“Allowing Jews of all background and perspectives to find their own paths to Jewish identity would make Israel a far more vibrant place, Jewishly.”

The Interviewee – Benjamin L. Shinewald (Born 1972),  I was born in Winnipeg, Canada. I am a lawyer/professional living in Toronto. I write on the side, including on Jewish/Israeli topics, in the general and Jewish press. I have had many leadership roles in the Jewish community, both professionally and voluntary, among them serving as the CEO of Canadian Jewish Congress, currently sit on a few boards, etc

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

“The existence of a Jewish state has a gigantic amount of importance to me personally and the Jewish people in general. I can’t understate how important the State of Israel is to me as a Jew, a Zionist and even a Canadians. As a Jew, life without Israel is unthinkable.

“That said, I fear that for some in the Diaspora, Israel has displaced other aspects of Jewish life – e.g. literacy in Jewish thought, culture, language, religion – and that Zionism and Israel advocacy has almost become religious. Balance is key and we need both to survive as Jews.”

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

“Yes, but ‘defend’ suggests that it needs defense, and that it needs defense from me. Of course, Israel needs military defense, etc., but it is less clear than in the past what sort of ‘defense’ the diaspora should or could provide, and against what threat.

“There are non-military threats to Israel that need countering, but I wonder if ‘defending Israel’ is slowly not really covering the way that at least some Jews and Zionists relate to the Jewish state for reasons such as (a) the stability, strength and endurance of the State of Israel makes its “defense” less urgent for some; (b) the increasing sense that there are “Israels” and that people can support and oppose this or that aspect of Israeli politics, culture, etc. For instance, some may strongly support Israel because of the Settler project and some may strongly support Israel despite it.”

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 grew up in a relatively traditional home (Shabbat dinners, holidays, day school, Jewish camp) going to a Conservative synagogue but over time have become more traditional (now I keep kosher, for instance.) I have never considered myself to be religious. We belong to an unaffiliated shul that is quite traditional but egalitarian.

“I wish that there was greater tolerance for Jewish religious diversity within Israel. I think that it would be of ultimate benefit to the Orthodox establishment, too. It would go a long way to easing secular distrust/resentment/etc. of Orthodox and would engage non-Orthodox Israelis in Jewish learning, etc. Allowing Jews of all background and perspectives to find their own paths to Jewish identity would make Israel a far more vibrant place, Jewishly.”

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

“No, or at least certainly not in the sense that the Israeli government speaks for me. I am not Israeli, I don’t vote, etc. so I can’t be responsible for Israel’s actions, nor can my opinion carry the weight of a voting, tax paying, military serving Israeli.

“That said, there is a difficult balance to strike here. Israel often takes into consideration how its actions may affect diaspora communities, so Israel cares about me in that sense. Still, as a Jew and a Zionist, I care very deeply about Israel’s welfare, its actions, etc. I am bound up existentially with Israel, but not with particular actions.“

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

“Today, without a doubt, the biggest challenge facing Jews outside Israel is remaining Jewish, something that is basically inconceivable to an Israeli. Assimilation, intermarriage, etc. is driving demographics that put an existential threat to non-Orthodox Jewish communities, and that is changing the nature of our communities at the same time.

“If trends continue, Orthodox Jews (who are basically immune to these threats) will emerge as the dominant group, which is fine in and of itself, but they may emerge as such not because of their ascendancy, but because of the decline of everyone else. What will the Jewish world look like in 100 years if 80 percent of non-Israeli Jews are Orthodox? Or if Jews celebrate Christmas in some manner?”

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

“As I mentioned above, I think that Israel generally takes Diasporic communities into account in formulating its policies at least at some level, though there are exceptions — I see less evidence of concern for Iranian and Ethiopian Jews, for instance, than I see for Americans or French Jews.

“I think Israel looks for advocates and allies in diaspora communities, and that’s fine and normal. I just think that increasingly Diaspora communities, especially in the west, are fracturing, so people are increasingly self-identifying as, for instance, in the US, as pro-Netanyahu/Republican (maybe with some oddities in this period of the Trump candidacy), anti-Netanyahu/left on American politics (perhaps on the relative fringes), or just plain checking out, which is dangerous for its own reasons.

“Moving away from politics, I think Israel does a good job of driving cultural partnerships and exchanges with the diaspora, e.g. sending shlichim and receiving birthright tours, even if some of those things are driven from the diaspora. These activities are excellent. We need more of them.“

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

“Yes. As a Zionist and a Jew, I believe strongly that Israel must be there for all Jews, and most especially for those in peril. Israel cannot be a Jewish state without this at its core, and disconnecting the Jewish aspect from Israel would end Zionism and fundamentally damage the nature of being Jewish.

“That said, I believe that Israel increasingly can be a driving force for Jewish vitality in the diaspora — but only if it plays its cards right and engages with local Jewish communities appropriately. In this way, Israel can be integral to the continuity of Jewish communities in the diaspora, slowing assimilation. If it plays its cards poorly, it could drive assimilation, unfortunately.”

Have you ever been to Israel? if you have, can you summarize your impressions from Israel?

“Yes, I have been to Israel about a dozen times. The longest trip was a year of university, the shortest was 24 hours for a business meeting. I miss Israel terribly and hope to take my wife (who has been once, on our honeymoon) and my two kids (who have not been yet) in the next year or two.

“It is really quite special to be in Israel, to be in an immersive Jewish environment and to deal with issues such as the ones in this questionnaire as part of every day life. For people like me, there remains some strong magic in seeing the Zionist dream up close – from davening at the Kotel to planting a tree to ordering a falafel in Hebrew – all cliches, for sure, but deeply powerful touchstones all the same.”

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

“I am originally from Winnipeg, Canada, which has a small (about 15,000) Jewish community, but one that is unusually strong and vibrant, despite many challenges to it. It has resources that much larger communities lack – e.g. Jewish day school to Grade 12, first class Jewish community centre, two Jewish overnight camps (one of which is Hebrew immersion), a Jewish theater, etc. It shaped me significantly and I return there frequently.

“Today I live in Toronto, which is more of a place with several ‘Jewish communities’ rather than ‘a Jewish community’ – there are about 200,000 Jews in Toronto, which offers a tremendous variety of Jewish life, but there is not the sense of a single community, including the sense of belonging and even mission that the Winnipeg community had. Still, Toronto is remarkably vibrant.”

If you could ask the Israeli readers of this project a question, what would it be?

“That is a great and challenging question. I guess the question I would put to Israeli readers would be: What do you want your relationship with me and people like me to be?”