Ran Huri

Dr. Yehuda Maimaran coined the term "Social Judaism" sixteen years ago. At the time, during the year that the establishing of the Center of Social Leadership was in the planning, he incorporated the concept in one of the reports he wrote for the AVI CHAI Foundation. “I recall the moment when the term 'Social Judaism' came into existence. Danny Danieli, who was a project manager at the AVI CHAI Foundation at the time, raised his head from the report, looked at me, and said: ‘Social Judaism... I like it.’ From that moment, the term took on a life of its own and separated from the text I had written on life itself.” Today, sixteen years later, Yehuda is the CEO of Kol Israel Haverim and leads the organization that operates in hundreds of schools and communities, and affects the lives of tens of thousands of individuals every year through a variety of educational programs. Social Judaism has become part of the organization’s motto and is at the heart of its work.

Every year, the organization holds a main conference for its staff, educators and the general public. The topic of this year’s conference will focus on how Israeli Judaism bears up to society and to shared existence, issues that are part and parcel of the organization’s educational work in schools, communities and various groups.

What does the concept 'Israeli Judaism' express?

“The concept “Israeli Judaism” refers to dealing with issues concerning the reality of sovereignty within the Jewish tradition. Israeli Judaism differs from Judaism in general, since it takes place here, in the State of Israel, and it provides us with opportunities to face issues that are not part of the legacy of other Jewish societies - such as the state’s responsibility towards underserved populations, or the promotion of decent living conditions in a Jewish state. “Israeli Judaism” is an attempt to shape a national social reality that is influenced by the encounter between the Jewish tradition and current reality.”

What issues, for example, are to be found in the domain of Israeli Judaism?

“The status of Israel’s Arabs and shared citizenship, for example, on the basis of Jewish tradition. Israeli Judaism must speak out very clearly against prejudice and de-legitimization, strive that all citizens have access to decent living conditions and create a society that is a light unto the nations as concerns the minorities living within it.”

“An additional question that this view raises is whether shared citizenship between Jews and non-Jews is possible, beyond the formal sense. There are numerous issues that cross religious affiliation, such as the aged, social gaps and so on. In many cases, Jews and Arabs act jointly, as they should, on the same team.”

Social Judaism, the approach that has guided Yehuda for years, is an inseparable component of Israeli Judaism. “Social Judaism holds central meaning for Israeli Judaism. It provides an analysis of Jewish values and of the shaping of society in light of this tradition and legacy. Questions such as the privatization of social services, income tax institutions, distributive justice, homeless people, educational gaps, zoning for municipal jurisdiction and more are linked to Social Judaism issues in the Israeli state. Democratic values, according this view, derive from the Jewish world."

Can Jewish Identity contribute to the individual's civic identity?

"The nature of civil identity in a Jewish state differs from all other civil identities – it entails added obligations and raises the question: How, on the basis of Jewish tradition, am I to act towards my fellow person? An example would be hashavat aveida, returning a lost object to its rightful owner. I consider that Judaism obliges us to active citizenship, beyond the letter of the law. We are obliged to take action against injustice – at the level of the state and the community, and at the level of the individual as well. These are questions raised by Israeli Judaism that create an additional level of civil duty.

A Mosaic of Identities

Society comprises different group identities. Does Israeli Judaism not blur differences?

"Israeli Judaism requires cooperation between the different population sectors, responsibility towards the collective, alliances around shared social problems. A discourse that binds identity with sectorial interests should be avoided - I consider this combination to be a diseased condition. Part of our mission is to speak less of 'religious', 'secular' and such concepts and more of 'Jewish' or 'citizen'. The guiding principle should be a view of the entire society; that is what I consider civil duty."

Yehuda considers that an inseparable aspect of Israeli Judaism is the construction of a collective identity and common ground that goes beyond sectorial divisions and is pertinent to the entire society, on a shared basis derived from the Jewish values we all carry.

Israeli Judaism, according to Yehuda, seeks specifically to express the diversity integral to Jewish tradition. "This means, in a sense, having Judaism make aliyah to Israel. Israeli Judaism is the product and fusion of all streams of Jewish heritage, including the traditions of Jews from Islamic countries which remain markedly absent from the educational system."

Kol Israel Haverim's work, in keeping with Israeli Judaism, covers three areas: education to Jewish social values, educational excellence, and welfare and social viability. KIAH operates in 90 schools and 70 communities, and its programs reach 50,000 individuals annually. Beit Midrash programs for social leadership, educator training programs and educational programs promoting scholastic achievement operate throughout Israel. The choice of program domains is a function of their place in the Jewish values system; they express the Israeli Judaism approach. "What we have to say about Israeli Judaism is wholly connected to the organization's name", explains Yehuda, "At Kol Israel Haverim we strive to create a non-sectorial identity, to let everybody in, including our Arab citizens.