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Days before Yom Kippur, I discussed what Yom Kippur meant to me with a teenager who didn't feel connected to the idea of fasting. I told him that I fast as part of a number of basic things, such as not eating chametz on Passover, and a number of other traditions that I believe create my connection and closeness to Judaism.
I remembered that one of the former chief rabbis once told me that most Jews keep what he considers them Jewish—circumcision, Jewish weddings, and Jewish burials. Obviously, most of the Israeli public defines itself within these borders. The majority are secular or traditional non-religious, who make up about 65% of Israel's Jewish population.
According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, in 2022, 45.3 percent defined themselves as secular and 19.2 percent defined themselves as traditional nonreligious. 10.7% are religious and 10.5% are ultra-Orthodox. Most of this public meets the definition - an alliance. Wedding. Funeral. Most of them are connected to Judaism in their own way. Respectful in their own way. They ask that they not interfere with the relationship between them and their Creator. Live and let live.
This delicate fabric, which has existed in Israel for many years, has been caught in the eye of the storm over the past year. The religious tension is another result of the protests against the reform and the fear that life in the country, as we knew it, is about to change, including on the religious issue.
The height of the controversy was expressed on the eve of Yom Kippur at the same prayer in Dizengoff Square. What in the past would have passed without a voice daughter, and the secular residents of Tel Aviv would continue to ride their bicycles and honor this holy day, has become a battlefield. On Saturday night, and perhaps in order not to forget what they are fighting for, the demonstration in Kaplan began with a march from Dizengoff Square. In my opinion, a decision that only intensifies the separator instead of the author.
The actions of both sides, the protesters on the one hand and a "Jewish head" on the other, are distancing young people from the orderly idea of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. It turned disagreement into hatred. Even if Dizengoff Square is a symbol of secularism in the most Israeli city there is, there is no place to turn Yom Kippur into a battlefield. There is great beauty in the Jewish religion. Noble moral principles bequeathed by the Jewish religion to the entire world.
The actions of both sides, the protesters on the one hand and a "Jewish head" on the other, are distancing young people from the orderly idea of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. It turned disagreement into hatred
Therefore, the time has come to state the obvious: the state-secular education system has neglected the Jewish bookshelf. She left it to the religious and ultra-Orthodox. It was the late Shulamit Aloni, the undisputed symbol of the Israeli left, who said that proficiency in it must not be neglected. Read and understand this week's Torah portion. It's not religion, it's expanding students' education. This will help them understand that they are part of the Jewish people not only because they were born to a Jewish mother, but also because of the depth of the Jewish religion. They do not need to delve into the 13 mitzvot or fulfill them, but they do need to know about their existence. And this can only be taught within the framework of the education system. Instead, the picture the young people see is a picture of war in Dizengoff Square, so why should they connect to the Yom Kippur fast?
It is possible and appropriate to act differently. Secular, the Jewish bookcase also belongs to us. Study it, and believe me, it will actually help you if you get into an argument with the other side.
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