Relationships between Jewish religious movements

This article discusses the relationship between the various modern day denominations of Judaism, as well as between ancient divisions of Judaism.

Relationship between Jews in ancient Israel

The Talmud states that the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed because the Jews did not get along with each other.

Modern History

Haredi ("ultra-Orthodox") views

When dealing with others of their own faith who have different philosophies, Haredi Jews often perceive differences to be generated by heretical intent or a perceived attack on Judaism. Thus Haredi rabbis and rabbinical organizations grant no legitimacy whatsoever to any form of Judaism other than their own. They view Reform Judaism, Reconstructionist Judaism and Conservative Judaism as heretical movements whose actions are more damaging to the Jewish people than any physical threat. Haredi groups and authorities will not work with non-Orthodox movements, as they view this as lending legitimacy to those movements.

The relationship between Haredi Jews and Modern Orthodox Judaism is more complex; some Haredim see Modern Orthodox Jews as allies, while others see them as enemies. Rabbi Svei, who heads the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, called Rabbi Norman Lamm, Dean of Yeshiva University and a leader in Modern Orthodox Judaism, a "Sonai Hashem" or "hater of God."

According to Norman Lamm, some prominent Hasidic rabbis believe that modern Orthodox Jews like him are no longer part of the Jewish people. See "Integrity or Unity: Which?", excerpts of an address at The Orthodox Union National Rabbinic Centennial Medallion Awards Dinner)

Strife between Haredi groups

Some Haredi groups have a history of physically attacking each other, on rare occasion:

"The Hasidic sects, actually poles apart from each other theologically, contended not only with non-Hasidic, non-Jewish neighbors but also with each other, often on ideological issues in addition to political control of their neighborhoods, much like the Hasidic rabbinic feuds of 18th and 19th-century Poland and Russia. Physical struggles often erupted: in spring 1975 the Satmar hung an effigy of the Lubuvitcher Rebbe from a telephone pole. In the summer of 1977 and 1978 physical conflict arose between Lubavitcher (Crown Heights) and Satmar (Williamsburg) Hasidism over turf, over differing views of involvement in North American society, and over attitudes toward the state of Israel. And Belzer and Satmar Hasidism, two years later, clashed in the synagogue of the Congregation Belz over a similar ideological issue. (18)"

"In the spring of 1981 hundreds of Satmar, who fiercely oppose Zionism and a Zionist state not established by the Messiah, again pelted a Belz synagogue in Williamburg with eggs and bottles, and threatened to harm the Gran Rebbe of the Belz if he came for a visit from Israel to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Belz's arrival in North America....in the summer of 1983 Lubavitch leaders accused the Satmar of abducting a Hasidic rabbi of the Borough Park Lubavitch sect (who had left the Satmar community), forcing him into a van, assaulting him, and then shaving him of his beard (and Orthodox sign of piety) before dumping him in the street. (19)

Profiles in American Judaism Marc Lee Raphael, Harper & Row, Publishers, 1984

(Footnote 18) New York Times, 1 June 1977, Part 2, page 1; 29 October 1979, Part 2, page 3. Bernard Weinberger "Satmar and Lubavitch: The Dynamics of Disagreement" Jewish Life, Part 2, no.2-3 (Fall-Winter 1977-1978): p.55-65

(Footnote 19) New York Times, 8 March 1981, Part 4, page 6.

Modern Orthodox views

When dealing with others of their own faith who have different philosophies, Modern Orthodox Jews try to understand that differences have not been generated by heretical intent, but by an honest attempt to reconcile modernity with the Jewish tradition. Thus, although Modern Orthodox Jews find all non-Orthodox forms of Judaism to be wrong, they are usually not viewed as enemies per se; rather they are perceived to be competitors offering an inferior product, so to speak, and that the masses of these movements need to be enlightened as to the superiority of the Orthodox stance.

