The Zionist Dream Is Endangered

Today is the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. Tisha B’Av marks the destruction of the Temple. In 70 CE the Romans destroyed the Temple, leveled Jerusalem, and exiled our people from the land of Israel. Our hopes for a restoration of Jewish sovereignty became the stuff of messianic hopes, heartfelt prayers, and far off dreams.

That is until the nineteenth century when Zionists began arguing that we should no longer wait for a messiah but take matters into our own hands. We began to return to the land of Israel first in small numbers and then in great waves of immigration. And a mere seventy-five years ago, our dream was realized. The State of Israel was born. Our sovereignty restored.

This week is filled with sadness for the Jewish people. The Zionist dream is in peril. Our sovereignty corrupted. A Jewish and democratic State of Israel is in danger.

For months (29 weeks and counting!) countless Israelis have protested against the government’s proposal to overhaul the judicial system. The majority agree that the system is in need of reform, but they oppose the government’s proposals. The coalition’s recent vote to eliminate the “reasonableness” doctrine and its future proposals to exert even more control over the Supreme Court will erode Israel’s democratic character.

A democracy requires an independent judiciary. Absent a constitution, Israel’s judges serve as the only check against government officials’ power. This is why a majority of Israelis oppose Prime Minister Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul. In essence they trust the justices more than they have faith in Netanyahu and his coalition partners.

Rabbi Daniel Gordis notes, “The political crisis in Israel is no longer about being in favor of the judicial reform the Netanyahu government pledged to enact, or about opposing it. It is no longer about law; it is about the almost complete erosion of any trust millions of citizens have in the government.” (The Atlantic)

Too many in Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, most especially the ultra-Orthodox partners and the zealous settler radicals (what else should one call someone like Itamar Ben-Gvir who the Israeli army rejected because of his racist extremism?) care little for Israel’s founding democratic principles. Make no mistake, their actions are not about putting forward a slightly controversial bill, but instead about changing how Israel is governed. They think little about guaranteeing the rights of minorities.

Democracies are not so much about majority rule but instead about ensuring the rights of all citizens. They are about protecting dissenters with as much vigor as rulers. Listen to the words of Menachem Begin, the founder of Netanyahu’s own Likud party, “We have learned that an elected parliamentary majority can be an instrument in the hands of a group of rulers and act as camouflage for their tyranny.” (The Israel Democracy Institute)

This is why air force pilots have been heard saying they will not serve a dictatorship. The government’s actions threaten Israel’s security. Its security is built first and foremost on unity, most especially between the government’s leaders and the IDF’s commanders.

When the Temple was destroyed the rabbis turned inward. They did not blame the Romans as much as they castigated themselves for their own demise. They told a fanciful story about how the wrong person received a party invitation and showed up to the festivities only to discover that he was unwanted. The host had him forcibly removed. The other party goers, including the rabbis in attendance, stood by and did nothing. (Babylonian Talmud, Gittin 55b)

In his anger the unwanted guest went straight to the Roman authorities, spinning tales of how the Jews conspired against them. He set a trap for his fellow Jews to convince the Romans of the Jews’ disloyalty. The trap hinged on a matter of Jewish law. Unable to see beyond the strictures of their tradition, Jewish leaders chose to offend the authorities rather than compromise their halachah. The Romans became enraged when the offense was uncovered. And they did what Romans did.

Jerusalem was destroyed.

What was the name of the unwanted party goer? Bar Kamza. And the name of the friend who was supposed to get the invite? Kamza. The differences between a Kamza and Bar Kamza, between a friend and enemy are small indeed. The tale makes clear. There were so many opportunities for compromise. There were so many missed opportunities to avoid disaster.

This can be a moment for introspection and repair. The rabbis understood that we are one people. They taught that when we fight among ourselves, we leave the door open for our destruction. They believed that our tragedy was sown by sinat chinam, baseless hatred between Jews.

The enemy can be us.

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!” (Psalm 122)