have seen erosion of the collective consciousness and symbols that once bound Israelis together. This raises the possibility that new forms of Jewish culture and activities can meet the need for community and bring Jewish Israelis together.
- In the growing Jewish renaissance, there is a new focus on social responsibility as a catalyst and venue for Jewish identity, as Jewish Israelis examine and work to improve Israeli society.
- Renaissance groups are also beginning to search for a greater symbolic, spiritual expression that is Jewish but also distinctively Israeli, to re-create ritual, traditions and expressions of the search for meaning.
- Artists, writers and journalists are taking an interest in Jewish themes. Popular culture is now an active, fertile ground for exploring Jewish identity.
PART III DESCRIBES THE IMPORTANT ROLE DIASPORA JEWS HAVE PLAYED, AND CAN PLAY, TO FURTHER THE WORK OF RENAISSANCE GROUPS. THE JEWISH RENAISSANCE IS A JOINT PROJECT WITH DIASPORA JEWS. THE DIASPORA JEWISH EXPERIENCE IS AN IMPORTANT MODEL FOR JEWS IN ISRAEL SEEKING CHANGE. THEY FIND INSPIRATION IN ITS DIVERSITY AND CREATIVITY, AND LOOK TO ITS MANY, VITAL GROUPS FOR EXPERTISE AND ADVICE. SOME SPECIFIC PROJECTS FOR NEW PARTNERSHIPS INCLUDE: LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNITY BUILDING, OUTREACH TO JEWS FROM THE FORMER SOVIET UNION AND ENCOURAGING NEW VISIONS OF JUDAISM THROUGH THE ARTS AND POPULAR CULTURE.
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