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On Religious Pluralism

By Walter S. Wurzburger (Sh'ma 11/211, April 3, 1981)

Rabbi Schulweis's moving plea for "restoration of civility and mutual respect" between the various religious "denominations," strikes a responsive chord within the overwhelming majority of the Orthodox community. No group is immune to the debilitating effects of sinat chinam (unfounded hatred). We all suffer from the excessive politicization, narrow institutionalism and myopic sectarianism that plague contemporary Jewry. Engaged as we are in a bitter struggle for our very survival, we can ill-afford the growing polarization that threatens to fragmentize the Jewish community.

But it is one thing to agree with Rabbi Schulweis's diagnosis of the current malaise and another to be prepared to accept his prescription of "religious pluralism" as the remedy for our ailments.

To begin with Jewish unity does not really depend upon our respective attitudes towards the belief-systems held by our fellow Jews. Hitler has taught us that, irrespective of all theological convictions, we form one people. However divergent our articles of faith may be, we constitute a community of fate. From the Orthodox perspective, all Jews are included in the Covenant, regardless of whether we consciously affirm it, whether we identify as ethnic secular Jews, or whether we are indifferent to our Jewishness. Christians may require an ecumenical movement in order to achieve a sense of unity. But for us Jews, the situation is different. To paraphrase Franz Rosenzweig, Christians may be "on the way" toward unity. We Jews, however, are already there. We form a people - not just a set of "denominations" related to each other by a shared set of common core-beliefs.

Religious Ethnicism or Pluralism

Since in Judaism ethnic and religious factors combine to form an organic unity, "religious ethnicism" - to borrow Yehezkel Kaufmann's term - engenders a sense of solidarity that transcends religious, cultural or socioeconomic differences. Identification with the Jewish community and concern for its welfare constitutes a religious imperative. Hence, Orthodox Jews, however separatist their orientation, regard themselves as responsible for the welfare of other Jews, be they "secular" or "religious." Rejection of the legitimacy of non-Halachic ideologies is fully compatible with the loving concern for the adherents of such ideologies. For this reason, even ultra-Orthodox Jews are ready and eager to cooperate with non-Orthodox Jews in areas where the common interest of the Jewish community are at stake.

But to return to the issue of "religious pluralism," I am not sure that I understand the sense in which Rabbi Schulweis employs the term. If he merely intends by it that non-Orthodox Jews should have every right to live in accordance with the dictates of their conscience, he can rest assured that the bulk of the Orthodox Jewish community shares his point of view and opposes any infringement upon freedom of religion. But in recent years, the term "religion is pluralism" has acquired another connotation. It does not merely refer to the right of individuals to exercise their freedom of religion without interference on the part of others, but calls upon religious groups to renounce any claims to superiority. Accordingly, all religious groups are expected to accord each other equal validity, since religious truth allegedly, is always relative to a particular faith. It is this meaning of "religious pluralism" which is involved when Jews protest against Christian missionary activities on the ground that they are incompatible with "religious pluralism."

In Defense of Orthodox Principles

However appealing such a pluralism may be to the modern mind which eschews all dogmatism, Orthodox Judaism cannot accept this canon of modernity. Just as Judaism cannot legitimize the belief in paganism, be it in its ancient brand or the more modem version of communism, so Orthodox Judaism is bound to reject and declare as illegitimate) any deviation from Halacha. For Orthodox Jews, Halacha represents the unconditional demand of God to which all other considerations must be subordinated. Rabbi Schulweis deplores that "religious statesmen refuse to negotiate mipnay darkei shalom-for the sake of peace." But does Halacha lend itself to negotiation? Negotiation is the proper procedure for the settlement of conflicting claims, rights and interests. But Halacha is a subject for interpretation- not negotiation. Religious truth is non-negotiable. From an Orthodox position, the meaning of the Halacha must be ascertained by the procedures that govern the evolution of HaIachic opinions. Hence, those rejecting this particular methodology cannot possibly be assigned a role in determining Halachic requirements.

This has nothing to do with ahavat yisrael. I love all my fellow Jews. For a variety of sociological or cultural reasons. I may have stronger bonds of friendship with some Reform Jews than with Satmar Hassidim. Moreover, I thoroughly reject the attitude of Satmar Hassidim towards the state of Israel. But I would not hesitate for one moment to accept the validity of the conversion performed by a Satmar beit din, while on Halachic grounds, I couldn't possibly recognize a conversion conducted in accordance with Reform standards. Hence, I would have no choice but to exclude from the Jewish community anyone who, according to Halachic standards, has not satisfied the minimum requirement for admission to the people of the Covenant.

Halachic Marriages Preserve Unity

It is in this context that we should approach the present controversies concerning the so-called Orthodox monopoly in the state of Israel. What prompted even secularists to confer authority on matters of religious status to the Orthodox rabbinate was the conviction that every possible effort must be made to preserve the unity of the Jewish people. Were Israel to institute civil marriage, then the Orthodox community in the course of time, would find itself unable to intermarry with members of the non-Orthodox community. The introduction of non-Halachic marriages under Reform auspices would lead to the same consequences.

It is readily understandable that non-Orthodox rabbis may feel quite uncomfortable with the current arrangement. But ultimately this an issue to be decided by the Israelis. Theirs is the decision whether the state of Israel should pattern itself after the American model or whether it should be a Jewish state with specific responsibility to serve as an instrumentality for Jewish survival. But no matter what measures the Knesset will adopt, Orthodox Jews will never be able to marry a convert to Judaism whose gerut (conversion procedure) does not meet Halachic standards. It must be remembered, however, that the problems relating to regulations governing marriages and divorces in Israel have nothing to do with the issue of religious freedom as such. Each country has the right to select whatever methods it deems advisable. In many European countries, no religious group possesses the right to solemnize marriages. This is regarded as the prerogative of the civil authorities. No one has ever suggested that this represents an abridgement of religious freedom.

Emphasis on Shared Goals

As an Orthodox Jew I would welcome a large-scale aliyah from all segments of Jewry. There is no reason why non-Orthodox Jews should not be encouraged to perform the mitzvah of yishuv haaretz and avail themselves of the already existing opportunities- as evidenced by many flourishing non-Orthodox institutions- to develop their religious potential in the land of Israel.

I, for one, am deeply dismayed that the battle for status or recognition in the state of Israel has poisoned the atmosphere in the United States. It is high time that we defuse the tension and unnecessary friction between the "denominations." While Orthodoxy cannot condone deviations from Halachic norms, there is no reason why it should not be able to acknowledge that by providing a religious rationale for identification with the Jewish people, non-Orthodox Jewish groups can make a valuable contribution to the cause of Jewish survival. If Orthodox groups can enter into alliances with avowedly secular groups, why should they not be able to recognize their community of interests with other religious groups in the numerous areas where they share common religious objectives (i.e. support of Israel, an approach to philanthropy rooted in Jewish religious values, the belief that identification with KIal Yisrael (all Israel) constitutes a religious imperative, etc.)?

Granted there are irreconcilable theological differences that separate the Orthodox from the non-Orthodox camp, we still have a moral obligation to overcome all unnecessary divisiveness and mobilize our resources in the pursuit of the common goals which unite us all.