Like all religions, Judaism seeks to make order out of an
otherwise chaotic and tragic existence which gives each person life and the
ability to think and then abruptly takes it away in a ridiculously short time.
Most religions (at least Western Religions) offer what they consider the true
or best path to the after life for everyone. For Christians this is belief in
Jesus as the Son of God. For Moslems this is belief in Mohammed as the Prophet.
Some of the sub-religions in each of the major religions believe that they have
the real true path as opposed to the other sub-religions. Therefore according
to each religion and even sub-religion, a person would have the best (or in
some cases only) path to Heaven by following the teaching of that religion or
sub-religion, and therefore all people should believe in their teachings. Some
extreme forms of religion believe in killing people who do not accept their way.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (whether you believe them as
historical or mythical people) were tribal leaders and the origin of the Jews
in our Bible. They lived in a time when most people believed in multiple gods
and each culture had its own. Abraham believed there was one God for all
people, but he did not demand one formal religion for everyone. The name
Judaism comes from Judah, one of the sons of Isaac and therefore does not
actually occur until some time after this period. Judaism arose as the religion
of the Jews during or after the time in Egypt. According to Jewish thought, the
Jews (or Hebrews) are a people, and Judaism is the religion of that people. We
Jews are the people who brought monotheism to the world according to our
teachings, and monotheism is the truth for everyone as opposed to polytheism. The
Jewish religion is how Jews worship God, not necessarily how others need to. Other
monotheistic religions are how other people (nations in English, goyim in Hebrew)”, worship the
same God. Judaism is not the track to salvation for everyone. The good news is that
this allows for religious tolerance in Judaism, but the bad news is that it can
mix up religion and nationalism. Possibly the best description of the Jewish
view of being Jewish can be found in the musical play Fiddler on the Roof where
Tevye in speaking to God says, “I know we are supposed to be the Chosen People,
but could you maybe next time choose someone else.”
This mixing up of religion and nationalism is not so much
of a problem for us American Jews. We live in a country that emphasizes
separation of church and state since America’s beginning. This creates
questions in Israel which was founded as a Jewish and democratic state. But
this founding concept creates questions because ¼ of the population are not
Jews, and ½ of the Jews do not practice the Jewish religion. Another
complicating factor is that the state gives management of Jewish religious
matters including the definition of who is a Jew to the Orthodox Jewish
Rabbinical establishment. Other branches of Judaism (e.g. Conservative and
Reform) do not receive the funding that Orthodox Judaism receives.
The definition of who is a Jew depends on who is doing
the defining. Some people would say it refers to only people who practice the
Jewish religion. Others would extend it to people whose ancestors at one time
practiced the Jewish religion. Officially Jewishness conveyed by heredity is
only conveyed by one’s mother being a Jew, but not everyone is so strict about
that. One might say that inherited Jewishness is lost if one converts to
another religion. These details can be accepted or not accepted without great
consequence in the Diaspora but become a matter of identity in Israel where it
takes on a political importance because by law any Jew can enter Israel and immediately
become a citizen. This is inherent in Zionism’s purpose. Some people would
define a Jew as anyone who inherits Jewishness from a father or a mother, and
some might extend it to anyone who is willing to accept and share our identity,
history, and fate.
I think there should be 2 words, one for a person who
practices the Jewish religion and one who is a Jew by sharing our history,
culture, language, and identity. One who is Jewish by religion could be called
a Jew and one who speaks Hebrew and embraces the Jewish culture could be called
a Hebrew whether or not one is a Jew by religion. This view (or at least a
similar view) was espoused by Bernard Avishai in his book, The Hebrew
Republic. There should be more to being a Hebrew than just saying “I am a
Hebrew.” Otherwise any person who wishes to do harm to Israel could say it to
enter. Any Jew as presently defined would be a Hebrew. Being a descendant of
practicing Jews could make a person a Hebrew. Israeli Arabs could be Hebrews if
they take on Hebrew as at least one of their primary languages and recognize
Hebrew (Jewish) culture and history as at least part of their own history and
culture, thereby assimilating at least partially into the general Israeli
culture. Considering himself (or herself) a Hebrew might remove any mixed
emotions an Israeli Arab might feel. Any Hebrew living in Israel would have to
pledge his or her primary allegiance to Israel. The designation of Hebrew would
not automatically apply to Palestinian Arabs outside of Israel (whether or not
it seems fair) because it would change the demography in such a way that would
change the character of Israel. Designating a person who would not qualify as a
Jew under the present definition as a Hebrew would have to be done by the secular
Israeli government on a case by case basis. The reason for all of this would be
to increase Israel’s strength and security by being more inclusive to all its
citizens and by bringing in as many loyal citizens as possible. There are only
so many Jews in the Diaspora and most have no desire to move to Israel.
Inclusivity will push the demographic clock in Israel’s favor, and put it in a
more strategic position whether things evolve into 2 states (Israel and Palestine),
one unified Israel, or a confederation of Israel and Palestine.
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