I heard United States President Donald Trump deliver his July 4th address from Mount Rushmore. A speech peppered with visions of shattered statues, the American revolution and some good history lessons mixed in between. There was a lot of the prerequisite “greatest nation” stuff thrown in for good measure – and much of it rings true.
And yet, I think that I speak for a good number of Israeli and Diaspora Jews when I report feelings of dissonance and distance from the land where I was born and raised.
Because America’s forefathers, as impressive and wise as they may have been, are not my forefathers.
Because the revolution for us Jews occurred when our patriarch Avraham, through his own intellect and introspection, discovered the one unseen God of this world and the universe. Avraham set the standard to see the intangible and to consequently view endless opportunities, possibilities and solutions for the world – an abstract thinking that has set Jews apart and has freed them to dream and to actualize what others deem to be impossible.
Our patriarchs and matriarchs laid the groundwork for revolutionary transformations in a world steeped in child sacrifice, slavery, immorality, injustice and idolatry. Compassion, discipline and truth paved the way for a new world order. And, yes, plenty of mistakes were made along the way. Our chronicles with all of their sins, blemishes and abominable leaders are an indelible part of our journey which we can never erase, but can only strive to rectify and not repeat.
And it’s for this reason that tradition has it that the shards of the first shattered tablets, that Moshe threw (dropped?) as he descended Mount Sinai, were collected and remain in the ark with the whole ones. Because we have a collective obligation to remember. It’s an indelible part of who we are and likely the key to our survival and success as a nation.
We are the original un-statue people. Those who place no value on graven images and those who will never acknowledge a god in the flesh.
So, I felt an innate disconnect upon hearing politician and pastor Mike Huckabee speak, on Fox News, in defense of Jesus statues. That he cited a “Judeo-Christian foundation” while declaring that Jesus “was god in human flesh”, sounded downright incongruous to these ears.
Whether or not the statues of white or multi-colored Jesuses come tumbling down in the US and elsewhere is really not relevant to the Jewish people. This is a part of America’s deteriorating national conversation that we can and should blessedly avoid.
[Far more concerning, and what should be on the Jewish mind, is former governor Huckabee’s open endorsement and involvement with organizations which aggressively proselytize in Israel, such as OneforIsrael.org (a misnomer if there ever was one). There are those who will argue that Huckabee remains a friend of Israel’s vis a vis his political stands and oratory, but he surely has no respect for our native culture and values. And we need to keep that in mind.]
Many of America’s hot-button issues have inconceivably and tragically entangled Jews, both at home and in the Diaspora, in battles involving principles and values which are foreign to us. Caught between a liberalism flirting with anarchy, and a Christian conservatism that’s alien to us, a significant portion of US Jews are a bit unsettled and not quite sure where to place themselves on a two-dimensional spectrum that’s becoming more extreme. But they surely shouldn’t be imposing their confusion and angst on Israel.
Jews, especially in Israel, understand the responsibility to bear arms, but never conceived of it as a right or entitlement. Jewish law does not sanction a total ban on abortion, nor has it ever endorsed abortion on demand. If the tools of Israel’s secret service are needed to track our comings and goings in order to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, then most Israelis will comply with that infraction of privacy in order to save lives. Even the complexities surrounding gender identity issues are far more nuanced within Jewish thought and texts than anyone on either side of America’s political divide could possibly fathom.
The “Judeo-Christian” spillover from American shores has become absolutely toxic and paralyzing for once independent-thinking Jewish leadership in Israel, putting our heritage at risk.
It was expected and intended that the universal spirit of the law and values revealed at Mount Sinai would touch all humanity and resound from Mount Rushmore. But to invite Evangelical Christianity to lay claim to the Temple Mount is inexcusable.
For years it was universally understood that the Temple Mount is the holiest site in Jewish culture and the third holiest site in Islam. The dual claims have made the location one of the most contentious spots in the world. Ironically, it is thanks to Jewish leadership that evangelical Christendom has enthusiastically thrown its hat into the ring – with everyone from mega-pastors to messianics waiting for Jesus to reign on the mount.
Not only are prayers, in the name of Jesus, reverberating from the Temple Mount via organized video conferencing events, but those who currently act as Jewish “custodians” of this scared place are comfortable in proclaiming that “Christianity began on the Temple Mount.”
Under the made-in-the-USA banner of “religious freedoms” the rallying cry is “equal rights on the Temple Mount for all religions.” And it is national-religious Israelis, many of whom returned to Eretz Yisrael from exile in the US, who have largely dismissed the Jewish principles of respect and boundaries in favor of waving the flag of muddled prophecy and messianism.
What these Jewish activists fail to understand is that a spirit and theology of triumphalism characterizes two out of three of the monotheistic faiths vying to be king of the hill. And so “equality” in this case is not only a worthless term, it’s an existentially dangerous one for Israel.
Of course, the theo-political strategy behind this is to hope Israel will assimilate and accept the concept of a liberating “Judeo-Christian” heritage as the answer to a threatening and oppressive “Islamo-fascism.”
Under the guidance and encouragement of certain “Orthodox” Jewish personalities, who have fast-forwarded to end times, even Tisha b’Av has become a Christian-Jewish happening, and a highly commercialized one at that. “Find a 9th of Av Event Near You!” “Interested in Hosting a 9th of Av repentance event in your area?” “Sign up now!” The virtual tour and conference costs $99.
A staggering list of Israeli rabbis, entrepreneurs, educators, and charitable organizations are joining in on the “fun” with Christian outreaches and ministries, many of which do not hide their missionary intentions.
Alas, we can’t even observe our national day of solitude and grief in peace.
It’s a clever game of cultural misappropriation, where Jews find themselves caught in between apologies and apologetics; where Christian-style “restoration” spells emasculation for the nation of Israel.
Mind you, “the Nations’ 9th of Av” event does sport a disclaimer at the bottom of their website: “This event and this organization is not about the evangelizing of Jews. The vision God put forth in Zechariah 8:23 is not about resolving differences in beliefs, but about finding productive ways to “walk together.”
Ironically, some of the greatest rabbinic minds of this generation followed, and continue to hold by, the directives of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, z”l. His classic essay, “Confrontation” dealt with the incommensurability of the Judaic and the Christian, and he used the Yaakov-Esav paradigm to caution against interfaith theological walks together. His essay concludes with the words of another prophet: “”Let all the people walk, each one in the name of his god, and we shall walk in the name of our Lord, our God, forever and ever.” (Micah 4:5)
Before the commencement of the Israel-Evangelical love affair, there was a time when some could argue that political, economic and military assistance from, and cooperation with, the United States had been a source of strength and development for the Jewish state. Despite certain real disagreements and concerns with regards to the direction of US foreign policy, Jerusalem was once able to maintain a relatively comfortable degree of political and cultural autonomy. We were recognized and respected as a democracy with a very individual and unique religious character and mission.
With America in flux, perhaps it’s time we return to our own camp, the one where we own up to our uniqueness and separateness. This will better enable us to free ourselves and position ourselves to respect and set firm boundaries with the Other.
As for Diaspora Jewry, the old dual loyalties dilemma is becoming increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to navigate. Disown the unbearable dichotomy of US partisan politics that prevents the Jewish people from seeking the oneness that our collective soul craves.
When we Jews explore an issue, we know that there are seventy plus angles with which to view that challenge, and we value the debate and relish the possibilities of discovering redemptive solutions for our people.
Let the conversation begin.
