From Bahai to Moti
Day 5 Tuesday, 3/15/05
I’m still running three days behind. At the moment I’m at Kibbutz Hatzeriem outside of Be’er Sheva in the Negev. I spent a full day yesterday touring the region which is stark but beautiful…more later.
On Tuesday morning I took a walk near our hotel in Haifa. There is a small park with a zoo nearby. I couldn’t get in that early but I peaked over the fence to see a camel and some goats. Haifa really is a beautiful city. I only wish I had more time. I see there are plenty of galleries and museums. The views of the bay and ocean are very nice and some of the modern architecture is amazing.
After breakfast we me with Meir Yoffe of Panim, an umbrella organization for many of the non-profits dealing with Pluralism and Jewish Identity education.
Panim’s primary function is to push for government funding of Identity programs and implementation of the government sponsored Shenhar (sp?) report which laid out the needs and recommended government actions. The report has been out over ten years but not much progress has been made. Panim also advises the non-profits on advocacy and how to obtain government funds.
According to Panim’s statistics only 20% of the population identify themselves as Orthodox or Religious. Nevertheless, the vast majority of government “religious” spending goes to Orthodox institutions. The Shenhar report recommended that 45 million NIS be spent on non-Orthodox education annually. This year arguably 7.5 million NIS will be spent. In short the Ministry of Education is not implementing the report.
From that meeting we walked to the Bahai Gardens.
It has become one of the new wonders of the world. This religious sect believes it must have a home in Israel. On the side of a great San Francisco type hill the sect’s temple, library, meeting center and archives were built. From near the top of the hill to near the bottom runs a long run of stairs as well as gardens and fountains…truly a sight to behold.
From the Gardens we left for Oranim College, about half an hour east of Haifa. It is a teachers college where HaMidrasha B’Oranim is located. HaMidrasha is the brain child of Motti Zeirra and Saraleh Shadmi-Wortman.
Moti (L)
HaMidrasha is another attempt started by secular Jews to reclaim their heritage and also to engage in dialogue with the religious community. Over 100 study weekly and another 400 participate in other programs. Like the program at Herzog groups with varied backgrounds from secular to Orthodox. We briefly met with a women’s study group called Niggun and later engaged in text study (this time a secular poem) led by one of the facilitators, an Orthodox women.
Programs such as this encourage us to believe that common ground can be found, especially by sharing Jewish texts, both secular and religious.
We had lunch at the college where, by chance, we ran into David Wakstein. David teaches art and runs programs for kids all the way down in Ofakim, one of our MetroWest partnership cities. He operates in Ofakim out of the famous art igloo which was renovated with funding from Steve & Lori Klinghoffer. David took us to a new gallery on the Oranim campus just before we left.
Moti is known as one of the leading lights in the Israeli Jewish Renaissance. He spoke eloquently about the growing need for Israelis to connect to their Jewish roots. The Zionist who helped create the state rejected almost all things traditionally Jewish, except the land. Eretz, settling and working the land, was the basis of their Jewishness and they needed little else. They had no problem with identity. The world told them they were Jewish and they recognized their Jewish being through their attachment to the land.
Following his service in the ’73 Yom Kippur War Moti began to feel that his parents’ identity through the Zionist movement was not enough for him. He knew that there were deeper roots and questioned why the tradition was being hidden from him. Something was missing spiritually. He knew the Orthodox Judaism was not for him and that for most Israelis there is a sense that Judaism belongs to others. There became a need to invent ceremony and ritual. He began to study Jewish texts and to bring other like-minded people together to study as a way to reclaim his heritage.
Later he saw the growing division in Israel and needed to find a means of bringing the religious and non-religious together. He had learned from experience that text study led not only to intellectual development but to emotional and spiritual development. More importantly those who studied together created deep relationships. He established study groups that pulled in all levels of observance. There are now over 20 such study groups around the country.
Recently his organization sponsored a conference on Shabbat in which 800 people participated.
Moti remains concerned about the divisions in Israel. He described it as a return to Twelve Tribes. He has been working with the movements and others to find ways to open dialogue. Clearly he feels Israel has reached the point where it needs to seriously deal with concept of community.
From the college we drove to Ein Herod Old Cemetery.
It the burial place for many Zionist settlers (Halutzim) from the early aliyot. Moti joined to describe the hardships; most of those who came to Israel in the early days did not stay. They often gave up due to the hard life required to settle the land. Their rejection of Judaism was evident on their grave markers…no religious markings at all.
Moti described how they knew the traditions but would not follow them. There were silent funerals and Seder-less Seders. The need to break with the past was all controlling. It was this rejection which has been deeply ingrained in the secular society and makes it difficult for them even today to explore tradition and spirituality. In their minds if a program has anything to do with religion, texts, the old ways, etc. it must contain what they have been conditioned to reject and so quickly turn their backs.
