In his blog post from June 18, Aryeh Roskies wrote that in Israel “it is possible to construct a concrete secular Jewish identity.†His column focused on the struggle of preserving an authentic and vibrant Jewish culture in the absence of religious uniformity, and he mentioned Israel only to contrast the Israeli Jewish community with its American counterpart. He suggested that in North America assimilation and the loss of the Yiddish language have caused the decline of secular Jewish culture, whereas in Israel there is a strong secular Jewish culture. I agree with Aryeh that Israel is the home of the only prominent Jewish culture that is strong, vibrant, authentic, and secular.
That is why I found Dan Izenberg’s column in Thursday’s Jerusalem Post so disturbing. Izenberg argues that Israeli society has become militarized to the point that allegations of crimes carried out by IDF soldiers against Palestinians are treated lightly. This argument poses a challenge to the notion that Israel offers the best breeding ground for a secular Jewish culture. If Jewish culture is essentially ethical (as we would like to believe), and if the Arab-Israeli conflict may threaten the moral fabric of Israeli society (as Izenberg implies), then it is questionable whether Israel can sustain an authentic Jewish civilization.
It is unfair to condemn Israeli society as a whole over the crimes of a small number of soldiers and politicians. But it seems inevitable that the pervasiveness of the Arab-Israeli conflict change Israeli society in ways that are unprecedented in Jewish history. This is not to fault Israel or Israelis for being concerned for their security; on the contrary, the continuing conflict necessitates a pragmatic focus on security concerns. But given the politics of the modern Middle East, Jewish civilization cannot exist in the region without being changed dramatically.
The focus on military and security concerns is only one element of Israeli society that has not existed in other Jewish societies. Much of what is distinct about Jewish culture has resulted from the Diaspora experience. Many values that are often attributed to classical texts, including an emphasis on education, resulted largely from the experiences of Jews under Muslim and especially Christian rule. As Israel has created a Jewish society with the institutions of a modern nation-state, it has also created a Jewish society with a new outlook.
How can Israel ensure that the changes in Jewish culture do not undermine the best elements of Jewish civilization? I do not claim to have an answer, but I am optimistic. As Izenberg argues that Israel is being militarized, he also discusses the activism of Israeli human rights organizations on behalf of the Palestinians. As Israeli society has been forced to focus on the pragmatic issues facing a modern nation-state, it has also created a political culture in which many focus on the ethical treatment of others (including enemies) and take concrete steps to steer their own government and military ethically. These groups do not always succeed, but their presence shows that as Jewish civilization has changed in Israel, it has not lost the best of Jewish ethics.
