The Jewish State — From Opposition to Opportunity
by Doron Perez
Gefen/Mizrachi Press, $28

Given the rifts in Israel so starkly exposed in recent months by the protests over judicial reform, a book urging Jewish unity is more than timely.

That call has come from Rabbi Doron Perez, the chairman of World Mizrachi, the Orthodox religious movement, who grew up in South Africa and made aliyah when he was 18. Traditionally, Mizrachi has played a moderating role in Israeli society, mediating between religious and secular wings.

The first part of the book is taken up with an analysis of antisemitism, as defined by the Vilna Gaon. The 18th-century scholar found it embodied in different forms by three of ancient Israel’s adversaries: Moab (which represents spiritual erosion and hatred of Torah); Edom (which seeks physical destruction); and the Philistines, who oppose Israelite sovereignty in the Land of Israel.

While Rabbi Perez acknowledges that the modern-day Palestinians are neither historically nor culturally the descendants of the Philistines, he considers them “spiritual heirs” of the biblical people, in that they fulfil a similar role by contesting Jewish claims to the land.

Palestinian nationalism today, he writes, “is an oppositional nationalism, not based on an ancient historic love and deep national or spiritual connection to this particular tract of land, but rather deriving from a deep sense of opposition and even hatred to the claim of others to this land”.

But this metaphysical approach oversimplifies the conflict since it brushes aside the attachment felt by the Palestinians who were displaced in Israel’s War of Independence to the homes they lost as if it were of no consequence.

the jewish state

Rabbi Doron Perez's book (Photo: Bookcover)

In response to such opposition, Rabbi Perez advocates a renewed effort to bring about Jewish unity, which is not simply a desirable social goal but a religious ideal. While some religious outlooks may be sectarian, his concern for the whole Jewish people is manifest.

Drawing on the thinking of the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Palestine, Rav Kook, he suggests that harmony lies in finding a balance between the religious, national and universal elements of Judaism.

To those who fear a slide towards theocracy, he cites rabbinic sources who believe it wrong to try to force religious observance on secular Israelis; only when an entire society accepted halachah, could it become the norm.

Israel’s greatest challenge, he believes, comes not from external threats, but “rather the internal lack of cohesion within the Jewish people in general and Israeli society in particular”.

But unity is necessary, too, in order for Jews to fulfil their spiritual mission, “to be a light to the nations”, in Isaiah’s famous words. Israel, he believes, should strive to be a “model state” that shows how to synchronise the different parts of society, a bridge between religious and secular, between East and West.

He believes Israel already offers a positive example “as a unifying force of moderation and integration in a world that is pulled to extremes”.

Humanity is also the richer, he says, for the start-up nation’s technological ingenuity. An aspect, of course, which stems more from secular science than religious philosophy.

While the aspiration to be a model state is a noble one, it is hard to see how Israel can reflect this at the current time when most of the international community views the West Bank settlement enterprise as illicit.

He does not grapple with the repercussions of the occupation or the divisions it has fuelled inside Israel — which surely is a prerequisite in order to chart a convincing path to unity.