Politics 2.0

THE MENSHIVIK REBUTTAL

My esteemed colleague El Hermo has written an article entitled “Resistance” on his blog Casa Del Hermo to which I feel an unnecessary need to add my thoughts to this matter.

Indeed, let me start off by saying that I greatly respect El Hermo’s writings and analytical views. As he well knows, I share many of the same views as his. In his article, Resistance, he refers to the recent Limmud program in Johannesburg which was an immense success and opened the door of debate in our community which has largely been closed in recent years.

In the spirit of Jewish debate, I would like to pose a thought on the matter. As a culturalist, and someone who holds Jewish culture at the core of my identity, I applaud the organisers of the Limmud program for exposing the cultural depth of our community and regret that I did not attend the program. As such I do not take issue with the program itself.

However, for argument’s sake, I question the notion of an orthodox hegemony, alluded to by El Hermo, suggesting that there is a shift to the right in our community which is, prejudicial and isolationist in nature. While this is true, the exact opposite can be said as well. There is also an underlying tone in our community which is prejudicial to and, dare I say, xenophobic of the ‘religious right’. I cannot back this up with statistical or empirical evidence but rather through disposition.

It is not uncommon in our community to call one ‘mishuga frum’ or to make the clichéd jokes on the frummers breeding like rabbits or that the hole in the cloth is a michitza during sex. While these jokes may seem lighthearted, they stem from a fear and misunderstanding of the religious right. So where does this leave us?

It is a classic form of a thesis antithesis debate, which ultimately leads to a synthesis. The synthesis is that our community is largely segregated, geographically, ideologically and economically, to an extent, and there are fears and prejudices on both sides of the M1 which we all need to overcome. However, considering that the traditional Litvish strand of Judaism is the dominant piece of the South African Jewish pie, and considering that they are the overwhelming voice of the Jewish community, they have a heavier burden not to discriminate or isolate different groups in our community, whether they are Chabadniks, Israelis, liberals or apathetic Jews.

One could compare this duty to the duty that the ANC has in not turning South African politics into a one party state. We are, for that matter, not a one party community.