I recently gave a talk at a large Reform congregation in Chicago, in which I shared a story. A few years back, being an avid reader of Haaretz, I decided to conduct an experiment and for six months read the weekend edition of Makor Rishon, a moderately right-wing paper also associated with the Religious-Zionist camp. At first, I was appalled and could hardly get through the first few pages. “What are these people thinking?” I outrageously asked myself.
But as time passed, patterns of logic started to emerge. There was a comprehensive and comprehendible worldview on the other side and there was also diversity. There was more than one valid meta-narrative to understanding Israeli society.
When I shared this story with the congregation on that Friday night, I was surprised that several people had similar stories of changes they have made in their own media consumption in the US. They asked to know which diverse media outlets they could follow in Israel. It seemed like there was a real need to understand the other side, discuss across boundaries and go deeper into understanding the complexities of competing worldviews. That desire is needed now more than ever.
The recent, shocking events in Israel have sent ripples throughout the Jewish community in the United States. The perceived threat to democracy, a long-cherished centerpiece of the Jewish-American persuasion, and the speed at which Israeli society unraveled were alarming. By and large, liberal Jewish voices in America behind the scenes and publicly politically supported the liberal camp that spearheaded the demonstrations in Israel.
It might indeed be that Israeli democracy was saved that fateful day when planes stopped flying out of Ben-Gurion Airport but that is not the only storyline in Israel (see Makor Rishon). For many, it was the story of liberal elites using the leverage of their privileged power to overcome their defeat by the popular vote in Israel. The meta-narratives endure and the risk of a societal breakdown in the wake of the current level of polarization persists.
Political polarization
Political polarization is, of course, not just an Israeli phenomenon but a contemporary issue plaguing many societies. It represents a deep rift between liberal and conservative worldviews, each of which has been further entrenched in its own respective position on account of the polarizing nature of social media and the lack of channels and spheres of joined discourse.
SPURRED ALSO by internal political polarization within the US, the relations between American Jews and Israel have also been subjected to these rising tensions when compromises seem unachievable and the concept of the common good is eroded. Yet the risks we face are of epic proportions. The threat of a breakdown of the Jewish world into two distinct and rivaling parties also has its own origins in the Jewish historical experience.
Responding to this sense of urgency regarding the perils of polarization in Israel, a middle ground has struggled to gain a foothold. From President Isaac Herzog to several institutions and grassroots organizations, calls for intergroup dialogue and negotiated agreements have emerged.
Surveys point out that as many as 70% of Israelis want some kind of agreement and compromise between the sparring sides. Based on my engagements with a variety of Jewish publics In recent weeks, my hunch is that a survey amongst American Jews might yield similar results. But can their leadership and institutions follow through?
It is now time for American liberal Jews to consider a different approach to their engagement with Israel. In an age of diminishing bipartisanship, their perceived affiliation with just one side of the internal Israeli cleavage is counterproductive. Considering the levels of polarization in Israel and the way communities are interrelated, interdependent and intertwined, the situation is not sustainable.
American liberal organizations need to step in, engage with the other side and support initiatives for liberal-conservative bridgebuilding and dialogue in Israel.
For decades now, the linchpin of the Jewish American liberal commitment has been the idea of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world). The need is still there but it needs refashioning. Let this be your Tikkun Olam.
The writer is the head of the Ruderman Program for American-Jewish Studies at the University of Haifa.