What is the real meaning of unity in Israel these days? - opinion

Unity, unity, unity – everyone is talking about the phenomenon of togetherness that the horrors of Simchat Torah and the consequent war have unleashed.

You can’t open a newspaper, listen to the news, or scroll through social media without reading about the way the people of Israel have come together to fight for survival.

Indeed, I have written several articles with this theme as the backdrop.

Everywhere you go you see the ubiquitous slogan B’Yachad N’natzeach – Together we will win.

But what are people doing to back up all of this talk in a practical way?

We have seen a surge of love and respect for, and conscription to the IDF from the unlikely source of the Haredi community – and this is welcome and to be applauded. It’s not easy to swim against the tide and join the ranks of what some in your camp see as an “us and them” situation.

At the other end of the spectrum, across the world, Jews who have hitherto not publicly identified as Jews are beginning to realize that they too are part of the “situation” and are beginning to stand up. Stephen Fry, a very famous British entertainment personality who one might assume was about as Jewish as a Christmas tree, put out a Christmas message to the nation stating that he was proudly identifying as a Jew while harshly criticizing the massive rise in antisemitism.

But, there is one quiet initiative that deserves to be brought to the attention of the Jewish – and especially the Israeli Jewish world – which almost symbolizes and personifies this quest for unity.

It is the brainchild of my very good friend and co-founder of Techelet-Inspiring Judaism, Rabbi Dr Ido Pachter, who was, for nine years, the Rabbi of the Young Israel community in Ramat Poleg, Netanya.

Last August, in the heady days of summer, before the nightmare of October 7 began, while the country was still in the grip of division and internal strife brought about by the controversial judicial reforms (who even cares about this right now?), Rav Ido, as he is affectionately known, opened a new beit midrash (study hall). Nothing new about that, you might say –  there are thousands of them up and down the country.

However, this one is different. This is called in Hebrew Beit Midrash Le’Maaseh. It’s a little difficult to translate into English, but basically, it is a group of people, men and women, from literally all walks of Israeli life. They span the entire political spectrum from Left to Right as well as the religious scale from totally secular to ultra-Orthodox. The group also includes Ashkenazi, Mizrachi, new Olim, and native Israelis. 

Everyone comes together around one table, one day a week, discussing and learning together, brainstorming and throwing out ideas. The focus of these discussions is to face the serious and perhaps most important challenge that the Jewish people face all around the world, but most vitally, here in Israel; how to modernize the Jewish way of life, the Halacha, and bring it out of stagnation to give it relevance, meaning, and importance for the lives of everyday Jews.

NOW, I can already hear the traditionalists screaming: “Foul! This is Reform!” And the liberals telling me that this already exists – just come and join us!

But neither of these reactions understands the ethos of Rav Ido, Techelet, and this new Bet Midrash Le’Maaseh, because what is being done here is not making a choice between following Halacha on the one hand, and living in the modern Israeli society on the other hand, it is an attempt to synthesize the two while using every tool available to remain true to the ideals of both. 

Due to various historical processes, the Jewish Halacha has become deep frozen and arrested in its development in recent centuries. It has struggled to deal with the challenge of the dramatic changes that have swept through the world and the people of Israel in particular. 

This can be seen in many areas, such as the status of women, the treatment of minorities in the State of Israel, the way Shabbat is perceived and experienced, the provision of kashrut and other rabbinical services, and more. 

And so, while the State of Israel has led to the renewal and refreshing of the Jewish people in many areas where we are often world leaders and innovators, the Halacha is almost the only area left behind, using the language of previous generations. 

Instead of the Halacha accompanying and leading the people of Israel into the future, in many areas, it appears to hold them back. 

The result is evident, even to those who would prefer not to address it: many Jews are distancing themselves from the world of tradition and Halacha, not because they are non-believers, but because they cannot relate to it in the modern world.

This Beit Midrash seeks to bridge the gaps that have been created and to develop together a contemporary interpretation of the Halacha.

The truth is that this is nothing new; for many centuries the Halacha developed dynamically and adapted to the needs of its particular generation.

This is how the process was meant to be from the start. That’s why we had an oral law as well as a written law – it wasn’t because God ran out of ink! The way traditional Judaism has interpreted Halacha was always subject to interpretation, adaptation, and development, but this stopped with the advent of Reform Judaism because of Newton’s third law, which states that for every action (force) in nature, there is an equal and opposite reaction. 

As Reform Judaism ditched various aspects of Halacha, Orthodox Judaism dug in and retained it with equal force.

Rav Ido’s new venture is destined for criticism from just about all sides. However, it is a breath of fresh air to see Yoav, a Tel-Avivian content coordinator for Amit; Tehila, a doctoral student from Jerusalem who teaches Talmud to haredi women; Aya who teaches and conducts Jewish ceremonies in secular settings, and others, all sitting together and working toward a better and more relevant Jewish future. On display there are kippot and women’s head coverings of all persuasions and some with no kippah and no head covering at all – the beauty in such diversity is a sight to behold.

As Rav Ido puts it: “Our goal is to return the Halacha to an exciting and unique place, a spirit and a vision of values which is relevant and inspiring for the entire people of Israel,” 

This, my friends, is unity – together we will win!

The writer is a rabbi who lives in Ramat Poleg, Netanya, and is a co-founder of Techelet – Inspiring Judaism.