Israeli newspapers have recently reported the disturbing
plans of
Dr. Yossi Beilin, the new justice minister. Beilin said: "I
think
the fact of our being forced to accept halocho as our
laws
of matrimony is extremely grave. I cannot tolerate this. I
cannot
accept or adjust to this." Among other things Beilin
denounced
the halochos of chalitza and yibum. He
is aware
of it being difficult to induce changes in matrimony laws,
"but
I will try. I will try to do something to allow an additional
course."
The Torah-true are naturally alarmed at hearing of any hint
or remark
about an attempt to interfere with this sensitive topic. It
is a matter
of general knowledge that the halochos concerning
matrimony
and the purity of yichus are the foundations of our
existence.
Any breach in this area is likely to cause endless damage.
Without
carefully observing these rudimentary values, a terrible
split is
liable to be formed in Klal Yisroel. The result would
be that
families and entire populations would never be able to
intermarry.
Actually Beilin's comments are solely the feelings and
opinion of
an extremist and, for now, marginal minority. The great
majority of
Jews living in the Holy Land want to observe their ancestors'
tradition
and guide their lives in these matters strictly according to
halocho.
This large group would never agree that Beilin utilize his
role as
justice minister to alter these or other issues pertaining to
the
infrastructure of our existence and yichus, matters
for which
the Jewish Nation sacrificed their lives in the past.
However, apart from concern about actual interference, we
should listen
to the messages hidden in those remarks. After examining them
carefully
we reach the conclusion that Beilin's comment was not just a
slip
of the tongue. They show his well-defined approach and
characterize
his beliefs and that of his colleagues in the Leftist
movements. Also,
even if these views are not common in Israel, they probably
do come
close to the views of many secular and Reform Jews outside of
Israel.
Beilin disclosed his position in his book The America
Uncle's
Death -- Jews in the 21st Century that appeared last year
and
was published by Yediot Achronot. In part of this book
he critically
analyzes the image of Theodore Herzl, the visionary of
Zionism, while
cynically scorning accepted historical tenets. Beilin,
however, devotes
the main part of his book to unveiling his ideological
doctrines.
He begins by clarifying his belief that Judaism is in no way
superior
to other religions. His own connection to Judaism is simply
"because
I was born that way." He feels "there is no rational analysis
that could persuade someone that Jewry is better than another
nation."
Beilin's only need to express his Judaism in any way is when
he must
display some alternative, something that happens when faced
with another
identity he is forced to contend with. "When a Catholic
brings
home a Christmas tree, you feel compelled to light the
Chanukah lantern."
He therefore concludes that in many aspects our self-
definition is
negative: "Since Arabs live around me, since Catholics live
around
me, I must strengthen my Jewish identity. It is reasonable to
suppose
that were we surrounded by people of no significant national
or religious
awareness, we would not develop our own culture."
Since his entire Judaism is expressed only in that "I was
born
that way" Beilin declares that the only reason he does not
stop
being a Jew is because it would harm his identity, "and
because
there is no element in my surroundings that would accept me
better
if I would change my identity." According to his philosophy
in
life, his weltanschauung, Judaism is a sort of "club
for
friends" whose only aim is preserving its own existence.
"Our `club' is greatly interested that the Jewish Nation
continue.
We have been fervently searching for a decade for ways to
preserve
this nation. Without such a future there is today no
significance
in carrying on with the club . . .. For an exceptionally long
period
it simply served as an ordinary `parent-teacher association.'
All
Jews who belonged to that `club' or to that `school' lived
according
to a similar lifestyle and were concentrated in communities.
All you
needed to do was to pass the torch from one generation to the
other
and to retell stories of the past to ensure continuity. In a
world
where most Jews are not Torah observant, do not live
together, and
are exposed to non-Jewish mates, this PTA's job becomes much
more
difficult. In the twenty-first century the goal demands
exceptionally
great creativity."
Later in his book Beilin suggests what he considers
"creative"
solutions. First he explains why he cannot behave like his
forebears
concerning intermarriage. He believes that only religious
people can
easily assert their preservation of Judaism because of Divine
decree.
But when secular Jews decide to marry non-Jews "the Jewish
Nation's
PTA has no argument to convince them against their marriage.
As liberal
people who believe in equality of the human race the
pretension of
separating those who feel an affinity to each other only
because of
their different religion is revolting."
Beilin is aware that intermarriage to an increasing extent
might put
an end to the existence of the Jewish Nation. In such a case
"many
of us will say what Hitler did not succeed in doing, liberal
western
society education completed." He indicates that Israel is the
only place in the world where a secular Jew is not bothered
with the
question of whether or not his grandchildren will remain
Jewish. This
is only because of the prevailing conditions in our
environment and
not because of a deeper Jewish recognition. "A large and
homogeneous
Jewish community exists in Israel to a degree that promises
marriages
between Jews to an extent that makes western [type]
intermarriages
a marginal occurrence." Reality of life and the makeup of the
Israeli population allows "secular life without giving up the
availability of a Jewish mate." For this reason Beilin
prefers
to engage in the problem of the Jew in Diaspora.
