[HANASHIR:11351] reform's anti-zionist origins and the "bat" in hatikva

[Stevehumm <Stevehumm...>]

hi, rachelle, shirona and the rest of you who seem interested in this 
discussion. 

shirona, you could be correct about finding the "bat-less" hatikvah in some 
conservative synagogues.  i, however, have found that organizations that were 
always, and more definitively pro-zionist have USUALLY been more apt to 
include the "bat."  such as, for example, in my young judea sidur.  so, 
perhaps i could've explained that a little better;  it is possible that the 
lines are not so neatly drawn between reform and conservative.

now, onto reform's anti-zionist origins:  sorry to say it but it is true.  
fortunately we now have a very strong voice in supporting israel.  of course, 
i am aware of last summer's debacle regarding nfty trips to israel, but 
that's tangential.  
             
the following is article 5 of the pittsburgh platform of 1885: 
   
 We recognize, in the modern era of universal culture of heart and intellect, 
the approaching of the realization of Israel s great Messianic hope for the 
establishment of the kingdom of truth, justice, and peace among all men. We 
consider ourselves no longer a nation, but a religious community, and 
therefore expect neither a return to Palestine, nor a sacrificial worship 
under the sons of Aaron, nor the restoration of any of the laws concerning 
the Jewish state. 

although the language is rather benign, it still, very clearly, is not 
zionist.   in 1937, reform judaism adopted a new platform which supported 
israel, at least with lukewarm enthusiasm.  but, i understand, it was 
controversial.  realize that one of the concepts behind reform judaism was to 
create a way for jews to blend into society without being so "different."  
many rabbis believed  that supporting israel with vigor   would 
   1) be congruent to the radical, orthodox ideas of building the 3rd 
temple(see the                              excerpt from pittsburgh 1885 
above), and 

   2) was contrary to the concept of making judaism work in the diaspora
   
   3) piss off gentiles who would think that jewish americans' true 
allegiance was to        the fledgling jewish state and not the usa.   

in fact, stephen wise free synagogue in new york was founded in 1907 because 
rabbi wise z"l insisted on his freedom to say what what he wanted from his 
pulpit without being sensored by the board of the synagogue.  "free" had 
nothing to do with the dues.  even in 1919, the president at SWFS resigned 
over rabbi wise's zionist views.    

the same holds true for rabbi david polish z"l  of beth emet the free 
synagogue in evanston, illinois.  in fact, some of polish's congregants,  
just before or just after israel's independence, locked him out of the 
synagogue for being a zionist.  he prevailed, added "free" to the name, and 
held that post into the early 1980's.  

i do know that the popular american jewish reform opinion was changing in 
1937 and even more so after 1948, but anecdotally, my parents and their 
contemporaries have told me that they truly saw 1967 as the first time they 
TRULY cared about israel.  my 68 year old mother tells me how her blood 
curdled when she saw egypt's dictator, abdul nasser, on t.v saying, "tomorrow 
we will drive the jews into the sea."  since that day, she has supported 
israel.  

Back to where we began, my mother's anecdote and similar ones from people 
aged 65+ would corroborate my previous assertion (via a friend from israel) 
that perhaps the american reform community "discovered" hatikvah when it was 
becoming vogue to leave out the "bat."

anyway, i am hardly the difinitive source on these issues.  i'm just glad to 
share what i know.  but maybe some people with more free time would be 
interested in checking other facts and statistics such as the number of 
participants on the first nfty trip to israel, the year it took place, and 
statistics in the same year for other organizations.    

anyway, on this yom ha'atzmaut, i hope that we each continue to sing the 
"bat", but focus more on words such as  "am chofshi" and "nefesh yehudi."  
and may we, as a community of jews, always cherish israeli sovereignty.

       -steve hummel
        santa monica, ca