The lead Chabad Rabbi in Tel Aviv put a large ad in the Jerusalem Post’s weekend edition. In it, he decried secular education in Israel that was leading Jews in Israel away from believing in the Torah, the Exodus, the God of the Bible, and Israel’s election. This, he argued, would undercut the state of Israel and its passion for its survival and prosperity. He then pointed to a million Israelis who have left Israel and are assimilating in the West more than the Diaspora Jews themselves. There are other factors for leaving; one is the high cost of living, especially housing, and the super high prices are connected to a corrupt system here.
But of course, the Rabbi was right but ignored the elephant in the room. If Israelis return to faith in the Torah, they yet do not want to return to Halacha, to the minutiae of Rabbinic Orthodox practices and constraints. Conservative and Reform Judaism maintain traditions but do not really believe the Biblical supernatural events really happened. So in Israel, Orthodox Rabbinic Judaism is the only choice, is the state religion, and in charge of all marriages and conversions. Reform and Conservative are super tiny here.
Messianic Judaism is the best answer to the dilemma. We bring people back to faith in the Bible and the election of Israel. We also have a wise approach to Rabbinic Halacha. We evaluate it by the whole Bible and do not feel compelled to submit to it but affirm that which is good. Sadly, many Messianic Jews in Israel are not that Jewish in orientation, unlike in the Diaspora, for they are more Evangelicals in the Hebrew language. More change is needed.
However, short of becoming Messianic Jews, could there be a new Judaism?
In the Land that respects the Torah, the Prophets, and the good things in the Jewish heritage without coming under the constraints of Rabbinic Halacha. I would love to see someone work on that as well.