Last Saturday night in Jerusalem, protesters rallied against a bill that prohibits women from sitting in the front of certain buses. These buses (which are already in operation) separate men and women in the name of religious purity.
Although few buses are segregated, this has become a hot topic in Israel. Women argue that they are being subjected to blatant discrimination reminiscent of Jim Crow laws in the US through the 50’s.
This issue reveals the tension between the secular and religious communities in Israel. Legalizing segregated buses suggests that “kosher” buses are a religious expression of a Jewish state. This touches a pretty sensitive vein and uncovers the growing tensions over Israel’s remaining Jewish and democratic.
It’s interesting to talk to Jewish tourists about this balance. While Jewish visitors love the Jewish character of Israel, most secular Israelis don’t. Many restaurants and stores close–and buses don’t run on–Shabbat, among other issues. For the tourists, who come from countries that run on the Gregorian calendar, seeing a country run in a “religious” manner makes them proud to be Jewish, whether they’re observant or not. Why wouldn’t it be exciting to have a country of Jews who follow the rules?
But how would those tourists feel if they had to live here? This is the problem that secular Israelis face. They are told that they are living in a democracy but  they encounter religious prohibitions. The friction between church and state is clear in Israel. If an Israeli Jew falls in love with a non-Jew, they can’t get married in Israel. Democracy?
But how Jewish would our state be if we repealed these religious laws? What are we willing to sacrifice between Judaism and democracy in order to reach some sort of balance?
It’s useful to think of the “Jewish-democracy scale”, where we aim for as much simultaneous democracy and Judaism as possible. 
All Judaism and no democracy would mean a religious autocratic state, similar to Afghanistan under the Taliban. A team of rabbis would run the country. No Judaism and all democracy, on the other hand, would be similar to the US, with a full separation of church and state. Israel would grant full rights to Palestinian Arabs and there would be no more ‘Jewish’ state, although the Jews could continue living with the same rights. With no Judaism and no democracy, we get something like Stalinist Russia.
Getting the most democracy and Judaism into the state is easier said than done. The current religious laws came about with the creation of the state. While Ben-Guirion’s Zionism preached a secular reinvention of the Jew, he made a deal with the religious Zionists, which led to many religious laws in Israel. In other words, the secular government established religious laws. The secular movement also had undertones of religious Judaism: they chose to speak Hebrew rather than Yiddish or German and insisted on settling the land of Israel rather than territory in Russia or a piece of land in Uganda. Therefore, along with the religious-secular split, there was also some sort of unison or spiritual understanding.
But the split has widened. The friction that exists between the Jewish and democratic parts of the state runs deep, with no easy fix. Without the Jewish character of the state, we destroy Israel’s foundation along with Zionism. So how much democracy am I willing to sacrifice? This is a question that each Jew, and each Israeli, must confront. The state must satisfy both religious and secular, and both must live with each other.
So is there any hope? Let’s remember that much of this divide stems from ignorance and stereotypes. A religious teacher in a secular high school told me about the ignorance she faces from secular students. They assume that she didn’t go to the army, or that she doesn’t believe in the state of Israel and that she agrees with ultra-Orthodox policy. She feels that they perceive her as a democracy-hating, theocratic Jew.
She says she is happy to educate these kids and explain the differences between religious opinions; she too struggles with a Jewish democracy. Just as secular Jews may find themselves in disagreement, so do religious Jews. She tells them that many religious people go to the army, including women, although many choose to participate in the “national service” program, where they serve the country through volunteer work. People like her are beginning to bridge the gaps and the bitterness. There is no right answer but to know that despite our beliefs, we are all Jews. This land belongs to all of us and we are all part of its struggle.
Hailey Dilman is a MASA participant, participating in Oranim’s Community Involvement Program, one of Masa Israel’s 160 programs.
