“The Orthodox role in the religious establishment in Israel turns many people away deeply, it is offensive on every level and it is, I believe, more of an existential threat to the state of Israel and its future than many of the physical ones.”

The Interviewee – Rabbi Michael L. Feshbach (Born 1961) Senior Rabbi, Temple Shalom, Chevy Chase (Washington DC area), Maryland. Lives in . I Went to a Quaker college (Haverford), so spending Junior year at the Hebrew University was a bit of a shock; was ordained in New York in 1989.

In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people in general?

“There are so many levels to this, and different aspects. For a Diaspora Jew, at one level, going to Israel is like aligning one’s inner Jewish clock with outer reality, having the experience of being in the majority for, perhaps, the first time. At another level, the experience of sovereignty, of Judaism reentering the realm of applied ethics, values, morality and law… is something which has an impact on all Jews, everywhere.

“The experience of peoplehood is a reminder that, on the one hand, there is something that connects us which transcends all our differences in religious practice and yet, on the other hand, serves as a bulwark against runaway individualism. The reemergence of Hebrew as a spoken language in Israel has Jews all over the world using Sephardi pronunciation, even if Ashkenazi. There is much more, but, ultimately, I believe one cannot fully understand the Jewish past, the Jewish present or the Jewish future without a meaningful personal connection with Israel.”

Do you feel committed in some way to defend the future existence of Israel?

“I have not served on the front lines of physical battles, but the verbal battles are real, the question of legitimacy is raised about Israel in ways which are brought up about no other country whose policies and human rights issues may be much worse (no one asks if China has a right to exist.) Short answer: yes. Longer answer: Many Israelis do not, perhaps, have any sense in which this battle is important, and the degree to which policies, postures and rhetoric of the Israeli government has an impact on that struggle.“

Do you affiliate yourself with a specific denomination in Judaism? What is your view regarding the dominance of the Orthodox denomination in Israel religious establishment?

“I am a Reform rabbi, and I am unconditionally attached to Israel. But. The Orthodox role in the religious establishment in Israel turns many people away deeply, it is offensive on every level (not only have non-Orthodox Jews suffered along with Orthodox ones, but non-Orthodox Jews have had every bit as much of a creative role in forming Judaism as Orthodox ones have), and it is, I believe, more of an existential threat to the state of Israel and its future than many of the physical ones.“

Do you feel morally responsible for Israel’s actions (such as its management of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict)?

” I feel… connected and implicated in those actions, yes.”

In your opinion, what is the main thing Israelis fail to understand about the reality of being Jewish outside of Israel?

“As much as assimilation into a general culture may be a threat to Jewish identity, still, it is also the case that, now, Western values have become a part OF our Judaism, not apart from it. It is impossible for most Diaspora Jews to tolerate – or accept — an expression of Judaism that reflects opposition to science, misogyny, racism and medieval superstition. Most Diaspora Jews DO NOT BELIEVE that ‘more Orthodox’ means being a better Jew… And I suspect that most Israelis do not understand that Reform and Conservative Jews (some of us, at least) consider ourselves TO BE RELIGIOUS. The secular or Orthodox dichotomy, already fraying within Israel with the complexity of different ‘tribes,’ was never a part of the Diaspora view of Judaism.”

How would you describe Israel’s policy (formally and in practice) regarding its relationship with the Diaspora?

“Inadequate, misguided, amateurish. Remember the PR campaign with those horrible commercials a few years ago? Many Israeli PR people think that because they speak English they ‘get’ us. Too often, they do not. (And also: Jews in Israel hear from and about the American Jewish establishment, which is, distinctly, richer, less liberal, more hawkish and more tribal than most — and especially most young – Jews in North America.”

In your opinion, does Israel have an obligation to defend and help Jewish communities in need?

“Yes.”

Have you ever been to Israel? if you have, can you summarize your impression from the Israeli reality?

“Many times and not enough. Have learned in recent trips more about the vibrancy of Tel Aviv and areas outside the ‘center.’ See a new, experiment, emerging Israeli Jewish identity in groups like Nava Tehilah in Jerusalem, and, especially, Beit Tefilah Yisraeli in Tel Aviv. Saw the ‘life’: and vibrancy of the (recently attacked) Sarona Market. In some senses I think Jerusalem is at once more exotic and also more… Anglo… and Tel Aviv is more Israeli but also more cosmopolitan.”

What was your best experience of Israeli culture in the past year (book, music, TV, movie, theater etc.)?

“Some of Ehud Banai and Kobi Oz’s new songs. Footnote. (OK, that was a couple of years ago.)”

Can you tell us a bit about the Jewish community in your hometown?

“Washignton DC has the sixth largest jewish community in the United States now. There are areas of communal cooperation; there remains an official split between the Orthodox and everyone else.”