In Defense of A Radical Political Reform Judaism

My Twitter feed is abuzz with outrage over Glenn Beck's recent comments that Reform Judaism is analagous to radical Islam. Many Jews, not just Reform Jews, and others have rushed to Reform Judaism's defense. People start their rebuttal of Glenn Beck by dismissing him entirely, which I think is fair, but then they try to engage his argument, but do so poorly.

Reform Judaism could never be like radical Islam, and therefore Glenn Beck is wrong, they argue. Glenn Beck is wrong, but for very different reasons than most people are talking about. The overt or covert Islamophobia in many of these arguments makes me sick to my stomach, even that of the ADL. Saying that Reform Judaism is not like militant Islam because Reform Jews are by-in-large non-violent when it comes to the practice of religion is true; saying Reform Judaism is not radical and has no political agenda is false.

Here are Glenn Beck's comments:

OK, you have to—hang on just a second. When you talk about rabbis, understand that most—most people who are not Jewish don’t understand that there are the Orthodox rabbis, and then there are the reformed rabbis. Reformed rabbis are generally political in nature. It’s almost like Islam, radicalized Islam in a way, to where it is just—radicalized Islam is less about religion than it is about politics. When you look at the reform Judaism, it is more about politics.

Let's try to address this in a systematic way and not just call Glenn Beck off-base because he generally is. First Glenn Beck is obviously coming from a place of ignorance. Neither the Jewish world nor even the American Jewish community can be divided into any sort of binary classification. It is not "Orthodox vs. everyone else." In addition, the largest group of affiliated Jews in the United States are Reform Jews. Not reformed, most of us have not abandoned evil ways in favor of shaping up to be reintegrated into the community at large. Not reformed as if all the change that needs to happen in Judaism has happened already. Reform Judaism acknowledges the continuing need for evolving tradition. So do I think that Glenn Beck in his comments is coming from a place of deep ignorance and profound disrespect. But this is not unusual for Glenn Beck, and I don't think that Jews or Reform Jews should choose this moment to notice that Glenn Beck is ignorant and disrespectful simply because he was talking about us.

Glenn Beck says Reform rabbis are generally political in nature. I disagree fundamentally with this statement. Many Reform rabbis want to stay as far away from politics as they can. However, some of the most visible Reform rabbis in this country, and particularly in Washington, are actively engaged in politics. Rabbi David Saperstein foremost among them, there are many Reform rabbis who are active politically, and the Religious Action Center is a political lobby organized by the Reform movement. And rightly so. Torah tells us not to put a stumbling block in front of the blind and not to oppress the stranger. Torah tells us to recognize the godly in every individual, to welcome guests and care for the orphan, to pursue justice, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Working for these goals within the existing political structure of America is not only a profound expression of Jewish religious sentiment, but also profoundly patriotic. Tikkun Olam applies even to secular governments - we can and we must make our country better.

This brings us to the actual place where Glenn Beck's argument breaks down. It doesn't break down because Reform Judaism is not political - if Reform Jews are not political, we're doing it wrong. It breaks down because Glenn Beck is insinuating that politics and religion can be neatly separated. You have politics on the one hand and religion on the other and the two never have reason to interact. But, you might be saying, you are a staunch advocate of the separation of Church and State. I am, I do not approve of organized religious bodies creating laws - that is for the legislature. However, that does not mean that I as a voter have to leave my beliefs at the door of my polling place or my congressman's office. My political beliefs are rooted in my religious morality - and I daresay Glenn Beck's are based in his. Political activisim is a part of my religion, and if that makes me a radical - good.

Jews worshop a divinity that cannot not be seen or represented with imagery. Am Yisrael knows not to oppress the stranger for we know the soul of the strangers, having been strangers in the land of Egypt. We strive to practice the hospitality of Abraham, to work for the justice of Isaiah, and live the law of Moses. And we strive to be like the disciples of Aaron - loving peace and pursuing it. I believe that the Israelitic religion was radical, and that the rabbis radically transformed that religion into Judaism, a religion founded on loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Judaism is by nature radical, and one of the most famous radical Jews in US history was Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, an Orthodox Rabbi. You can find a picture of him marching with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Wikipedia, among other locations. Joachim Prinz, a Reform rabbi, spoke before Dr. King at the March on Washington. In his speech, he explained "Neighbor is not a geographic term. It is a moral concept." It is this moral, this religious concept that motivates much of Reform Jewish politics. Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, the founder of American Reform Judaism, took the Torah to women and counted them in his minyan, a quorum of 10 necessary for Jewish prayer over 70 years before women gained the right to vote in this country. A Jew who is not engaged in the betterment of society, including secular society, is shirking hir duty to make this world a better place. As quoted in Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Tarfon said: It is not up to you to finish the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.

Politically engaged Reform rabbis might not talk about their motivations being God's command. But they should not need to. Ideals of freedom, of justice, of equality and inclusion might be godly, but they do not need God as justification. Talking about these ideas in a broader context does not mean the work involved in bringing them about is areligious or unfaithful.

Furthermore, Glenn Beck has no qualifications to say whether any person other than himself has faith or is motivated to act by that faith. Many Reform rabbis are motivated to be politically active by their faith.

Another problem with Glenn Beck's argument is that he equates religion with faith. Faith is an aspect of many religions, but it is neither a sine qua non of religion nor the most important aspect of many religions. Even if Reform rabbis are not motivated by faith, that doesn't make their religious motivations any less valid. Religion is not only about faith, and it is poor for someone to equate the two.

Futhermore, Glenn Beck is a religious political pundit. Glenn Beck is open about his Mormonism, and I think he would be hard-pressed to say his religion doesn't play into his political views.

The bigger picture is this: Reform Jews, including rabbis, should not be ashamed of being political. We should be more political, and we should be proud of our political history while recognizing that it is still not enough. We should revel in moments like the one pictured in the link above, where Rabbi Maurice Eisendrath presented President Kennedy with a Torah once owned by Isaac Mayer Wise in honor of the opening of the Religious Action Center. However, we should recognize that Rabbi Saperstein has still not worked himself out of a job.

Can Reform Jews stop being radical and political? Only when the Messianic Age begins.