                                                               
                      A Voice from Hebron
                     by Gary M. Cooperberg
            The Democratic Right of Self-Destruction
                        October 26, 1997

     Democracy, as a method of government for a secular country, seems to be the best man- made
method of self rule.  The founding fathers of the United States, who themselves had religious
backgrounds and convictions, sought to create a new concept of self government which would tolerate
various beliefs while, at the same time, recognize monotheism.
     The United States of America was established as a noble experiment to find a way for various
religions and cultures to live together in freedom and mutual respect.  It was to be a haven for all
freedom loving peoples.  While it can be argued whether or not the experiment succeeded or failed, no
one can deny the intended purpose of that country.
     The State of Israel was not created to become another noble experiment to become a homeland
for various religions and cultures.  On a secular level, it was created to serve as a homeland for the
Jewish People exclusively.  It came in the aftermath of the holocaust which graphically demonstrated
that, for the Jew, there was nowhere in the world that he could find a safe haven from antisemitism.  If 
Israel is to be a democracy based upon the same principles as is   the United States, the concept of a
Jewish homeland would soon vanish, as would the purpose of the state to be a safe haven for
endangered Jews.
     Judaism is far more than a religion.  It is also a Divine nationalism which spans millennia and
the scope of the entire world.  The Bible clearly describes the plight and the destiny of the Jewish
people.  It defines the Land of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people for eternity.  The fact that a
Jewish State has been re-established in this very land, especially at a time when the Jewish People had
its numbers reduced by a full third via literal annihilation and in spite of the fact that it had no allies,
should be evidence enough that it was a supernatural event.  But add to that the fulfillment of prophesy
which has already seen the Jewish exiles beginning to return from all over the world and unite under
the ancient Hebrew language and Jewish culture, and one should be hard pressed to deny that Biblical
Zionism is being fulfilled today.
     Considering the tremendous variations of cultures and societies in which the Jewish People
had been emersed for so many centuries, it is truly a miracle that Judaism was able to survive, much
less revive itself in its ancient homeland.  What is even more amazing is that this resurrection took
place largely via the efforts of secular Jews who had little more than a vague idea of what Judaism was
all about, but who knew that what they were doing had tremendous religious significance for them and
for their people.
     Today, nearly fifty years after the re-establishment of the Jewish State, we still labor under
tremendous confusion as to the very purpose for which this state was created!  We have a government
which rules via principles that are foreign to Jewish Law.  We even have "religious" participants in
this government who have failed to recognize the religious nature of the state.  While it is
understandable that Jews, whose Jewish education is lacking, may seek to imitate the nations of the
world, it is unconscionable that religious Jews, including rabbis, lend justification to policies which fly
in the face of Jewish values and Jewish law.
     Presently there is tremendous pressure from the reform and conservative movements in the
United States to force the government of Israel to recognize their interpretations of Judaism as equally
legitimate with that of  "orthodox". Liberalism and Democracy are waved like flags of righteousness
to justify alternatives to genuine Judaism.  
     The Law of G-d, which was given to the entire Jewish People on Mount Sinai, is not subject to
alteration.  The only condition was either to accept it or not.  We all agreed to accept it.  We have no
right to make changes in G-d's Law.  If  there are Jews who refuse to accept their obligations as Jews,
no one has the right to justify that refusal by accepting alternative forms of Judaism which reject any
part of our Torah.
     A reform Jew is no less of a Jew than is an orthodox Jew.  But, that which is called reformed
Judaism, is simply not Judaism.  Thus a reform Jew is a Jew who has, for whatever reason, chosen not
to accept Judaism.  This does not make him less of a Jew.  But, in the interest of preserving Judaism,
we cannot accept the concept of various alternatives to Judaism as being  legitimate "branches" of that
religion when they are really foreign grafts.  A graphic illustration of this fact is seen by those who
include Christianity as a fourth branch!  
     The outrage currently being expressed today by leaders of the so called reform and
conservative movements seeks to imply that followers of such movements are disenfranchised by the
Jewish State.  While certainly these movements cannot be given legitimate status since they reject
parts of our Torah, no Jew is deprived of his equality as a Jew even if he is not observant.  The Law of
Return accepts all Jews equally.  And even this concept, as it currently is practiced, is too lenient.  It
accepts the definition of a Jew as "One born of a Jewish mother, or one who has converted to
Judaism".  The problem is that there are Jews who call themselves "rabbis" who convert Gentiles via
methods which are not valid under Jewish Law.  As such there are many individuals who live in Israel
and who are recognized as Jews, but who are not really Jewish.  
     The call to change the law of the state to conform with Jewish law is meant to avoid this
serious problem.  The proposed change would  add to the present law the words "according to Jewish
Law".  Thus only a genuine rabbi who employs Jewish Law to conversions would be able to affect a
genuine conversion.  Anyone who wants to become Jewish can always do so.  But to mislead a Gentile
who sincerely wants to convert into thinking he has become Jewish when he really hasn't, is unethical
and unnecessary.  Rather than continue to perpetuate a fraud, all honest Jews should recognize the
need for this change.  
     Yes, we must seek to unify the Jewish people.  No, we must not use acts of coercion to force
people into observing against their will.  But we have no right to legitimize the alteration of Judaism in
the hope that this will unify our people.  For once we do that we lend a hand in the destruction of
Judaism.  If the Chief Rabbi of Israel, in the interest of Jewish unity, were to declare that those Jews
who wish to eat pork may do so if that conforms with their beliefs, then he would, in effect be
declaring that Torah is no longer valid.  The so called reformed Jew, even if he totally rejects Jewish
Law, is still bound by it.  The door to return to authentic Jewish practice is always open for him when
ever he is ready.  Should the reform movement achieve legitimacy, its Jewish constituency will have
no motivation to return to authentic Judaism, and thus will be more likely to be forever lost to their
people.  



A SPECIAL THANK YOU
     I would like to issue a special "Thank you" to all those who responded to my last column by
sending messages to President Weizman to pardon Elana Podolsky.  Your efforts were not in vane. 
Although the media has been resoundingly silent on the matter, we learned on Thursday night that the
President reduced her sentence from 18 months in prison to six months of national service under which
she will not have to be in prison at all.   While we would have preferred a complete pardon and
apology on the part of the government, at least Elana has been spared the indignity of jail.  Thank you
for caring.


     