Separate Housing: With All Due Respect I Must Object to the Rabbis Position

One of the most unappreciated ramifications of European ghetto laws was that instead of leading to assimilation and conversion they perpetuated Orthodox Judaism. Yes that’s right, by prohibiting Jews from mingling with their gentile neighbors the state and church helped ensure strong and homogenous Jewish communities that are the antecedents of present world Jewry. The extraordinary advantages that these ghetto communities engendered were not lost on the Jewish faithful. Today nearly every city with a large Jewish population includes a segment of that Jewish demographic that chooses to reinvent the ghetto atmosphere. Precisely because its enables strong centralization of Jewish authority which is, they claim, a prerequisite for high levels of conformity to orthodox Jewish life.

Ironically, for the first time in the history of the Jewish Diasporas a minority of Israeli Rabbis are embracing a logic similar to that used by their European oppressors. Don’t get me wrong, the European gentiles were not faced with terror or the threat of assimilation -Judaism is not easy, and Jews don’t voluntarily blow children up (please see “Understanding the Goldstone Report: Intentions vs. Results”, if you find this assertion interesting). Conversely, Jews have a history of assimilation and Arabs a history of terror.

Still, Israeli Rabbis should not ignore the historical results of this logic. Remember, when the gentiles coerced separation, the result was a resilient Jewish community, and one that was prevented from contributing (their loss!). On the other hand, here in the states, some Jews have embraced the melting-pot ethos and completely assimilated into larger American society. Others have embraced the more modern notion of multi-culture America and have completely maintained their Jewish identity. Regardless most are overwhelmingly loyal citizens who contribute in every way to American society.

So I must ask: are the Israeli Rabbis implying that Arab-Israelis cannot do the same?

Yes I know that America has friendly relations with Israel, and that contributes to Jewish-American loyalty. But Jews in Iran are loyal to Iran despite Iran’s track-record vis-à-vis Israel. The same can be said regarding Jews in Britain, France, Brazil, and Turkey despite their, often, hostile stance towards Israel. My point is simple; just because Israeli-Arabs have reason to be disloyal does not mean that they are inherently disloyal.

I also know that many Israeli-Arabs are disloyal and often involved in the vilest anti-Israeli activities. But even if most Israeli-Arabs oppose Israeli treatment of Arabs in Gaza and the West-bank -and vocalize their opposition to that end-, they do so within the confines of Israeli law. Americans are renowned for vocalizing their extreme opposition to leaders and many American celebrities visit America's enemies (Michael Moore, Carter, Oliver Stone…all incidentally are often associated with antisemitism), but they are not discriminated against and nor should they be.

Yes, if Israeli-Arabs violate the law they should be prosecuted. Yes, I believe in a certain degree of profiling in Israel and abroad. Yes, Israeli-Arabs have yet to contribute in any meaningful way to the success of their host state. Yes, the Rabbis have every right to express their position. Indeed, the notion that separating Jew from Arab will protect Jews from terror, assimilation, and moral decay, may have some merit. But separate housing will never prevent the above from occurring, just look at the Jewish ghettos that spot New York and Jerusalem. Are they free of Arab terror, or of assimilation, or of moral depravity?!

We know that in a fair society true social cohesion is possible. I believe Israel is such a society. Therefore, with all due respect, I must object to the Rabbis’ position.