Zionism was always a movement for a Jewish state, not a Halachic state, and a Zionist party would pursue policies that ensure that all Jews — from the ultra-Orthodox to the solidly secular — will feel a sense of belonging in the public space.

At the start of this week’s Torah reading, Jacob, like his grandfather Abraham before him, leaves the land of his birth for new horizons.

If we want to create a new liturgy that stands a chance of becoming a lasting, vital contribution to Jewish spiritual life, we will not achieve this by going through the siddur with a red pen.

We would all do well to remember that what we see in the headlines is partial. It is an “edge of the people” or a glimpse of “the wasteland” but it isn’t everything.