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"We have to talk."
The title chosen for this year's Jewish Federation summit is unmistakable: there are problems in the tribe, he suggests, and it is time to hold difficult discussions on the many issues that divide Israel. and American Jews.
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Admittedly, there are plenty of topics for this three-day gathering devoted to the crisis in relations between Israel and the diaspora. Critics argue, however, that the program of the annual General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America, which begins Monday and will be held this year for the first time in Tel Aviv, does not honor the promise of its title .
The choice of location ensures a good representation on both sides of the Atlantic. Indeed, at the last count, the mega-event was to attract nearly 2,500 participants, divided almost evenly between Americans and Israelis.
But how a rally that promises to put everything on the table – ask critics on the progressive side of the map – to ignore some of the most controversial issues that threaten Israel's relations with Jews in the diaspora, such as the continued occupation of the West Bank by Israel and its discrimination Reformed and Conservative Jews, who represent the vast majority of the United States? And how, according to critics on the other side of the spectrum, can such an event ignore the voices of the small but increasingly influential Orthodox community?
T & # 39; ruah, a rabbinical human rights group based in New York (composed mainly of unorthodox rabbis), had offered to arrange a visit to the West Bank a day before or after the day. AG for participants likely to be interested in seeing the occupation closely. "There was no opening or interest though," said Rabbi Jill Jacobs, executive director of the organization.
Truah also prepared a booklet on occupation, and offered to pay for distribution in the conference bags of the General Assembly. According to Jacobs, this request was also rejected. "What we have been told is that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not on the agenda of the JFNA and has never been, and it was at fear that people will be upset when they open their bags and find this booklet, "she said.
"Our goal was to give participants to a conference entitled" We Must Speak "the opportunity to learn about the occupation, which is after all the main reason why American Jews, especially young Jews Americans, get away from more and more of Israel. "
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During the General Assembly, T & # rah will share a booth in front of the main meeting rooms with two other liberal Zionist organizations – the New Israel Fund and J Street – where they will distribute information on the law of the country. Nation-state and its threat, as they see it. , to Israeli democracy.
Asked why T & # 39; ruah was not allowed to put his pamphlet on the occupation in the conference bags, the spokeswoman of the Jewish Federations of North America, Rebecca Dinar, said "We are delighted that T & # 39; ruah is a sponsor and encourage them to spread information from their stand. "
"Disillusioned and disappointed"
Hagit Ofran, director of the Settlement Watch project at Peace Now, expressed similar frustration at the program's lack of attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "The program rightly points to the widening gap between Israeli and North American Jews," she said, "without, however, attacking the elephant in the room – the politics of the world." Israel towards the Palestinians and their military regime ".
It is no secret, she added, that the Israeli government's opposition to a two-state solution has left many American Jews "disillusioned and disappointed by the Jewish institutions claiming to represent them".
"If the JFNA wants to engage in constructive dialogue about the fate of Jewish relations between Israel and the diaspora," said Ofran, "it must not ignore the political tectonic issues that separate communities."
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Logan Bayroff, J Street's director of communications, said he was also disappointed that the new nation-state law, according to which some detractors downplay Israel's democratic character, is not at liberty. Agenda of the program. "The GA, as a major gathering of American Jews, should in no way evade these topics and should make it a major part of its program," he said.
Over the past year, major Jewish organizations have strongly criticized the Israeli government's treatment of asylum seekers. For this reason, Tamara Newman, a lawyer for asylum seekers based in Tel Aviv, had hoped to see the issue dealt with at the summit of the AG. From where his deep disappointment.
"It is no exaggeration to say that Judaism's global commitment to this issue has saved thousands of lives," said Newman, director of international relations and development for the Refugee and Migrant Hotline.
"But a few months later, literally, two weeks before the start of the General Assembly, the Israeli government announced that it would expel the few hundred asylum seekers from Congo. Some of them are in the country for 20 years. There are teenagers who are born here, who read, write and dream in Hebrew, and in 90 days they will be deported to a war zone and will never be able to return. We must also talk about it. "
It's not just the left that feels excluded. An orthodox American-Jewish group called Am Echad – Preserving a Jewish People asserts that the community it represents seems to be undesirable at the biggest event of the Jewish world of the year.
"Unfortunately, while they talk about the importance of dialogue and understanding, the voices in the General Assembly are limited in their variations," the organization said in a statement. "It is the voice of American reformers and conservatives, the voice of the liberal American who values Israel's democratic nature in relation to its Jewish nature, which dominates the conference."
"Where are the other voices in the dialogue?" Asked the group. "Where are the voices of those who have a natural, living and daily connection to Israel and its people? Where are the voices of those who, with their minimum rates of mixed marriages and assimilation, are about to become the dominant face of American Judaism in the coming decades? "
Everyone except the Orthodox
Looking at the program, we realize that critics' grievances on both sides are well founded. The orthodox voices are untraceable and the problems that provoked the indignation and anguish of the progressive Jews – who still represent the overwhelming majority of Americans – are not specifically addressed in the program.
So what is it? For the most part, it seems, questions of consensus. This includes, for example, the success of Israeli high technology (to which many sessions are devoted), the need to support and empower Holocaust survivors, and the importance of integrating ultra-Orthodox Jews into society. Israeli.
There is also a session on the importance of fighting the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (but not on whether it is worth fighting or fighting the right way), and a guest luncheon dedicated to women's philanthropy. A session entitled "Can we talk? "Realities of the peace process in Israel" promises to generate some controversy, but the explanation that accompanies it indicates that the discussion will be limited to stories of well-being about organizations and individuals trying to create coexistence and dialogue.
A session devoted to Israeli Arabs will also focus on the good work done, in this case by the government, to help this struggling minority. A session devoted to religious pluralism will highlight various local initiatives to bypass Israeli religious authorities and understand how funding from the federation helps them – again, to try to turn a thorny issue into a positive one.
Indeed, the only session that seems to offer conclusive results on the theme of the program is entitled "To tackle the most difficult problems". The attached explanation indicates that participants in this dialogue forum, facilitated by the Jewish Agency, will be encouraged. express oneself on issues such as the law of nation-states, Western wall prayer and conversion.
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Judaism Reform, fears that Jewish federations in North America are taking advantage of a unique opportunity. "I admire the federation leaders tremendously, but to be honest, they are trying to do something impossible, which is to create a very positive heat wave at a time when there are very serious divergences. and debates, "he told Haaretz. .
"I congratulate them for sending a positive message, but we have to be able to deal with difficult issues in a thoughtful way – otherwise, I think people will be frustrated to have come and not reached the real knot of the questions. "
Invited to respond to allegations that the program of the General Assembly avoids most of the thorny problems in relations between Israel and American Judaism – occupation, prayer to the Western Wall, conversion, the law of the United States Nation-states and the treatment of asylum seekers – the JFNA A spokeswoman said: "Our program was designed to provide GA participants with an opportunity to look behind the scenes of the reality of life in two very different communities.
"By highlighting issues such as the Israeli Arabs' concerns about the integration of minorities, Haredi innovators working on social innovation, the Federation leadership's approach to interreligious marriage and the expression of Jewish pluralist, we hope that people will challenge their historical narratives one over the other; and we hope to help broaden the knowledge base on the variables involved in decision making and decision making in Israel and among Jewish communities across the ocean. "
She added: "In the moderated discussions on the plenary stage, the lively discussions in dialogue rooms and informal conversations held informally in the corridors, I can guarantee that the policy differences you have listed will also be corrected. "
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