One Reservation

Submitted by John W McGinley (United States), Jul 22, 2008 at 13:08

Your article was depressing because, except for one reservation which I will mention below, it was so trenchant, accurate and insightful. 2000 is indeed a good marker for a turning point in Israel's history. There is much malaise in the country and there is in the land an ever-declining sense of national unity and purpose as ever-narrowing sub-groups use living in "erets Israel" for their narrow agenda. Nor did the mid-seventies decision to "liberalize" the Law of Return help matters. As is evident this proved to be a diluting factor in Jewish identity which is haunting Israel today.

The fact of the matter is that the situation will only grow worse until -- somehow -- living in the land of Israel becomes inseparable from living an active and vibrant life committed to the pactice of Judaism as a religion. But no-one wants to admit this. Orthodoxy, on principle, holds the key to the solution. But virtualy the full spectrum of Orthodoxy -- Khassidic and non-Khassidic alike -- is plagued by a culture of intellectual dishonesty so entrenched that it makes Seculer Jews look pretty good.

Still, the nswer lies neither in Secular Judasim nor in Reform/Conservative/Reconstructionist oreientations. All three of these Movements are populated by Jews who see themselves as "children of the Enlightenment" who happen to be of Jewish pedigree rather than, first, last, and always, "children of the Covenant." The answer and hope will come from the ranks of Orthodoxy or it won't come at all. Young, courageous, and intelligent voices from Orthodoxy -- willing to face some degree of ostricism from the embedded Ortodox centers of power -- are needed and called for. Are there any such voices? Where are teh Elijah's of today hiding out?

I do beg to differ with your inclusion of the Gaza evacuation as part of the syndrome which you, otherwise, so accurately described. To be sure, a post-evcuation Israel led by Ariel Sharon himself would have been different than what actually occurred. Still, it was and remains the right decision. The Gaza, the land of the Philistines Biblically, was never really part of Israel. The sooner Israel extracted itself from the Gaza the better. Even with all the troubles post-evacuation -- poorly managed by the post Sharon government -- Israel is better off being out of the Gaza.

Thank-you for your time and attention. John W. McGinley

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