I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but all formal events in Israel tend to be a little…well a little informal.  After living in Israel for two years I felt that I was significantly prepared for the environment I was to encounter when invited to an Israeli Bat-Mitzvah in Tel Aviv.  At first glance the atmosphere was exactly what I expected: people generally talked through the whole service, walked in and out as they pleased, ate, wore very casual (and interesting) clothing, and came late.  I participated in all of the above, except the attire category (I happen to have looked quite nice.)  However, as the night wore on, I was rather surprised to feel that I still had a lot of foreign in me.

The service was divided into two parts.  The first consisted of, what I considered, the actual Bat-Mitzvah.  The Bat-Mitzvah girl read from the Torah and Haftorah and did all the other necessary elements of the service.  Then we split for dinner during which I asked if we were done.  The reply I received was,

“No, next is the Bat-Mitzvah.” To which I replied,
“Umm, what?  What did we just do?”
“The service.”
“Oh. What?”

Soon I was ushered back into the hall where the lights were dimmed and the “Bat-Mitzvah” began, which was really a form of talent show (including video presentation, song and dance, and drama) by all those, including the Bat-Mitzvah herself, who wanted to pay tribute to the big day.

I sat there (and stood, and walked around, and drank wine, and talked in true Israeli fashion) wide-eyed, wondering what was going on.  Even though coming from a Reform background, and even though I too was talking and moving during the ceremony, I could not digest the casual nature of the service.

I asked my Israeli host father* if this was a regular Bat-Mitzvah in Israel.  He emphasized the "no" in his answer, and went on to note that one of his relatives actually refused to come inside because, “to her it is disrespectful to play with the Torah.” 

Since I have always classified my host father as a secular Israeli, his tone took me by surprise.  But, upon further reflection I was equally suprised to discovered that on some fundamental level I too was rejecting this service the same as he was. 

My Israeli host father doesn’t keep kosher, doesn’t keep Shabbat and never goes to shul.  I think of myself as a secular Jew who doesn't have a strong understanding of Jewish liturgy or ritual.  So why were we both put off by a non-traditional bat mitzvah  service?  Did we consider the secular service too secular?

The answer is yes.

My host father is an example of many secular Jews in Israel, who are secular in belief but traditional in observance.  Although he doesn’t keep Shabbat, for example, he cooks a Shabbat meal every week for his family, knows most of the prayers by heart and participates in every holiday in some fashion.  He also knows this land and its biblical landscape better than any tour guide I have encountered. 

My host mother is also a secular Jew, but unlike her husband who’s Jewish attachments appear to be predominantly personal, she has sought out public forums through which to study and practice Judaism within her own secular framework.  She is not alone, and today within Israel there is a growing active secular Jewish community.

My host mother and the family of the Bat Mitzvah belong to Beit Tefillah Israeli, a group who has been created to accommodate the, “very large sector of Israeli society which has not been successfully addressed by any of the existing synagogues." Although they have looked to the models of Reform and Conservative Judaism, Beit Tefillah Israeli has created a “new model of the urban (Israeli) secular society” one that is working to create a “new mode of Tefillah (prayer) based on the traditional text while adjusting to a new content and praxis such as music, dancing, meditation and personal prayers.” 

Looking back, I now believe my inability to digest  the service was not a mark of foreignness, but rather a testament to my integration within Israeli society.  Before coming to Israel on a long-term program, I had no connection to Israel and a limited connection with Judaism.  I knew I was Jewish but I did not understand the levels of my Jewish identity nor the existence of such diversity in practice and belief.  After living here for two years, I now have Shabbat dinner every week, observe and understand the Jewish calendar, speak Hebrew, and have a growing attachment to and deeper understanding of Judaism as a diverse faith and culture.  

In this month’s Footprints, MASA’s Executive Director Elan Ezrachi states that Israel has the responsibility to “serve and strengthen Jewish communities that are all minority groups in their respective countries.”  MASA, he explains, was born out of this responsibility because nothing works to strengthen the Jewish idenity like a long-term Israel experience.  Ironically, when you come to Israel you discover that there is no conformity on how to be Jewish, and many find a long term experience actually challenges their Jewish identity.

With the hagim just around the corner, many of you will experience the complexities of Jewish identity and practice in Israel right at the beginning of your program.  As a result some of you will be surprised (and perhaps turned off) by the various ways Israelis observe the hagim and Judaism in general.  My advice is really explore the options available to you.  If you want to stay within your own observance level, you're sure to find a community that meets your needs.  If, on the other hand, you are interested in a new experience, do not be surprised to find yourself observing the hagim in a way fundamentally different than you ever have before.

No matter how secular or religious, in Israel Judaism seeps into every crevice of life.  This is the only place in the world where such a reality exists, so I encourage you to approach the various ways Judaism is expressed in this country with an open mind.  Remeber, no one is demanding you accept them all.  

Hag Sameach & Happy Holiday 

-Erin

* my program set me up with a host or adoptive family, who has since become what I consider to be my family in Israel.

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For more information on the Beit Tefillah Israeli access their website at: http://www.kbyonline.org/beit-tefilah/index.html

For personal accounts of the Jewish experience in Israel and confrontations to Jewish identity read:
          
            Confronting my Jewish identity in Israel
            by Jess Mauer

            Participant Profile: Shana Dorfman

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