“If anything will drag the Israel into the abyss it is the orthodox dominance in state and public issues. Reform Judaism has much more to offer the majority of Israelis.”
The Interviewee – Rosa van der Wieken-de Leeuw (Born 1948), Retired. Born in a very small town in Netherlands where till the WWII, my grandfather was the kosher butcher. We Moved to another small town and where me and my brother were the only Jewish children in high school. Moved for medical study to Amsterdam, married, got 3 children, and stayed one year in IL, where one of our daughters was born. Both my husband and I had/ve a lot of functions in the Jewish community. 2 of our children and 6 of our grandchildren live in IL.
In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people in general?
“For me personally it means the place where I can be my Jewish untamed self. In general – without it we are free game again. the world sees us differently since we have a national home,
it gives us the opportunity to be united in diversity (not yet a big success).”
How much Is your Jewish self identity affected נט your own family experiences during WWII?
“My father, who never recovered from the humiliations of WWII, was a militant Jew who accepted nothing from no one, and that same attitude from Israel made him proud. All this made me also into an assertive jew. My first visit to IL was in 1960 when my adventurous parents drove us by car through Europe, hoisted their car and us on a Turkish boat to Haifa to visit family and friends during 4 weeks. Later on they also lived part of the year in Netanya.
“Israel is a harsh country, but also a miracle, never seen before, where friendship still counts, but also becoming a bad dream, devouring its inhabitants. I hope I still have the power and the time to invest in social justice and I hope the miracle survives me and the bad dream dies with me. ”
Do you feel committed in some way to defend the future existence of Israel?
“Yes, also the current existence.”
Do you affiliate yourself with a specific denomination in Judaism? What is your view regarding the dominance of the Orthodox denomination in Israel religious establishment?
“I was born into the reform community, while my parents were born orthodox. If anything will drag the Israel into the abyss it is the orthodox dominance in state and public issues. Reform Judaism has much more to offer the majority of Israelis and will be able to combine public life and religion in a way that speaks to much more Israelis than the current (ultra) orthodox pressure.“
Do you feel morally responsible for Israel’s actions (such as its management of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict)?
“Not really. If I were an Israeli it would be different. The state and the government are two separate entities. I support the state I don’t support (this) government. Of course as a Jew I feel bad about the way Jewish law is trampled by the government, but not only towards Palestinians (who by the way are infested by the same sickness of fundamentalism and even more murderous than the fundamentalist Jews) but also towards women, non Jews etc etc…”
In your opinion, what is the main thing Israelis fail to understand about the reality of being Jewish outside of Israel?
“That Europe is changing into something that has more and more similarity with Israel. This is no longer the quiet paradise that Israelis considered it to be. Israelis don’t understand that we Jews work -and pay- everyday to keep our communities alive as we live in a non-Jewish -assimilitive- surrounding.”
How would you describe Israel’s policy (formally and in practice) regarding its relationship with the Diaspora?
“The government is not interested in the relation with the diaspora both gentile and Jewish. I don’t agree with their politics, but I am not sure how much I disagree with this disregard: We Jews can go on aliyah and vote them out, and the rest of the gentile world basically is not positive towards Jews, let alone a Jewish state.”
In your opinion, does Israel have an obligation to defend and help Jewish communities in need?
“No obligation. Jews from dwindling communities have the option to go on aliyah. When Israel feels they see something positive in helping diaspora communities they are more than welcome.”
Have you ever been to Israel? if you have, can you summarize your impression from the Israeli reality?
“I live part of the year in Tel Aviv. Jerusalem changed into a ghetto without walls. It is still an amazing country, but it is balancing on a tightrope. If the fundamentalists both religious and political, can go on this way, the moderates will flee (though not so clear where to).”
What was your best experience of Israeli culture in the past year (book, music, TV, movie, theater etc.)?
“The youth orchestra”s with my grand children both in Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem. music education is great is Israel.”
Can you tell us a bit about the Jewish community in your hometown?
“Sefardi, ca 300 families, orthodox 2500 members, reform 2000 members. bne akiva and habonim have ‘peulot’ and are very active. Personal relations are OK, official relations are bad. (orthodox refuses the children of reform ‘gerim’ in the only Jewish day school etc, etc). All religious services and most other activities are protected, both by our own security organization, the police and the military. There are many activities, usually more than one a day, but everywhere is a lack of participation of the younger generation.”