Until the 1970s there always had been a significant level of cooperation between Modern Orthodox and the non-Orthodox branches of Judaism; they worked together in the now-defunct Synagogue Council of America. However, the relationship between Modern Orthodoxy and the non-Orthodox movements has worsened over the last few decades. Haredi Judaism has seen a great resurgence in its popularity, and many formerly Modern Orthodox rabbis have been swayed to some degree by their views. Similarly Reform Judaism unilaterally created a new definition of Judaism, effectively severing the united peoplehood that had linked Reform and non-Reform denominations together. For practically all Orthodox Jews (and many Conservative Jews) this was seen as a deliberate move to split the Jewish people into two mutually incompatible groups. The confluence of these two phenomenon helped drive most of Modern Orthodoxy further to the right, and effectively ended all official cooperation between Modern Orthodoxy and all of the non-Orthodox denominations.

Some within the Orthodox world advocate that while non-Orthodox forms of Judaism are incorrect, they nonetheless have functional and spiritual validity. Rabbi Norman Lamm writes:

Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist communities are not only more numerous in their official memberships than the Orthodox community, but they are also vital, powerful and dynamic; they are committed to Jewish survival, each according to its own lights; they are a part of Klal Yisrael; and they consider their rabbis their leaders. From a functional point of view, therefore, non-Orthodox rabbis are valid leaders of Jewish religious communities, and it is both fatuous and self-defeating not to acknowledge this openly and draw the necessary consequences-for example, establishing friendly and harmonious and respectful relationships and working together, all of us, towards those Jewish communal and global goals that we share and that unite us inextricably and indissolubly.

non-Orthodox rabbis and laypeople may possess spiritual dignity. If they are sincere, if they believe in God, if they are motivated by principle and not by convenience or trendiness, if they endeavor to carry out the consequences of their faith in a consistent manner-then they are religious people...But neither functional validity nor spiritual dignity are identical with Jewish legitimacy. "Validity" derives from the Latin validus, strong. It is a factual, descriptive term. "Legitimacy" derives from the Latin lex, law. It is a normative and evaluative term.

Seventy Faces, Moment Vol. II, No. 6, June 1986 - Sivan 5746

A number of modern Orthodox rabbis advocate good relations with their non-Orthodox peers. In 1982 Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought published a symposium on the state of Orthodox Judaism, with contributions by many leading Orthodox rabbis. The first question the editor asked the rabbis was "Do you believe that recent developments warrant the trimumphalism exhibited by segments of Orthodoxy which predict the total disappearance of non-Orthodox movements?" Rabbi Marc D. Angel replied that "we should be frightened by the possibility. With all our theological differences, yet we part of one Jewish people and work together in so many ways for the benfit of the Jewish community....It is not a happy prospect that the overwhelming majority of American Jews will lose their Jewishness. It is also unlikely that the vats numbers of the non-Orthodox community will move into Orthodoxy in the relatively near future." Rabbi David Berger replied "I confess that I would not look forward to such a disapperance....The Jewish loyalties and observances of non-Orthodox Jews are decidedly better than nothing....The only weakening of Conservatism and Reform for which Orthodoxy can legitimately hope would come through conversion to Orthodoxy. No such development appears imminent in statistically significant numbers." The message of other rabbis rings a similar note; no rabbis profiled in the symposium believed that most non-Orthodox Jews would ever convert to Orthodoxy. Thus Orthodoxy should work together on some issues with non-Orthodox Judaism, and it is far better for Jews to be members of non-Orthodox Judaism than to assimilate and not be religious Jews at all.

A small number of modern Orthodox rabbis cooperate with non-Orthodox rabbis on a regular basis through smaller organizations such as CLAL (The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership) and the New York Board of Rabbis.

Many American Modern Orthodox rabbis have recently created a new modern Orthodox advocacy group, Edah. Many of its members are also members of the Rabbinical Council of America. Edah's mission statement says: "The Vision of Edah is an Orthodox Jewish community in which we, as members, leaders, and institutions....reach out to and interact with Jews of all the movements as well as non -affiliated Jews as an expression of the wholeness of, and in an effort to strengthen, the entire Jewish people."

Conservative views

Conservative Judaism holds that Orthodox Judaism is a valid and legitimate form of normative rabbinic Judaism; its respects the validity of its rabbis. Conservative Judaism holds that both Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism have made major breaks with the historic definition of Judaism, both by their rejection of Jewish law and tradition as normative, and by their unilateral acts in creating a separate definition of Jewishness (i.e. the latter movement's acceptance of patrilineal descent as an additional way of defining Jewishness.) Depite the Conservative movement disagreement with the more liberal movements, it does respect the right of Reform and Reconstructionist Jews to interpret Judaism in their own way. Thus the Conservative movement recognizes the right of Jews to form such denominations, and recognizes their clergy as rabbis, but does not generally accept their decisions as valid. Thus, for example, the Conservative movement typically does not accept Reform converts to Judaism as being Jews.

