Regina Morantz-Sanchez (Born in Brooklyn, NY, 1943), Professor of History, Univeristy of Michigan (just this month Emerita).
In 1945 my father moved family from Brooklyn to San Fernando Valley, CA where I group up. Got very good Jewish education, pursued after school Hebrew School by choice, only girl in the Bar Mitzvah class, Holocaust survivors and YERIDIM taught in the synagogue school–Conservative moment, first girl to be Bat Mitzvah at any of the Ramah Camps, camper and then Counselor at Ramah California from 1956 to 1963.
In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people in general?
“Complicated–It is important to me ONLY if it can be a democracy for all. How to do that is the problem–it isn’t a democracy for all now, and that’s the problem.”
Do you feel committed in some way to defend the future existence of Israel?
“Not if it means oppressing Palestinians.”
Do you feel morally responsible for Israel’s actions (such as its management of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict)?
“Yes–as a Jew it is hard to avoid because you can’t have it both ways, if it is a Jewish state it must be just to all and pioneer the particularist universalism”
In your opinion, what is the main thing Israelis fail to understand about the reality of being Jewish outside of Israel?
“That the majority are happy to be hyphenated and don’t want to live in Israel, i.e. Jewish American, Jewish British, Jewish Canadian,etc”
How would you describe Israel’s policy (formally and in practice) regarding its relationship with the Diaspora?
“Oh, they do their best, but they don’t want to understand that Israeli culture is different from diaspora culture–sometimes more troubling in a range of ways because of its situation, (which the diaspora, generations later didn’t necessarily create)”
In your opinion, does Israel have an obligation to defend and help Jewish communities in need?
“Not necessarily outside of Israel unless it is a question of oppression and immigrating to Israel to escape it–(Ethiopian Jews, for example, but emigration must be voluntary).
Have you ever been to Israel?
“Yes many times, I speak Hebrew haltingly, but have a good Hebrew Jewish education. I have an orthodox daughter with 9 children who live in Ramat Beit Shemes (I’m not orthodox).”
Can you tell us a bit about the Jewish community in your hometown? Is it organized? Are there community activities?
“Yes it has all 3-4 denominations, largest is Conservative synagogue, it is a university town, (Ann Arbor, MI), with plenty of Jewish activity on and off campus.”
Is there a question you feel should be added to the project’s questionnaire?
“You might ask about our children, whether they care, my son is a Socialist, and therefore not a Zionist, my middle daughter has 9 kids and her family is black hat in Ramat Beit Shemesh, my eldest daughter sends her daughter to Hebrew Day school (as I did to all three of my kids).”
