Open Torah
"Modern Orthodoxy" is an embattled position in Israeli life today, struggling for its very survival. Whether one likes the term or not (I prefer "Open Torah"), what it stands for is under vicious attack from every quarter: From the vehement opposition of leading Religious Zionist rabbis to the institutional hostility of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate and its local representatives (usually chareidi) in the cities and towns of Israel. Meanwhile, the general population remains apathetic while local Jewish community life and culture are commandeered by those who are antithetical to its values.
The wider Israeli public—secularists, "traditional" Jews, and more than a million Russian-speaking immigrants—would benefit immensely from local, first-hand models of community life that are deeply committed to Torah and mitzvot, but at the same time are warm, welcoming and highly tolerant, striving to take full part in Israeli society, and opening their homes to a heterogenious population, making themselves available to all of Am Yisrael on a personal level. In short, Israel desperately needs Modern Orthodox Outreach Communities in its cities and towns. The essays listed on this page are about this problem and what can be done about it.
The Open Jewish Community
A proposal for creating Modern Orthodox Outreach Communities in the cities and towns of Israel. This essay was published in Makor Rishon (now the leading newspaper in the Religious Zionist world) on Erev Shabbat Hol Ha-Moed Sukkot, 5766.
This is the most important essay on this page; all the rest is commentary.
Download (pdf): עברית | English | Русский
Download (doc): עברית | English | Русский
Makor Rishon (image): PDF | DjVu (viewer)
Rabbanut Bli Ta`am
"Rabbanut Bli Ta'am: The Anti-Democratic Structure of Synagogue Life in Israel" (2009) tells the negative side of the story. It explains the harsh legal, political, and ideological realities that make "The Open Jewish Community" (above) so rare and so desperately needed in Israel's cities and towns. The essay takes on the anti-democratic nature of the official local rabbinate in Israel's cities and towns, as well as in the movement for Garinim Torani'm (local Zionist community kollels in Israel).
Download in English: PDF | ODT | DOC
This was the featured article (May 2009) at the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals website (discussion); due to appear in Conversations.
A Hebrew version of Rabbanut Bli Ta'am was published in De'ot 45 (December 2009):
Normal People in Normal Places
"Normal People in Normal Places: A Plea for Change in Religious Zionism" (2003) is about two severe failings of Israeli Religious Zionism:
The physical and social isolation of Religious Zionist communities (especially the most open-minded and tolerant ones, which paradoxically tend to live in all-religious settlements or segregated neighborhoods).
The pseudo-chareidi Torah culture that dominates today's "Zionist" yeshivot and the Religious Zionist rabbinic leadership.
The final part of the essay suggests "Open Torah" as an alternative path for Religious Zionism, as opposed to social isolation and chareidi nationalism.
Download (pdf): English | עברית
Download (doc): English | עברית
An abridged version of this article (missing part 3 entirely) was published in Tzohar (17), the premier Torah journal of the Religious Zionist rabbinate.
Be forwarned! I wrote this essay in great anguish, and that is reflected in its exaggerated verbosity and negativity. Later on I tried to do teshuvah for my negative tone by taking the same painful experiences that made me write this essay, and using them as a motivation to formulate a new, positive alternative in a short programmatic article called The Open Jewish Community (see above).
Also note that this essay was written in the winter of 5762, just before the current "Zionist Teshuvah Movement" suddenly began in full force. So the need to do outreach was vividly recognized right after my essay pointed the utter lack of it in Religious Zionism (obviously not because of my essay but for other reasons), and that is a very good thing. Unfortunately, the type of outreach being practiced by these "Zionist" teshuvah groups is not at all "Open Torah" but rather one that is chareidi in outlook despite the knitted kippot on people's heads. For what truly open and tolerant Religious Zionist outreach might look like, see "The Open Jewish Community" (above).
From Germany to Israel
A short essay (2003) on the ludicrous practice sending Religious Zionist rabbis and teachers who speak Russian to serve as community leaders in Europe, rather than helping them create communities in Israel, where most Russian-speaking Jews already live. The lack of interest in attracting Russian-speaking families into our communities and schools is the ultimate example of how Religious Zionism is utterly disconnected from Israeli society.
The segment of Israeli society that is potentially the most open to Modern Orthodoxy is precisely the Russian-speaking immigrant families. But that is on condition that our communities and schools be open, tolerant, and strive for excellence in secular and academic spheres as well as in Torah. It also depends on our communities being where the general populace lives.
Note that the fundraising material on this page is out-of-date; read it out of interest, not to contribute. This appeal was written in the summer of 5763 in order to bring a Russian-speaking Religious Zionist family to Karmiel for the very first time (which actually happened in 5764). My wife and I thank those who contributed at the time. Our local efforts in Karmiel have continued, and today there is a wonderful family doing outreach work from an "Open Torah" perspective.
On the phrase "Open Torah"
Remains to be written....
Open Content License
All material on this webpage is copyright © 5772 (2011) by Seth (Avi) Kadish.
Unless otherwise noted, all contents available here may be copied and modified freely
according to the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
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