More later… Gary
Earlier Postings (Days 1-4) click hear
I’m still running three days behind. At the moment I’m at Kibbutz Hatzeriem outside of Be’er Sheva in the Negev. I spent a full day yesterday touring the region which is stark but beautiful…more later.
On Tuesday morning I took a walk near our hotel in Haifa. There is a small park with a zoo nearby. I couldn’t get in that early but I peaked over the fence to see a camel and some goats. Haifa really is a beautiful city. I only wish I had more time. I see there are plenty of galleries and museums. The views of the bay and ocean are very nice and some of the modern architecture is amazing.
After breakfast we me with Meir Yoffe of Panim, an umbrella organization for many of the non-profits dealing with Pluralism and Jewish Identity education.
Panim’s primary function is to push for government funding of Identity programs and implementation of the government sponsored Shenhar (sp?) report which laid out the needs and recommended government actions. The report has been out over ten years but not much progress has been made. Panim also advises the non-profits on advocacy and how to obtain government funds.
According to Panim’s statistics only 20% of the population identify themselves as Orthodox or Religious. Nevertheless, the vast majority of government “religious” spending goes to Orthodox institutions. The Shenhar report recommended that 45 million NIS be spent on non-Orthodox education annually. This year arguably 7.5 million NIS will be spent. In short the Ministry of Education is not implementing the report.
From that meeting we walked to the Bahai Gardens.
It has become one of the new wonders of the world. This religious sect believes it must have a home in Israel. On the side of a great San Francisco type hill the sect’s temple, library, meeting center and archives were built. From near the top of the hill to near the bottom runs a long run of stairs as well as gardens and fountains…truly a sight to behold.
From the Gardens we left for Oranim College, about half an hour east of Haifa. It is a teachers college where HaMidrasha B’Oranim is located. HaMidrasha is the brain child of Motti Zeirra and Saraleh Shadmi-Wortman.
Moti (L)
HaMidrasha is another attempt started by secular Jews to reclaim their heritage and also to engage in dialogue with the religious community. Over 100 study weekly and another 400 participate in other programs. Like the program at Herzog groups with varied backgrounds from secular to Orthodox. We briefly met with a women’s study group called Niggun and later engaged in text study (this time a secular poem) led by one of the facilitators, an Orthodox women.
Programs such as this encourage us to believe that common ground can be found, especially by sharing Jewish texts, both secular and religious.
We had lunch at the college where, by chance, we ran into David Wakstein. David teaches art and runs programs for kids all the way down in Ofakim, one of our MetroWest partnership cities. He operates in Ofakim out of the famous art igloo which was renovated with funding from Steve & Lori Klinghoffer. David took us to a new gallery on the Oranim campus just before we left.
Moti is known as one of the leading lights in the Israeli Jewish Renaissance. He spoke eloquently about the growing need for Israelis to connect to their Jewish roots. The Zionist who helped create the state rejected almost all things traditionally Jewish, except the land. Eretz, settling and working the land, was the basis of their Jewishness and they needed little else. They had no problem with identity. The world told them they were Jewish and they recognized their Jewish being through their attachment to the land.
Following his service in the ’73 Yom Kippur War Moti began to feel that his parents’ identity through the Zionist movement was not enough for him. He knew that there were deeper roots and questioned why the tradition was being hidden from him. Something was missing spiritually. He knew the Orthodox Judaism was not for him and that for most Israelis there is a sense that Judaism belongs to others. There became a need to invent ceremony and ritual. He began to study Jewish texts and to bring other like-minded people together to study as a way to reclaim his heritage.
Later he saw the growing division in Israel and needed to find a means of bringing the religious and non-religious together. He had learned from experience that text study led not only to intellectual development but to emotional and spiritual development. More importantly those who studied together created deep relationships. He established study groups that pulled in all levels of observance. There are now over 20 such study groups around the country.
Recently his organization sponsored a conference on Shabbat in which 800 people participated.
Moti remains concerned about the divisions in Israel. He described it as a return to Twelve Tribes. He has been working with the movements and others to find ways to open dialogue. Clearly he feels Israel has reached the point where it needs to seriously deal with concept of community.
From the college we drove to Ein Herod Old Cemetery.
It the burial place for many Zionist settlers (Halutzim) from the early aliyot. Moti joined to describe the hardships; most of those who came to Israel in the early days did not stay. They often gave up due to the hard life required to settle the land. Their rejection of Judaism was evident on their grave markers…no religious markings at all.
Moti described how they knew the traditions but would not follow them. There were silent funerals and Seder-less Seders. The need to break with the past was all controlling. It was this rejection which has been deeply ingrained in the secular society and makes it difficult for them even today to explore tradition and spirituality. In their minds if a program has anything to do with religion, texts, the old ways, etc. it must contain what they have been conditioned to reject and so quickly turn their backs.
More later… Gary
posted by Gary A at 4:37 AM
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