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How could the majority of Jewish Israelis want to turn their fellow Jews into homeless refugees? How could this same majority turn on their fellow Jews while giving aid and support to such people as Indonesia’s tsunami victims who, in better times, have and continue to vociferously voice their hatred of Jews and Israel? 

It all boils down to one word: contempt. And the contempt is from both camps of Jews -- the ultra-orthodox and the less observant and secular. 

I am a secular Jew, although I am neither atheistic nor agnostic. But if I go to temple, it’s a rare event. I also wear shorts in warm weather. Does this make me less of a Jew? Not to me, and certainly not to Hitler or his ilk, who would kill me just as fast as he killed the yarmulke-wearing, black-coated ultra-Orthodox. Among some (not all) of the ultra-Orthodox Jews, however, I have often experienced contempt for my lack of observancy. I even get hate-filled emails about it. 

Nor am I alone in being on the receiving end of this contempt. When I have been with other seculars or less observant Jews while among the ultra-Orthodox and Chassidim, I have noticed that these less observant Jews are often pressured into becoming more observant. They are scorned and shunned if they stand up for their rights to worship or not as they choose. 

And this attitude has apparently had a backlash regarding the expulsions from Gaza (Gush Katif) and the "West Bank" (Shomron). In discussing the expulsions with Israelis visiting in America, the ones who have been in favor of it are the seculars and less religious, but not for the reasons that have been put forth. When asked why they favored the expulsions, the seculars will initially give the standard line of peace, security and economy -- but when pushed, they will tell their true feelings. 

Israeli Jews who are non-observant or less observant than their hyper-critical ultra-Orthodox brethren are very aware of the contempt which some ultra-Orthodox Jews have for them. They have been made to feel like they are less Jewish and less worthy by these people. So when pushed for the real reason why they were all for the expulsion, the Israelis I spoke with would tell me that they felt abused by the ultra-Orthodox "settlers" (unfortunately lumping all religious Jews into one group). 

The seculars and less observant Israelis felt that they were giving large amounts of taxes, and even their children, to defend people who had utter contempt for them. Therefore it is no wonder that so much of the Israeli public was all for the expulsion. Call it payback and call it consumerism. They wanted their tax dollars and their children’s lives to help and support people who are not contemptuous of them. 

The seculars and less observant Jews, however, are also guilty of several instances of contempt. Their contempt for some of the ultra-Orthodox settlers may be, at best, understandable -- although having them turned into homeless refugees is utterly inhumane. 

The secular Jews have unjustly painted all religious Jews with the same brush. Many religious Jews are not contemptuous of their less-observant brethren, instead welcoming and accepting them for who they are. 

A prime example of this is Moshe Feiglin and his party, Manhigut Yehudit. Feiglin and his party support and welcome all Jews, with no ulterior motive of turning the seculars into more observant people or imposing Orthodox rules upon them. 

Two examples of Manhigut Yehudit’s respect for seculars are Feiglin’s following proposals: 

1. Make the army completely optional, so that those people who do not want to defend certain segments of the Israeli population aren't forced to do so. 

2. No religious laws at all within the government, just some basic education about Judaism in the schools, since Israel is a Jewish State. 

Unfortunately for the residents of Gaza, the secular Jewish segment’s reactive contempt for those few hateful among all the ultra-Orthodox Jews who have demonized them was misplaced. It was cast upon the religious Jewish settlers who embrace all Jews and do not wish to impose their beliefs and practices upon others. 

A leader in the Manhigut Yehudit party wrote me the following in an email, which proved to me that Feiglin, a settler, supports the secular segment of the Israeli population and understands their grievances with some of the ultra-Orthodox: “Just because they wear kippahs, beards, and tzitzits doesn't make them a good person. And it doesn't mean they are anything more than 'practitioners of Jewish ritual.' " 

Correction from the author: The above quote, I have since learned, was from someone who erroneously represented themselves as being in Manhigut Yehudit's leadership and therefore may or  may not be representative of Manhigut's stance. 

