A LETTER TO THE RABBIS
BY DAN BENZVI
THIS IS A LETTER I SENT TO SEVEN RABBIS OF THE SEVEN REFORM CONGREGATIONS HERE IN LAS VEGAS.
I SENT THE LETTER IN ORDER TO START A DIALOGUE.
NEEDLESS TO SAY, I DID NOT RECEIVE EVEN ONE REPLY.
OUR OLD SAGES USED TO SAY: "SILENCE IS LIKE ADMITTING".
DEAR RABBI:
THIS OLD BATTLE IS STILL RAGING IN ISRAEL. ITS CONCLUSION IS UNKNOWN AT THE MOMENT. IT CAN AND PROBABLY WILL RESHAPE JUDAISM AS WE KNOW IT TODAY. THE OUTCOME OF THIS BATTLE IS FAR REACHING AND STRAINED RELATIONS WITH AMERICAN JEWS FOR SOMETIME. ON THE AGENDA IS THE AGE OLD QUESTION: WHO IS A JEW? AS DEFINED BY THE THREE MAJOR FACTIONS OF JUDAISM, ORTHODOX, CONSERVATIVE AND REFORM. THE MAJORITY OF ISRAELI CITIZENS ARE SECULAR. AMONG OBSERVANT JEWS, THE MAJORITY ARE ORTHODOX, WHILE CONSERVATIVE AND REFORM JEWS ARE BOTH SMALL MINORITIES IN COMPARISON.
UP UNTIL ARIEL SHARON FORMED HIS COALITION GOVERNMENT WITHOUT THE MAIN RELIGIOUS ORTHODOX PARTIES, ALL RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS IN ISRAEL WERE MONOPOLIZED BY THE ORTHODOX. THEIR RABBIS WERE SANCTIONING AND PERFORMING MARRIAGES, DIVORCES, AND BARMITZVAS. ABOVE ALL THEY HAD AND STILL HAVE THE FINAL AND SOLE AUTHORITY TO PERFORM CONVERSIONS TO JUDAISM IN THE STATE OF ISRAEL. CONVERSIONS PERFORMED BY CONSERVATIVES OR REFORM RABBIS ARE NOT RECOGNIZED. ON THE OTHER HAND, IF A CONVERSION IS PERFORMED BY A CONSERVATIVE OR REFORM RABBI OUTSIDE OF ISRAEL, IT WILL BE RECOGNIZED IN ISRAEL. THIS LOGIC ESCAPES ME.
REFORM JUDAISM TOOK LIBERALITY TO THE EXTREME. IT NOW SANCTIONS SAME SEX MARRIAGES PERFORMED BY REFORM RABBIS. THE REFORM ORDAIN GAY RABBIS IN FLAGRANT VIOLATION OF GOD'S WORD. (LEVIT. 18:22). ORTHODOX JEWS DO NOT CONSIDER THE REFORM AS JEWS, AT LEAST IN ISRAEL, AS EVIDENCED BY THE MUCH DISCUSSED STATEMENT OF THE ORTHODOX >AGGUDATH HARABBANIM ISSUED IN 1997. THAT STATEMENT SAYS THAT BOTH THE CONSERVATIVE AND REFORM MOVEMENTS ARE AOUTSIDE OF TORAH AND OUTSIDE OF JUDAISM, A STATEMENT CAUSING OUTRAGE AMONG SOME CONSERVATIVE AND REFORM JEWS.
MY POINT IS THIS: THE ACTION THAT THE ORTHODOX WITHIN ISRAEL HAVE TAKEN AGAINST THE CONSERVATIVE AND REFORM HAS THE DANGEROUS POTENTIAL TO CHANGE THE LANDSCAPE AND CAN DESTROY THE FIBERS THAT HOLD JUDAISM TOGETHER. HERE IS A GROUP (ORTHODOX) THAT BY NUMBERS IS A MINORITY IN WORLD JUDAISM, BUT BECAUSE THEY HOLD A MAJORITY IN ISRAEL (NOT A POLITICAL MAJORITY AT THE MOMENT) IS ALLOWING ITSELF TO DICTATE TO OTHERS WHO IS A JEW AND WHO IS NOT. THIS IS A DEPLORABLE ACT THAT INCENSED AND ENRAGED AMERICAN JEWS, THE MAJORITY OF WHICH ARE REFORM.
THE IRONY HERE IS THAT REFORM JUDAISM HAS FOR YEARS CONDEMNED MESSIANIC JUDAISM AND INSIST THAT WE ARE NOT JEWS. FOR YEARS REFORM JOINED OTHERS IN OSTRACIZING MESSIANIC JUDAISM. THEY HAVE DESPISED US AND TOLD THE WORLD THAT WE HAVE A DIFFERENT RELIGION. (SEE REFORM JUDAISM MAGAZINE, WINTER 1996, ARTICLE BY MARK WASHOFSKY, AWHY WE REJECT MESSIANIC JEWS.)
WELL, NOW THE SHOE IS ON THE OTHER FOOT! HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE AN OUTCAST? YOU SEE, TO THE ORTHODOX IN ISRAEL WE MESSIANIC JEWS WHO BELIEVE THAT YESHUA IS THE SENT JEWISH MESSIAH AND YOU REFORM JEWS WHO BELIEVE IN SAME SEX MARRIAGES AND ORDAINING GAY RABBIS ARE THE SAME. REFORM IS TRYING TO GLOSS OVER THE AGGUDATH HARABBANIM STATEMENT. INSTEAD THEY ARE ARGUING THE STATEMENT: DOES NOT SAY THAT REFORM AND CONSERVATIVE JEWS ARE NOT JEWS. (THIS) STATEMENT DOES NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT JEWISH STATUS... STATUS AS A JEW HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT YOU BELIEVE; IT IS SIMPLY A MATTER OF WHO YOUR PARENTS ARE. WELL, HALLELUJAH! ONE CAN THAN CONCLUDE THAT A JEW CAN REMAIN A JEW WHILE BEING COMPLETELY OUTSIDE OF JUDAISM. SO WHAT MAKES US NON JEWS AND WHAT MAKES THE REFORM JEWS?
IN LIGHT OF ALL THIS I ASK REFORM TO RECONSIDER THEIR POSITION ON MESSIANIC JUDAISM. NOT ACTING AS SUCH WILL BE CONSIDERED HYPOCRISY, AND REFORM WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ASK FOR ANY CONSIDERATION FROM THE ORTHODOX.
RABBI, THERE ARE NOT MANY OF US AROUND, WE NEED TO UNITE NOT SEPARATE. LET'S HAVE A CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE.
BLESSINGS,
DAN BENZVI