When a U.S. congressional committee approved a resolution recognizing the World War I-era massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as genocide, Turkey\’s reaction was swift and harsh: Blame the Jews.
In a major policy change, Israel has launched a high-profile diplomatic initiative to thwart Iran\’s nuclear ambitions following President Bush\’s warning that a nuclear Iran could produce World War III.
It\’s not that I would want to see Jerusalem divided. It\’s rather that the time has come for honesty. Their call to handcuff the government of Israel in this way, their call to deprive it of this negotiating option, reveals that these organizations are not being honest about the situation that we are in, and how it came about. And I cannot support them in this.
Luckily, Judaism can hold its own in this wild ride — because it already has a very big \”buffet\” that can appeal to a wide range of different tastes. We get in trouble when we focus on only one part of this buffet as if it\’s the whole thing. That smells like dogma. If we can display all the spiritual, cultural, mystical, intellectual, historical, ritual, artistic and communal courses of the great Jewish feast — and invite Jews to partake in its many delights — maybe the new generation will stop dismissing or trying to \”upgrade\” Judaism, and, instead, will explore what\’s being offered until they find something that turns them on.\n
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