Regarding Manhigut Yehudt's and Feiglin's positions: "Manhigut Yehudit's position on Jewish Law is to strengthen Jewish Identity by teaching all of our children a Love of Torah and knowledge of the mitzvot, a Love of Eretz Yisrael, and a Love of all Jews. After the children receive this education, it is up to them as to how they use it, as Manhigut Yehudit will not impose  religious laws." 

For Manhigut Yehudit's stances on various issues, visit their website. - BG 

The secular Jews of Israel must put aside their contempt and not judge all who look similar to be alike. It's the only enlightened and humane thing to do. 

But the seculars are guilty of a much more destructive contempt: they are guilty of contempt of self. They have either forgotten or turned their backs on who they are. They are Jews. This means much more than going to temple, lighting Shabbos candles, or saying the Shema. 

Being a Jew means that we have nearly 6,000 uninterrupted years of history, nearly 6,000 uninterrupted years of struggle for mere survival as a people, and nearly 6,000 uninterrupted years of de-legitimization by a world which has used our laws, our knowledge, and our hard work, but refuses to recognize us as equal -- or in some cases, even legitimate.

Where did this contempt of self come from? I am certain that for each person there is a unique reason, but I know of several general reasons that probably helped it along. Lack of education about the goals of our enemies as well as lack of education about being Jewish -- who we are and what we have suffered merely for our beliefs. Each Jew who is alive today is living because their ancestors had a faith and a dream that could not be extinguished, whether they were gassed with Zyklon B, burned alive at the stake, dismembered, crushed to death, blown up by Arabs/Moslems wearing bomb belts containing shards of metal dipped in poison, or murdered by a thousand other tortures meant to utterly wipe out any and all Jews from the face of the planet -- secular or religious.

The day we give up our history and the land in which it resides is the day that the forces of evil will be given the keys to implement the "Final Solution" so often dreamed of not just by Hitler, but by the Arab/Moslem world’s former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem. This is the same man who gave Hitler numerous suggestions on better ways to exterminate all Jews more efficiently, and who passed his hatred of the Hebrew people down to the Arabs now clamoring for ancient and aboriginal Jewish land.

In relinquishing our ancient homeland of Gaza and parts of the West Bank, which had been lovingly preserved for all Jews by the brave and pioneering mostly observant segment, we have turned over our ancient history to the new-coming and usurping Arabs. We have given them the ammunition to de-legitimize all of Israel and all Israelis. 

So to the seculars I ask: when (not if) this happens, was it worth it? Are you so angry at the small group of hateful Jews that you are willing to give up your birthright and maybe even your country and any legitimacy you may have as Israelis? Are you willing to give ammunition to an enemy who wants you utterly destroyed because you are a Jew, just to get back at a few haters who are practitioners of Jewish ritual only, yet follow a creed of hatred more akin to radical Islam? 

And to those (not all) ultra-Orthodox who are contemptuous of your less religious brethren, I ask several questions: Why do you treat your fellow Jews with scorn and contempt? Why do you often pressure them to be more observant or risk being demonized by you? Is this not as bad as someone from another religion pressuring you to convert? What ever happened to respecting others? Why not welcome all Jews for who they are and not what you think they should be? Has it never occurred to you that by your very behavior you are achieving the very opposite to your goals -- instead of uniting Jews, you are dividing them? 

What would G-d think about a Jew who demonizes and marginalizes another Jew? 

To all of you I say: No matter what kind of Jew you are, because you were born of Jewish parentage, there are those in the world who will dance, cheer, shoot guns in the air, and hand out candy at your death -- preferably a grisly, horrific one. 

If we are to survive as a people, we must resolve this rift between us, and the rift within ourselves.  

Copyright © 2005 by Beth Goodtree. 

Beth Goodtree covers Middle East politics and national interests. She is a regular contributor to many online and off-line news and opinion publications. Author's email. Author's website. 

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