He fails to consider that in essence the problem exists even
in Israel
since the generation growing up here can "potentially
assimilate"
but does not do so since it has the "availability of a Jewish
mate." Since Beilin does not live with emunah and
lacks
the recognition of the Jewish Nation's unique status as a
chosen people,
he is only disturbed with the practical aspect: the fear that
the
"club" might crumble. For this reason his "creative"
solutions focus on preserving the "club" by changing the
criteria
of joining the Jewish Nation and removing "restrictions and
limitations"
that to him seem superfluous.
Based on the above, Beilin concludes that, "If our aim is to
reduce
restrictions within the Jewish Nation and allow as many Jews
as possible
to live, work, and study in more than one place, Israel must -
-
perhaps earlier than most of us figure -- make a painful
analysis
and change two basic conditions: 1) Abolish religious
matrimonial
laws. 2) Cancel the Orthodox monopoly. We as Israelis are
obliged
to change these two things since they are the greatest
division between
us and most Jews in the world."
According to his vision: "Couples about to be wed would just
sign
a marriage registry, and then they could be divorced in a
similar
way. Someone who wants to, and of course we are referring to
all religions,
can choose to add any religious ceremony." Beilin asserts,
"Practically,
I do not foresee a real problem with the change although
there would
be an exceptionally noisy protest from the Orthodox in
Israel. This
is the way to expand the definition of being Jewish and not
limit
it. The Zionist Movement has no reason to distance Jews who
consider
themselves and act like Jews only because they were converted
in a
Conservative or Reform framework or were born to mothers
converted
in such a way. I will later discuss the possibility of
defining someone
as a Jew beyond the existing movements."
Beilin has a plan for enlarging the Jewish Nation through a
quick
and easy acceptance of non-Jewish marriage partners and any
non-Jew
who decides to define himself as "Jewish."
"These people who are near Jews and want to be designated as
Jews
must receive the right to join the Jewish Nation as a result
of their
self-definition. I can see a condition in which a certain
person who
is not a Jew but does not identify himself as belonging to
another
religion, will turn to his local Jewish community and ask
them to
enroll him as a community member. That community can request
the recommendation
of two Jewish members, as is standard practice in joining any
public
movement or club, and if it is convinced that he honestly
wants to
join and has a relevant reason for joining, it will enroll
the new
Jew in its membership without any religious ceremony. If the
new member
wants to have a Reform marriage ceremony, the Reform Movement
would
demand he perform a Reform conversion. The same is true about
the
Conservative and Orthodox Movements. He would decide whether
or not
he wants to, but as far as the Jewish community is concerned
he would
be considered a Jew according to his self-definition."
The Justice Minister also hopes that in the near future
secular Jewry
will be regarded as a Jewish "movement" alongside the
existing
"movements."
"This movement is likely to be the largest. It can develop a
secular
conversion procedure as an additional option -- together with
self-definition
-- to one's being accepted into the secular movement in the
Diaspora
or in Israel."
The ideas of "self-definition" and "secular conversion"
will, according to Beilin's beliefs, solve the problem of
assimilation
in the simplest fashion. "If this approach is accepted the
exclusive
conception will be transformed into an inclusive one that
opens doors.
I do not think it possible to reverse the Jewish Nation's
shrinking
through definition alone, but doubtless part of this problem
arises
because not everyone who sees himself as being Jewish is
considered
so by religious elements. It is exclusively the religious
elements
who define the number of Jews and in the twenty-first century
there
is no reason for that to be so. I am convinced that if my
approach
to self-definition will be practiced -- though it must cause
a
psychological revolution, and is not at all simple -- we will
be
a greater and more appealing nation."
We quoted at length from Beilin's book to
show that
this process is well rooted in his and his colleagues'
convictions.
Every Jew connected to Torah and emunah considers such
remarks
as a terrible threat on the Jewish Nation's existence, and
awakens
disquieting associations of the spiritual Holocaust the
Reform wreaked
on entire communities in foreign lands. However, the absurd
is that
secular militant elements and those of the heretical
movements portray
themselves as "saving" Jewry in our generation and try to
suggest "solutions" for the Jewish Nation's problem of
continuity.
Is there a danger of assimilation? The solution is as simple
as ABC:
Let us proclaim that all non-Jews in mixed marriages and all
children
from a non-Jewish mother are "Jews." They will be considered
Jews because of their "self-definition" or "secular
conversion"
and the problem of assimilation will be eliminated. Why
didn't anyone
think of this before?
In the winter of 5756 (1996) in the Yated Ne'eman we
published
a series of articles in which we revealed chapters in the
history
of the Zionist Movement. The heads of that movement did not
regard
assimilation and mixed marriages as being a contradiction to
the Zionist
vision and the identity of the "new Jew." Some hundred years
after these delusive ideas were disposed of in history's
garbage can,
and some offspring of these "prophets'" offspring have
integrated
among non-Jews, Yossi Beilin suddenly suggests a much more
extensive
version of assimilation in a way that would cause a breach in
the
purity of am Yisroel's yichus, and would define
millions of
100% non-Jews as Jews.
End of Part I
