Saying NO to "next year in Jerusalem"

[S.A.M.]

I was conflicted about putting this in politics or religion. Its a crossover topic, one that pertains to both but especially to how religion affects politics, so I decided to put it here, but the mods can decide where it goes.

As Jews around the world lock up their leavened bread and Jews in the Israeli army lock down the West Bank, I take far too long to pack a small bag for my annual trip to Cleveland to celebrate Passover. Come Tuesday night I’ll be surrounded by dozens of people who share my blood and my heritage, people I’ve been waiting all year to see. But instead of packing to the memory of their voices rising above the our seder table in "Oyf’n Pripetshok," a family favorite from the "old country" of Bialystok, the deadened refrain that repeats in my head chants "Next year in Jerusalem." In the wake of Israel’s recent announcement of further settlement expansions in East Jerusalem, ever-increasing violence against Palestinians, and the still-echoing war cries of Netanyahu and so many others at this month’s AIPAC conference, "Next year in Jerusalem" sounds more and more like a threat.

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For many years the chant of next year in Jerusalem has been a "safe place" for Jews who cling to ethnocentrism and oppose assimilation in other cultures and societies. It has been a strong component of their identity as Jews and has been possibly the single most important casus belli in the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine. Now with the reality of the occupation and apartheid, Jews around the world saying "next year in Jerusalem" is more a threat than a promise. And to evicted Palestinians in East Jerusalem or those who await eviction as 1600 more homes are promised to more Jews saying "next year in Jerusalem" around the world, what does it mean to celebrate a Passover that threatens eviction to other families?

Emily Ratner has written an exceptional personal account of her feelings about this Passover and I thought it would be nice to share it as a point of view from Jews who find religion conflicting with their ethics. What are the factors that influence us when what we believe and hold fast about religion conflicts with what we adhere to as ethical principles that govern our lives?

 

[wynn]

What are the factors that influence us when what we believe and hold fast about religion conflicts with what we adhere to as ethical principles that govern our lives?

How can a person's religion and ethics be separate?

If they seem separate, this can only be because
1. the person doesn't know the religion,
2. the person doesn't adhere to it (then why call it their religion to begin with?),
3. the religion actually has major doctrinal blanks.

 

[S.A.M.]

How can a person's religion and ethics be separate?

Probably that is an excellent approach to discussing this topic.
What separates religion and ethics?

I'm not sure how other people look at it, but when I am told by any elders that such and such is religiously taboo, I always look it up and find that it is wrapped in so many conditional variables so as to be almost ridiculously a matter of choice. I also believe that religion is a matter of good sense and where something makes little sense, it is a good idea to consider it outdated or misinterpreted.

For example, on discussing the benefits of incineration over graves, I was told that incineration is not Islamic. Now I could not find any edict on graves or incineration, so it turned out to be a belief with no basis. If I had found one which indicated it is better to be buried than burned, I would have considered the pros and cons of either and taken the path of good sense.

 

[spidergoat]

Why not take it to it's logical conclusion and just say that religion is the enemy of adaptive ethics?