I began writing this a day ahead - and have thought about it more and edited it some today on the 6th and then I've published it here. AND then - it may be the source of other writings elsewhere. Herein are one or more of THE controversies of my days...
ONE:
A THOUGHT - Creative ...NEW: In the United States we Jews might do well to begin a new movement to add to Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstruction, other... The NEW movement would be called The Liberal Movement. - although this IS a name often associated with Reform. That association is very strong in England although it is currently fading into a movement to be known there as The Progressive Movement.
Perhaps another word instead of Liberal might be found HOWEVER ---- too often and in too many spheres of groupings of people the word "liberal" is considered a negative! Where are the US political liberals? We have conservatives and progressives but to be a liberal is often, it seems to me, a negative/bad thing. I DIFFER!!! Being LIBERAL is (w)right-on! It is definitively inclusive and thoughtful and wondrous. It is modern and it is immediately humane.
The sense of "liberal" might be well described and asserted as a way of being and places to be where all people are accepted and where understanding and acceptance is all on radically solid ground. It is a bit passive and thus differs from those who actively want things to be different - either by going backwards to some sort of utopia or forward to some other kind of utopia. While it has been said (Oscar Wilde) that a map without a land of utopia listed is not worth having as a way to see the world... the reality for most poeple is -WE ARE ALL HERE AND NOW... generally! So many people do not really travel very far from home - either as tourists or emmigants/immigrants. A "liberal" place would be ACCEPTING.. People could come and go. People could return to the past or build a future - of their choosings in an environment which would be curious and wondering and supportive. Yes - support neighbors who leave or new people who arrive. Yes support rituals from the past and spirituality of the present and visions of the future.
AHHH... LIBERALS!! For Jews -- no more "wandering" but living in our places in peace with all others. "Others" would be full of wonders rather than sources of anxiety.
Some details for USA Jewish Liberals... Rabbinical - or better yet a Talmud-based Judaism.
Places for Zionists - this is currently a significant issue! and places for non-Zionists (??? anti-Zionists")
A place for Rabbinic Jews and non-Rabbinic Jews (Karaites) and others... as well as non-deists/atheists who are culturally Jewish. And?? Messianich Jews?? (wasn't one of the two young people recently killed a Messianic Jews?). AND??? - Jews-for-Jesus???
Places in sanctuaries where men and women can sit together AND where they can sit separately, too.
Places to eat where foods are kosher, kosher style (non-kosher certified meats and other foods), and non-kosher (no pork or shellfish but yes to cheeseburgers and meat not slaughtered by a Shochet).
Hebrew and English (and other vernaculars) used - perhaps simultaneously.
Varieties of music
Various behaviors allowed that might not be accepted in some other movements - such as writing notes and making electical sparks, etc...
Celebrate old and new holidays.
Matrilineal AND Patrilineal descent accepted!
MORE???
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TWO:
All above began as I was thinking about how we Jews can address the issues of the war between Israel and Hamas... or is the war against Gaza or against Gazans or against Palestinians? The way Jews can address what is going on now for almost two years is fraught with severe difficulties relative to humanitarian aspects. It is really difficult, if not wrong, to work towards ethnic cleansing which is different from genocide. What is happening is not genocide and ethnic cleansing need not be happening HOWEVER -- Hamas/Gazans have authorized ethnic cleansing and genocide against Israelies and Jews and so we have a situation of potentially reciprocal mass destruction. And there is the Goliath vs David scenario which in the 1950's was the Arab Goliath vs the Israel David but is now reversed and Israel seems to be the big Goliath and Gazans are the little David. The analogy is not right when we look at the history of that picture and the original Goliath was part of an aggressive nation while Israel both as a little David and a big powerful Davis is fighting a defensive war.
How do Jews demonstrate? How can we raise banners supporting the defense of Israel when Israel appears to be more powerful? Why are the hostages held by terrorists also holding all Jews hostages to accusations of the response to Hamas being too much! What mathematics allows terrorists to carry on aggressions with relative immunity ... as long as their rockets are ineffective and few Israelis are killed. Before the massacre of Oct. 7th, 2023 - who lived in fear? Gazans were not attacked regularly while rockets, etc ... were rained on Israel daily! It was fear that required Israellis to live with bomb shelters and to to them regularly. The underground tunnels Hamas built were not for defense but were used to mount offensives at Israel. They were not to protect Gazans but there were meant to be bases for aggression. The destruction of those tunnels and the deaths of so many people who live near those tunnels and other infrastructures used for aggression is both necessary to do and hard to look at as destruction is not comfortable to see.
We rather see growth and production and building up. I hope someday Gaza will be able to build and live... And there is the connundrum for all Jews, Israelis, and peoples of the world... How do we stop the destruction and get to the building?
At the base of the issue is power and hate. When Arabs thought they had the power they attacked Israel. Now when Israel has power Arabs want peace. The HATE persists and I would say it started more on the Arab side but now may be on the Israeli side. At the beginning - Israelis and Jews may have had disrespect for Arabs ... maybe not... but hate was not included in the hearts of Jews.
NOTE: it is VERY difficult to separate the people known as Israeil from people known as Jews. In some cases the two are absolutely the same and sometimes not however a general, popular, simple view is that Jews and Israelis are one and so anti one is easily anti the other and thus we come to ANTISEMETISM!
It has not mattered historically if Jews were good or bad or strong or weak or poor or rich -- no matter what Jews were subjected to oppressive laws and feelings everywhere. The most egrisious examples may have been not in the United States but even here there were convenants against Jews living or working or playing or learning in lots of elite places.. Things may seem good, better, the best now -- but not really! Appearances are often deceaving and just as racism is hidden the hate of Jews is hidden, too. Jews may be able to hide themselves from scrutiny more easily then people of color but when "outed" things are as bad for Jews as they are for other "others".
THE PROBLEM for soooooo many is RIGIDITY. The great divides in politics and society is enforced, solidified by the opinions we rigidly hold. Change is difficult! Our opinions and holding to them make us who we are... and give us and others certainties... and certainty and the security that comes with certainty is what makes us COMFORTABLE... and who doesn't want to be comfortable.
ADDITIONALLY - ???? - no more today, probably... Tomorrow is Shabbat and if I write it will be in the evening after morning services, lunch w/Sarah relative to Father's Day, a drink, and finally a Chorus program in Berkeley at Freight and Salvage... Looking forward to it!!!!