A prominent Conservative spokesman has written that "Reform has asserted the right of interpretation but it rejected the authority of legal tradition. Orthodoxy has clung fast to the principle of authority, but has in our own and recent generations rejected the right to any but minor interpretations. The Conservative view is that both are necessary for a living Judaism. Accordingly, Conservative Judaism holds itself bound by the Jewish legal tradition, but asserts the right of its rabbinical body, acting as a whole, to interpret and to apply Jewish law." (Rabbi Mordecai Waxman Tradition and Change: The Development of Conservative Judaism)

Conservative Jews believe that that Orthodoxy had deviated from historical Judaism through an excessive concern with recent codifications of Jewish law. The Conservative movement consciously rejects the Orthodox mythology of Jewish history, which entails near total deference to seemingly infallible rabbis, and instead holds that a more fluid model is both necessary and theologically and historically justifiable. The Conservative movement makes a conscious effort to use historical sources to determine what kind of changes occurred, how and why they occurred, and in what historical context. With this information they believe that can better understand the proper way for rabbis to interpret and apply Jewish law to our conditions today.

The Conservative movement has had a number of serious clases with Orthodox Judaism; in the USA Haredi rabbis have publicly described Conservative rabbis as sinners and heretics; most Orthodox rabbis accept the validity of a responsa by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein which states that all Conservative rabbis are heretics that deserve to be beaten, and that they all will burn in Hell. (Igrot Moshe, published in 1985, original responsa written in 1980, Part III, item 13.)

Advertisements by Orthodox rabbis have been taken out in newspapers stating that it is better for Jews to stay home on Rosh Hashanah than to attend non-Orthodox services. As such, many Conservative Jews have become disenchanted with Orthodoxy, and view it as domineering and hostile.

In 1997 Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, called on Reform and Conservative Jews, as well as the Jewish Federations throughout the United States, to be aware that many Orthodox organizations in Israel politically discriminate against non-Orthodox Jews, such as not accepting their converts as Jewish; thus Schorsch stated that Jews should not give contributions to any such organizations.

Reform views

Reform Judaism espouses the notion of religious pluralism; they believe that most Jewish denominations (including Orthodox groups and the Conservative movement) are valid expressions of Judaism. Historically the Reform view of Orthodox Judaism has been highly negative. Reform began as a rejection of Orthodox Judaism, and early battles between Reform and Orthodox groups in Germany for control of communal leadership were fierce. Reform viewed Orthodoxy as a backward movement, attempted to do away with most traditional practices, and in the 20th century often predicted its demise.

During the 1990s Reform Jews in Israel perssed for official recognition from the State of Israel; they were met with statements from the official Orthodox establishment that Reform Jews were heretics who were destroying Judaism. A number of prominent Orthodox rabbis in Israel compared Reform Jews with enemies of Judaism, and claimed that the actions of Reform Judaism.

"As darkness covers the earth, the Reform and Conservative sects that are the destroyers of the religion are trying to dig their nails into the Holy Land and receive recognition so that they may be counted among the streams of Judaism, God forbid. We hereby pronounce da'at Torah (with the authority of the Torah) that it is inconceivable to grant them any recognition whatsoever, and it is forbidden to conduct any negotiations with the destroyers who counterfeit the Torah and bring about assimilation and the destruction of Judaism in the Diaspora." -Source

Rabbi Ben-Porath, the head of yeshiva Ohr Sameach, said, "sitting with the Reform and Conservative movements is worse than sitting with the PLO, because while the PLO wishes to destroy the state, these movements want to destroy Judaism itself." (Israel, 1989) -Source,

Rabbi Shloosh of Netanya said, "Reform Jews are worse than Christians and war should be declared against them"

Rabbi Yisrael Eichler wrote that "Reform Rabbis are further from Judaism than Christians and Moslems and that they should be considered as filthy, lying, shekotzim who are criminals, who brought about the holocaust on the Jewish people".

