Freie Jüdische Umschau / International

THE JEWISH CHARACTER OF ISRAEL

The Problem

The religious Zionist community has a proud history of integrity and commitment as a full partner in building the State of Israel, but today--more than ever--the majority of the religious Zionist community is entrenched in the extreme right, so far from the center of Zionism that it seems marginal, at best, to the majority of Israelis.

As religious Zionists, we are deeply concerned that many sectors of Israeli society are ignorant of and alienated from their Jewish and Zionist heritage. In its stead, a shallow cultural life is developing in Israel, bred by the most common elements of a Western consumer-oriented style of life.
The rejection of religious Jews and Judaism that has spread in the wake of the murder of Prime Minister Rabin has strengthened this potentially disastrous trend. Judaism must be the foundation of Israel if Israel is to remain a Jewish State, and only a Jewish foundation can secure the bond that ties Israelis to the Jews of the Diaspora.

Four Key Themes

Meimad considers it urgent that all Israelis concerned about the lack of Jewish content in our society join forces and begin speaking seriously to each other. We propose that the following elements be included in building the Jewish cultural foundation on which Israeli society will continue to develop:

1. The values of inter-personal morality as reflected in visions of the prophets of Israel
2. Identification with the Jewish people and its national history
3. Knowledge of the basic texts of Jewish culture of all ages
4. Jewish holiday and life-cycle celebrations

Persuasion, Not Coercion

Meimad does not consider Knesset legislation to be the best means of strengthening Jewish identity. Rather than expending efforts on the political maneuvering necessary to force religious legislation on a non-religious Knesset, Meimad works to promote general support for a public policy that channels national resources to strengthen the people's tie with Jewish heritage, through the educational system, cultural life, and media.

Meimad - POB 8067 Jerusalem 91080 Tel:+972 2 612240 Fax:+972 2 612340
© Copyright Meimad - Rav Yehuda Amital - Rabbi Michael Melchior

BASIC POSITION: THE PEACE PROCESS

We supported Mr. Peres for Prime Minister because of our long-standing support of the Oslo Accords and the peace process, as well as evidence of our view that commitment to Torah does not imply support for one particular political stance. The monolithic support of the religious parties for Binyamin Netanyahu, and the nature of the campaign material implied it was a religious imperative for every observant Jew to vote for the right wing. This made Meimad's position all the more important as a message to religious Zionists.