Settler Judaism

The jewish people’s openness toward the love-oriented, emancipatory, transformative aspects of Judaism is increasingly being subordinated to what I call “Settler Judaism,” a Judaism that scoffs at universal values and human rights and valorizes power over others as the ultimate “realism” to which post-Holocaust Jews must be subservient.Settler Judaism is the contemporary form of idol worship that has the greatest appeal to twenty-first-century Jews who see the world through the framework of the past suffering of our people. As I have explored at greater length in my book Jewish Renewal: A Path to Healing and Transformation, members of this emerging Jewish majority believe that loyalty to the State of Israel and its army is an appropriate replacement for service to YHVH (God)—the voice of Transformative Power that commands us to “love the stranger” and to pursue justice, kindness, generosity, and peace.The recent intensification of violence in Israel/Palestine broke my heart, not only because of the disastrous consequences for Palestinians of the war in Gaza—including the deaths of over 2,000 Palestinians, the maiming of over 6,000 more, the destruction of most Palestinian factories and many hospitals and UN schools, the sudden homelessness of an estimated one-quarter of the population following a massive Israeli attack on apartment buildings, and the total traumatization of the population—but also because Israelis and many American Jews, understandably fearful of the bombardment of Israeli population centers by Hamas, seem to have completely forgotten that it is Israel that is occupying Palestine and it is Gazans who have been traumatized by seven years of blockade of needed food and other basic materials. This is fanning global anger at Jews and is also undermining the credibility of Judaism for many ethically sensitive younger Jews.This growing moral insensitivity derives from what I see as the implicit Ten Commandments of Settler Jews, which I draw from statements that I’ve repeatedly seen and heard made by people who embrace the worship of the State of Israel.To the extent that Settler Judaism becomes the main voice of the Jewish people and its institutions, the traumas of the past win, and God’s attempt to draw us toward becoming a holy people loses. I am heartbroken at the way this worship of the State of Israel has replaced following the path of YHVH, the God of transformation and compassion.In rejecting Settler Judaism, I want to simultaneously express sadness and compassion for those who have embraced it. And I’d like to ask everyone involved in Tikkun and the interfaith and secular-humanist-welcoming Network of Spiritual Progressives to join in efforts to develop psycho-spiritual techniques and processes that can eventually help practitioners of Settler Judaism let go of the psychic wounds that lead them to embrace militarism and condone human rights abuses. I say this because I know with absolute certainty that the consciousness fostered by Settler Judaism is self-destructive and dysfunctional in the contemporary world. Settler Judaism generates the very anger at Jews from which it seeks to protect us. It contributes to the pool of violence, harshness, paranoia, and distrust that perpetuate human cycles of conflict.What I have encountered since raising these issues last August is that as Settler Judaism becomes increasingly predominant as the public face of the Jewish people, more and more of the most ethically sensitive Jews are walking away from their Judaism altogether. This too is destructive to our people, because it then leaves only the most ethically challenged vying for leadership of the Jewish world.Here is one of the hundreds of emails I received from such Jews (he asked me to omit his last name) who are in crisis because of the policies of the State of Israel:For many of our non-Jewish readers, the goal of saving Judaism from the destruction it is undergoing at the hands of the Settler Judaism crowd may have little import. But the same struggle is going on inside every religion and every political movement—including within the contemporary Democratic Party in the United States, the Labour Party in England, the Social Democrats in Canada, the former peace movement in Israel, and many other places. All over the world, this struggle takes place between the “realists,” who insist on dominating others lest they dominate us, and the spiritual progressive consciousness that affirms that homeland security can be achieved through love, generosity, and real caring for the Other and for the earth. So let me again invite you to join the Network of Spiritual Progressives as a dues-paying member at spiritualprogressives.org and amplify the voices of those of us who support nonviolence, love, and generosity.

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