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef said, " Reform Jews should be vomited up...and thrown out of the country. They should be forbidden from settling in Israel...they have no place in Israel since they are a separate people."

In this climate, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel made a number of anti-Reform statements. In response, Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, head of the American Reform movement, then called the Israeli Chief Rabbinate "[e]xtremist and radical and fanatic...a medieval chief rabbinate that is a disgrace to the Jewish people and its religion", described Haredi Judaism as "ghetto Judaism", referred to "utterly fanatic ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel who are becoming more extreme every day" and has accused "the ultra-Orthodox" of having "abused Torah for their own selfish purposes and brought it into disrepute."

An article in Yated Neeman, a Haredi newspaper proclaimed that all Reform and Conservative Jews were "destroyers of religion," "criminals" and "enemies of God." In response, Rabbi Uri Regev, director of the Israeli Reform movement's Israel Religious Action Center, compared those who make such statements with the same kind of religious fundamentalists who cause terrorism. In an interview with Regev, he denied criticizing all of Orthodoxy, rather "What we need to understand is that it's the religious fundamentalist hate speech that precedes those outbursts that we should be more conscious of, concerned about addressing."

Relations with the Conservative movement are much more cordial, and Conservative and Reform leaders co-operate on many areas of mutual concern. However, some of Reform's leaders have also predicted the demise of Conservative Judaism, a prediction which Conservative leaders have called called the argument "delusional" and the product of "immature" analysis.[1]

Strife at the Western Wall

In the late 1980s modern Orthodox women began holding all woman prayer services in the women's section of the Kotel, the plaza adjoining the Western Wall of the Temple in Jerusalem. Near the same time, Masorti Jews (Israel's Conservative Judaism) began holding prayer services near the Kotel; however these services were not held next to the wall, bur rather behind it in the adjoining public plaza.

Many of these prayer services have been met with strong opposition from Haredi Jews praying at the Wall. This opposition has sometimes been violent, with documented attacks on those holding the non-traditional services. In conjunction with these events, a small number of death threats to non-Orthodox Jewish establishments have been received over the telephone. Many were confirmed by the Israeli police as coming from an Orthodox yeshivas; the threats never were carried out.

Various attempts by the Israeli Supreme Court to legislate solutions, and by the Israeli government to mediate compromises, have met with little success. An extensive list of links (at the end of this article) documents these attacks, and the false claims as well.

Attacks on Israeli archaeologists

There have been acrimonious disputes in Jerusalem over the issue of the exhumation of the bones of Jews. According to the Orthodox interpretation, land even suspected of containing Jewish remains should remain untouched, so as to facilitate resurrection of the dead. This interpretation led to considerable conflict between Atra Kadisha, an organization devoted to preserving Jewish burial sites, and archeologists and civil engineers.

In 1982 and 1983, Atra Kadisha led public protests against the archeological excavations at the City of David. According to Atra Kadisha, the site contained a medieval Jewish cemetery. The archeologists, who denied this, succeeded in completing the excavations. In 1992, a number of tombs from the Second Temple period were uncovered during construction of a major highway interchange in French Hill and a large burial area which archeologists insisted was Christian, because of the presence of Christian symbols, was uncovered during construction of the Mamilla project. Archeologists removed and then, following violent protests, returned for burial, the bones and sarcophagi of one tomb from French Hill. At Mamilla, the builders removed the bones and bulldozed the burial area in the dead of night. The young demonstrators who reacted introduced a new level of violence into religious-secular disputes, violently confronting the police, stoning cars, and burning garbage dumpsters.

(Encyclopaedia Judaica, Keter Publishing. Article "State of Israel: Religious Life and Communities; Developments in the Jewish Community Through the 1980s to the early 1990s"

References

Seth Farber, Reproach, recognition and respect: Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik and Orthodoxy's mid-century attitude toward non-Orthodox denominations, American Jewish History, June 2001 v89 i2 p193(23)

Di Tog Morgen Journal, November 19, 1954. Letter by Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik warning Jews not to attend services in non-Orthodox synagogues.

External references

Misc. topics

Articles relevant to Haredi views

Haredi defenses

Strife at the Kotel (Western Wall)

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