Pluralism in Holon

April 25, 2010 - 11:44 AM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, education, General, History and Culture, Holidays, Israeliness, Life, Religion 

The annual Adloyada Purim parade in Holon

From my narrow perspective, it seems that there are dozens of pluralistic initiatives happening all over Israel, attempting to bring every kind of Israeli in contact with one another, and in particular, showing secular Israelis the positive side of religion.

In my own family, my older stepdaughter is an alumnus of Reut, the school that my younger stepdaughter is attending, one of the first in the pluralistic stream of Israeli schools. It’s the kind of school where all the students have to attend morning services, even if they don’t utter a word. Their religious learning can be intensive, or as my 13-year-old stepdaughter likes to say, “Every class is Tanach (bible study).” But the discussions are wide and open, and the clientele is mixed, with an equal combo of religious and secular students. Ditto for the mechina, the pre-army program that my older stepdaughter is engaged in this year, called Emek. They learn many things, about the world around them and themselves and the group is mixed but the lifestyle is traditional, with a kosher kitchen and Shabbat and holiday observance.

Now I just heard about yet another program in Holon, but with a much wider sphere of influence. Called Hitchadshut, for renewal, it has created a citywide model for education of Jewish identity. It’s taking place in schools, high schools, community centers and youth centers, and focuses on programs will help educate those who know little about their Jewish identity. They have discussion groups on social justice, Kabbalat Shabbat evenings, Tikkun Shavuot study nights, bible story training for kindergarten teachers and a Chanukah parade.

It may sound familiar to the American readers who already have similar programs in their community synagogues and centers. But in Israel, where there is such a religious-secular divide, it could work to have straightforward, open-minded kinds of Jewish activities for the uninitiated.

According to Lea Wohl-Segal, the program director for Hitchadshut, they’ve had great progress in Holon and are planning a Giving the Torah ceremony at five different kindergartens throughout the city on Shavuot. Better yet, the ceremony was written by individuals from both the secular and religious schools, “which is really an Israeli breakthrough,” says Wohl-Segal.

Hitchadshut is hoping to spread their experiment to other Israeli towns and cities. And what Wohl-Segal likes the most is the great cooperation between American philanthropy, the Legacy Heritage Fund in this case, and a young and unique Israeli program.

Let it grow.

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Barkat where he belongs

November 12, 2008 - 7:53 PM by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: A New Reality, Israeliness, Life, Politics 

Barkat ads proclaimed victory months in advance.Municipal elections were held across Israel yesterday, with leadership positions up for grabs in 159 regional councils and cities. In Tel Aviv the race was extremely close, making for high drama into the night, as ballots were counted. However, the mayoral race in Jerusalem was arguably the most dramatic of all, with the very soul of the city up for grabs.

Outgoing Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski was elected five years ago by the city’s ultra-Orthodox sector, who knew that as mayor, he would fight hard for their agendas. Disillusioned by the then-outgoing Olmert administration, Jerusalem’s non-Orthodox populace largely sat out the election, paving the way for the city’s first ultra-Orthodox mayor. The biggest loser in that election – aside from all hopes for a pluralist, commerce-friendly, tourist-welcoming and culturally vibrant Jerusalem – was candidate Nir Barkat.

A high-tech entrepreneur and a champion of culture, Barkat went on to serve as an effective opposition leader in the city council, but when the ultra-Orthodox parties banded together and named Knesset member Meir Porush their 2008 candidate for mayor of Jerusalem, many feared a repeat of 2003′s results. And even if one believed that Barkat’s popularity exceeded Porush’s, one had to wonder about wildcards like the candidacy of oligarch-playboy Arcadi Gaydamak and Green Leaf leader Dan Birron, who had the potential to at least split the secular vote.

As a result of this situation, Barkat’s 2008 campaign featured some right-wing posturing moves that made some wonder if perhaps they’d be better off with Porush after all. But in the end, these efforts paid off, with many of the city’s National Religious elements supporting Barkat as someone who had their back. Ultimately, Barkat received over half of the votes, no small feat on a crowded ballot.

Democracy and change have been so thick in the air lately that perhaps a global reconnecting with the voting process also helped turn the tides. If apathy is what put Lupolianski in City Hall, a hearty can-do spirit is what has given us Barkat. And like that other high-profile candidate billed as the agent of progress, he certainly has his work cut out for him.

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Jerusalem Election Diary: Haaretz gets it so wrong

November 7, 2008 - 1:23 PM by · 3 Comments
Filed under: Israeliness, Politics 

Anata

I don’t usually write about the same topic two weeks in a row, but, with less than a week to go, the upcoming Jerusalem mayoral elections is so important that I feel compelled to post again.

Last Friday, Haaretz published an editorial slamming mayoral candidate Nir Barkat and endorsing “a responsible haredi” (a code word for Meir Porush, the only ultra Orthodox candidate running for the position). Many Jerusalemites like me were outraged.

The reason for Haaretz’s position is that Barkat has come out in support of building a Jewish neighborhood near the Arab village of Anata, at the foot of the Jerusalem neighborhood of French Hill. The area has long been a thorn in the Palestinian’s side: building there would help connect Jerusalem to the satellite city of Ma’aleh Adumim in the West Bank, but it would also have the effect of preventing territorial contiguity for a new Palestinian state.

Barkat says that building this new Jewish neighborhood will help solve the city’s “shortage of housing for students and young people.” But it’s also a clear ploy to help win over Jerusalem’s “swing vote” – the Modern Orthodox residents who, according to recent polls, are split between Barkat and rival Porush. Given that most of the city’s voters, whether religious or secular, tend to be right wing, it’s not a bad campaign tactic.

Whether you agree or disagree with Barkat’s position, Haaretz – by coming out against the current front-runner in the race – is saying something far more disturbing about Israel’s attitude towards Jerusalem.

Haaretz is, in effect, giving up on Jerusalem. Or perhaps they already have. In the eyes of the Tel Aviv-based newspaper, Jerusalem is already all religious; there’s nothing to do here; no nightlife; it’s too far away; too dangerous; too tense; and ultimately not even worth a visit. The Western Wall, the Old City, the quaint alleyways and gourmet restaurants, the cool summer air, the unique architecture, the spirituality, the Knesset and center of government – all of these are unimportant to the enlightened readers of Haaretz where the heaviness and tension that are part and parcel of Israel’s capital might, God forbid, impede the never ending pursuit of next party.

Indeed, to Haaretz, Jerusalem is not a city at all. It’s a metaphor, a bargaining chip on the geo-political stage to be divided in an eventual peace. Anything getting in the way of that end must be resisted, fought, denigrated. Haaretz couldn’t care less about the problems the city faces, from transportation gridlock to cleanliness and jobs, reverse emigration, religiously-mandated unemployment, and a rapidly deteriorating education system, all areas for which Barkat – in contrast to the other mayoral hopefuls – has clear, step-by-step plans for rapid execution. The quality of life in Jerusalem can go to hell, Haaretz is saying, as long as the next mayor doesn’t stoop to interfere with the inevitable outcome of Oslo and Annapolis.

Read more

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