Forming a Anti-Zionist Denomination of Judaism

[u/NAHTHEHNRFS850]

Seeing the stickied post regarding people seeking out progressive (particularly anti-Zionist) Jewish services, I wanted to talk about the formation of a progressive anti-Zionist Jewish denomination.

While there are progressive denominations of Judaism (e.g. Humanistic), these denominations don’t explicitly render themselves as anti-Zionist in the fact that they don’t declare “that there should not be a Jewish state”.

A new denomination such as this would need to remove practices phrases, statements and literature making overtures to the Holy Land and focus on community and belief in God. I see this as parallel to how some branches of Humanistic Judaism avoid using theonyms (names associated with God e.g. Joshua).

Thoughts?

[u/BolesCW]

Considering that there is a formative trauma of national destruction and expulsion/exile in Judaism, excising references to a rebuilt Jerusalem, the coming of mashiah, and an end to diaspora would whittle down the siddur quite a lot. Frankly, that reeks of censorship for ideological reasons.

It's far more honest and courageous to grapple with how to heal the trauma of community destruction and expulsion through a rejection of geopolitical and ethnosupremacist sovereignty.

As we move into winter, we have the opportunity to examine the story ahd legacy of the Hasmoneans. Why did the rabbis choose to focus on the miracle of the oil? Because the creation of an institutional religious fundamentalism coupled to the desire of the victorious cohanim to consolidate political power into a hereditary monarchy went against Biblical and rabbinic Judaism. The inherent conflicts of dynastic succession practically mandated one side of the family inviting the hated Roman imperialists into the land. The full history of the Hanukkah story is not the anti-imperialist lesson of kicking out the Seleucids...

[u/Adept_Thanks_6993 → u/BolesCW]

The "Maskilim" tried that when they first developed separate communal structures. It was a pathetic, self-effacing attempt to appeal to the gentiles for their rights by putting down traditionalists. Look where that got them

[u/NAHTHEHNRFS850 → u/BolesCW]

Considering that there is a formative trauma of national destruction and expulsion/exile in Judaism, excising references to a rebuilt Jerusalem, the coming of mashiah, and an end to diaspora would whittle down the siddur quite a lot. Frankly, that reeks of censorship for ideological reasons.

I wouldn't say censorship, I'm not advocating going out to destroy other denominations. I'm only facilitating a discussion for people to talk about wanting to make a space that reflects their values.

It's far more honest and courageous to grapple with how to heal the trauma of community destruction and expulsion through a rejection of geopolitical and ethnosupremacist sovereignty.

I would argue that is what I am doing. By removing overtures to the holy land and ultimately not establishing a sense of entitlement to it, the faith is not able to be tied to geopolitical (and by extension ethnosupremacist) machinations of the world.

As we move into winter, we have the opportunity to examine the story ahd legacy of the Hasmoneans. Why did the rabbis choose to focus on the miracle of the oil? Because the creation of an institutional religious fundamentalism coupled to the desire of the victorious cohanim to consolidate political power into a hereditary monarchy went against Biblical and rabbinic Judaism. The inherent conflicts of dynastic succession practically mandated one side of the family inviting the hated Roman imperialists into the land. The full history of the Hanukkah story is not the anti-imperialist lesson of kicking out the Seleucids...

I agree, and the focus on the idea of a "promised land" goes against progressive values with regards to other who it categorically was not "promised" too.