Survey says...

[eumelia]

According to a survey conducted by the Conservative/Masorati movement in Israel:

Eighty-seven percent of the public believe that nominal gender equality is entirely justified, and 54% claim that Jewish tradition discriminates against women — this according to a survey conducted by the Masorti (Conservative) Movement in Israel this week on the occasion of the organization's 30th birthday.

However, according to the article, only 24% of seculars would attend synagogue more often if partition were removed. In the article they make it sound like seculars should and could be going more often to synagogue.
Isn't the point of secularism that people don't go to worship an entity, the existance of which is under constant debate?

Israel at the moment is ruled by Orthodoxy, never mind if they're Haredim, Hasidim, black kippah or knitted kippah. Orthodoxy rules and everything more progressive than Tradition! as Tuvia* like to proclaim is deemed unauthentic at the very least. Some Orthodox Rabbis even go so far to call Reform Jews worse than gentiles, this is assuming they know the difference between the progressive movements which most Israeli religious or not, don't.

My family has been a member of the Conservative Shul in our town ever since we came on Aliyah and though the participation has lessened due to us kids growing up and moving away (or just not caring as the case may be with me) we still go there on the High Holidays and sit together as a family.

I the first time I went into a synagogue that wasn't my family's and was absolutely shocked at the fact that I had to go upstairs to the Ezrat Nashim** and be away from the actions. People were shocked that I was shocked, didn't I know anything about Tradition!

The wonderful thing about Judaism, or at least that was always how I thought about it, is its pluralism and the fact that tradition evolves and changes to suit the times, there's a reason Judaism survived for so long. It's adaptability, or more the the point the willingness of the people who practice it to change with the times.
At least some of the people.

Israel is very much behind the Diaspora when it comes to the Progressive streams of Judaism. People view Conservative and Reform here as the same, they've never heard of Reconstructionist or Renewal, which i knew nothing about until I live in the US for a while.

There are Women rabbis, but they're not allowed on the Religious Council, marital law is tightly controlled by the Rabbanut, the Israeli Rabbinical council, where the signing of the Ketubah*** is still required as is the immersion of the bride in the mikveh****.
My sister got married through the Rabbanut and told me it was a horrible process.
My other sister got a civil marriage, which one can only get outside of Israel, though divorce is still only through the Rabbanut and they are known to not give a divorce on certain occasions.
Weddings conducted by Conservative or Reform Rabbis in Israel have no legal standing, which is ridiculous because according to Jewish law all you need is two people as a witnesses and an item worth more than a pruta (penny) and you're married in "the eyes of GD" obviously. fixed in editing.

So yeah, Israel has it's problems in regard to its "national" religion.

*From "Fiddler on the Roof".
**Women's section.
***Marriage contract in which the new husband "aquires" the wife from the brides father.
****A purification pool of constantly moving water.

Comments

[apemanmaldonado.livejournal.com]

Thanks for answering, it was very helpful. I've been reading more and sad as it sounds for most of my 25 years I thought there was only the regular secular Jews and Orthodox Jews. I'm just amazed that I never noticed how many different groups there are. I can only imagine how much of a pain the marriage and divorce laws must be in Israel, especially for those who aren't Orthodox. Thanks again for answering, I enjoy reading your entries, they are refreshing after I sometimes read a blog by a Kahane supporter.

One last question if you don't mind, why is it you think the secular majority hasn't managed to do something about all the Orthodox laws?

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

#1 Because the leadership feels it will interfere with Israel's Jewish identity.
#2 Because the Religious and/or Nationalist members of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) have a large electoral base which don't see anything wrong with the religious nature of marriage (and other religion based) laws in Israel.
#3 The majority of the people in Israel, while very politically savvy and have opinions on everything under the sun are also quite apathetic, understandingly so, we've been disappointed so many times by the leadership it doesn't seem worthwhile to try and change something that will most likely be ignored anyway.