Want to save Jews? Do not give the Interior Ministry to the haredim - opinion

Not much different from the messy business of sausage making is building an Israeli government coalition.

Similar to the meat that comes out looking good, the unsavory ingredients that go into the process are often those that are a bit revolting. And that is pretty much what the Jewish state is presently undergoing.

To disband the long-standing Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his mostly haredi (ultra-Orthodox) coalition, opposition parties have to be as flexible and creative as possible to widen the possibilities of who joins the next government.

While there are several centrist parties, they still do not comprise enough voices to build the minimum 61 mandates required to form a government.

So, while Arab parties are being considered as potential members of the next coalition, likewise, are the haredim. Of course, when considering the fact that the United Torah Judaism party is opposed to military service for their young men, a core tenet of the other parties, it’s not the only problematic issue as to why their inclusion in the government would be a mistake.

Over the course of the last 20-plus years, the Shas party (also defined as haredi) has managed the Interior Ministry, a highly important portfolio that determines crucial matters, such as who is a Jew, who is eligible for citizenship, who can legally get married in the state – in short, the legitimacy of one’s ethnic identity.

As the sole arbiters of who they believe is worthy of the label “Jew,” these zealots have created their own criteria, based on very stringent definitions and observances to which they adhere.

The problem with that is that it has eliminated a wide variety of Jewish-born individuals who attempted to obtain the rights to which they are entitled under the 1950 secular Law of Return, guaranteeing that the children of Jews, as well as those with at least one Jewish grandparent, are eligible for Israeli citizenship.

By completely disregarding that very specific wording, those who have managed the Interior Ministry as far back as 1993 have been able to weed out anyone they felt was not the kind of Jew that they would prefer to live in the Jewish homeland.

That included secular assimilated Jews, intermarried Jews, Jews who took on another faith, and any other Jews who were, for whatever reason, suspect of not following the traditional Jewish religion.

In other words, Jewish identification, for the haredim, was defined by one thing only, and that was one’s religious beliefs as well as their level of observance.

Why is that unfair and also irrelevant? Because among the estimated 16 million Jews worldwide, not all of them are of the Orthodox Jewish persuasion. In fact, there are more who don’t fall into that category than do.

According to most surveys, only two million Jews would identify themselves as Orthodox. That comes to one in seven Jews globally, leading us to believe that there is a very biased and faulty system being employed, all in a deliberate effort to disenfranchise certain Jews from the ability to unite with their ancestral people if they so choose.

Ironically, that exclusivity, employed by the Shas party and other haredi groups, is completely antithetical to attracting assimilated Jews, gently coaxing them to identify more with their people by being a part of their traditions, customs, and nation.

By causing them to feel “unworthy” of their birthright, the opposite is being done, sending the message that they are unwelcome and roundly rejected. It’s tantamount to hanging up a sign at the entrance of the Interior Ministry, which reads, “No unaffiliated Jews need apply.”

Concern for Diaspora Jews

Because that is exactly what has been going on. And while there was always the option of remaining in America, the country from which most of the applications were denied, that no longer remains a given.

As more and more Democratic socialist members, a party which despises the Jews and Israel, are succeeding in winning their elections, major Jewish-populated cities are joining the ranks of being governed by political leaders who are highly antisemitic.

Already, we have begun to see Jewish-owned businesses boycotted, vandalized, and even threatened to be destroyed. One such warning was posted for a planned campaign on November 9 in Philadelphia.

Do such frightening events have any impact on the same haredim who are the ones to determine who is able to access the country that was specifically established to be a refuge and safe harbor, especially during moments like this when the safety of Jews is at stake?

It’s sad to say, but it doesn’t seem that way. And this is the reason that if a unity government is formed, the temptation to leave the Interior Ministry in the hands of people, who are indifferent and unsympathetic toward the plight of all Jews, regardless of their faith or lack thereof, should absolutely not happen!

During these very perilous days for Jewish people, if anything, there should be great alarm amongst Jewish leaders, who are worried and concerned over the welfare of those who live in the Diaspora.

Consequently, it is a time for them to open their hearts and their doors to all Jews who may be seriously weighing a move to the Jewish state, which is their best chance to live without the threat of personal danger and also to appreciate what it means to identify more closely with the Jewish people.

It’s a win-win situation – both for assimilated Jews, as well as our country, which stands to gain from the addition of smart, skilled, independent people, who have much to offer once they arrive!

Leaving the Interior Ministry in the hands of like-minded people to Shas, who will not be part of the next coalition, would constitute gross malpractice by a more centrist government, which is so desperately needed for many who were the victims of a 20-year hijacking of this office!

Israelis are notorious for their “live and let live” philosophy, and that includes allowing each person to choose what feels right for them, especially in matters connected to one’s faith.

In that regard, the way to save the greatest number of Jews is to return to the spirit of the 1950 secular Law of Return, which welcomed Jews from every stripe, knowing that they were all considered assets!

The writer is a former Jerusalem elementary and middle school principal. She is also the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, available on Amazon, based on the time-tested wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs.