JTS Chancellor Wants 'Frank Talk' on Israel

Washington Jewish Week

May  21, 2009,

Adam Kredo

Israel is no Disneyland, and American Jews do a disservice to the Diaspora when they treat it as such, according to Arnold Eisen, chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Conservative movement's educational arm.

Brief visits to tourist sites in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv fail to reveal the Jewish homeland's complex political and religious landscape, and widen the "growing gap" between the American and Israeli Jewish communities, Eisen told about 50 onlookers last week during a lecture at Adas Israel Congregation in the District.

Instead, American Jews must "get past" Israel's "larger-than-life" image by creating "a different model of engagement," one that bridges the cultural gap between the countries.

With the chasm expanding at what he termed an alarming rate, Eisen urged American Jews not only to forge new connections with their Israeli brethren, but also reclaim their ability to have "frank talk" about Israel's position in the world.

"Frank talk about Israel has just about ceased in the American Jewish community. ... You can't allow Israel to be held up to a standard no other state in the world can live up to," Eisen said from behind the Conservative shul's podium, eliciting a few approving nods from the crowd.

Part of the solution, Eisen said, lies in redefining Zionism.

"My vision of Zionism concerns the whole world" and would avoid exclusivism, Eisen said during the speech, titled "Israel, Zionism and the Next Generation of American Jews."

Speaking of Jews solely as "the chosen people sounds racist and chauvinist -- we're not here just for ourselves," the chancellor said, explaining that as political leaders in Israel, Jews must care for all citizens.

Deuteronomy, Eisen added, provides the most appropriate Zionist framework because it is the sole biblical book that lays out a vision of the Jew as a leader and a provider. Deuteronomy demonstrates that the Jewish people can both "preach nice ideals" and compassionately rule the land, he said.

Eisen also used his bully pulpit to clear the air of "two false statements" ("I'm here to reject them," he declared) typically offered by classical Zionists.

First, the long-held myth that "Jews have no future in the U.S." is not only completely bogus, but "it's a notion of Judaism and Zionism that I find perverse and weak," Eisen said.

To the contrary, he noted, America contains the strongest Diaspora population and provides myriad "spiritual opportunities."

Second, Israel is not a purely secular state.

Judaism and politics are interwoven in Israel, Eisen said, and those who promulgate the opposing view fail to realize that, as a political movement, "Zionism enhances Jews' [ability] to survive in and out of Israel."

It is also critical that American Jews learn to open up about Israel's shortcomings, Eisen warned, both political and religious.

Legitimately, the chancellor said in a subsequent interview via e-mail, American Jews fear "that any criticism of Israel will serve the ends of Israel's enemies. ... But we have to make a distinction between criticism of the policy of a particular government and attacks on Israel as such."

Following Eisen's speech, Sanford Gold, 73, said that fear is not only rampant among American Jews, but leads them to stifle honest dialogue.

"The community doesn't take kindly to comments about Israel from the left or the right, or the Jewish establishment because they're insecure," said the Rockville resident.

Eisen "was talking about having constructive debate, but they're scared of that" because "nobody wants to rock the boat," Gold said.

Rabbi Joshua Ginsberg, 36, also found "truth" in Eisen's criticism.

"Within the organized part of the Jewish community," Ginsberg said, "there is fear of giving aid and comfort to the enemy -- some of the big funders in our community are reluctant to give [money] to [Jewish groups] perceived to be critical of Israel."

Gold wondered why the Jewish community is incapable of having a hard debate about Israel.

Many American Jews, he said, are "apathetic and it's a joke -- they go through the motions for social reasons. ... There's no ruach for Israel."

Washington Jewish Week, May 21, 2009