Reviewing 'Frayed' by Yair Ettinger

At the dawn of Jewish history, the Jewish people were divided into 12 distinct tribes. Personal identity was established not only by one’s loyalty to family and to the entire body politic but also to the intermediate concept of “tribe.”

That which was true at the beginning of the Jewish people is also true of Israeli society now. However, today the tribes of Israel are counted as four: the secular Jews; the National Religious Jews, also known as Religious Zionists; the haredim, or ultra-Orthodox Jews; and the minority sector, sometimes incorrectly identified as “Arabs.” The book Frayed: The Disputes Unraveling Religious Zionists by Yair Ettinger is about one of the four tribes of Israeli society, and in particular about phenomena that are driving apart the two great wings of that tribe.

First things first. Who are the “two great wings” of Religious Zionism in Israel? Both sides are essentially religious, essentially Orthodox, and very pro-Zionist. In that sense, they likely share more than that which separates them. But one wing is fundamentally conservative and committed mainly to the status quo, while the other wing is relatively more liberal and open to some change based on modern issues. At one point, the author calls these “the conservative type of conservatives vs. the open kind of conservatives,” which is accurate; but to avoid confusion, I’ll call them just “conservative” and “liberal.”

Will religious Zionism continue to exist?

Several issues are driving apart these two wings and are raising the question of whether the term “Religious Zionist” will continue to exist in years ahead. By far the most divisive issue, consuming five of the 10 chapters of the book, is the place of religious women in Orthodoxy today. This issue appears in many contexts and raises a great variety of questions, such as How much separation of the genders is required to maintain sexual modesty? To what degree should women demonstrate halachic leadership – as advisers to women, as pleaders in religious courts, as rabbis, or other? What should be the role of women in synagogues – as prayer leaders, or chanters of various parts of the service, or readers of the Torah, or other? And of course, the critical issue, arising again and again, of what should be the role of women in the army? The writer suggests that this last issue may already be resolved, since so many religious girls do enter the army. But even with that, questions remain regarding modesty, interaction with male soldiers, and lifestyle.

There are not clear answers to any of these questions; but, of course, the conservatives prefer very gradual change or none at all, whereas the liberals, though they remain strong proponents of Jewish families, are much more open to change that might allow women “to claim their space” as the author puts it.

WIHL 2023 graduates. (credit: GERSHON ELLINSON)

Other issues potentially driving apart the two great wings of Religious Zionism in Israel are not as weighty as the issue of feminism and the place of women in Orthodoxy, but they are collectively very important and arise repeatedly in Israeli society. These are issues such as What should be the role of the Chief Rabbinate in the religious life of Israel? Shall kashrut supervision be centralized or subject to more of a free market by private entities? In religious schools, how much of the content should be allocated to religious matters and how much to secular subjects? What should be the attitude of Orthodox Judaism toward the gay community? May Jews ascend the Temple Mount to pray? What should be the criteria for Jewish marriage? For Jewish burial? For conversion to Judaism?

One very modern issue, and likely to have a major impact going forward, involves the Internet and social networks. Given that strong interaction with digital media may be required for high-value work, but there are very serious dangers associated with the Internet, what should Orthodoxy’s attitude be? What, if anything, should be allowed? Or perhaps the rule should be that everything not forbidden is allowed; but still, what should be forbidden?

As with the role of women in Orthodox society, the other issues discussed in this book have no clear answers, but the conservative wing is clearly in favor of only gradual change, whereas the liberal wing is more open, at least on some issues.

The ultimate question, however, is not related to these specific issues but is rather “In which direction will Religious Zionism go in years to come?” In the author’s opinion, conservatives are in the ascendancy today, but the liberals are presenting a strong challenge. With a relatively strong socioeconomic background and revived political prospects, the liberals may become dominant. Or, posits the author, the two wings may go in opposite directions, with the liberals moving toward Masorti/Conservative Judaism, and the conservatives becoming more oriented toward traditional Halacha. These movements of the two wings could, theoretically, cause a total schism in Religious Zionism, though no one knows how far that split may go.

This book is a very detailed look at very specific topics – a specific one of the four tribes of Israel, and specific disputes that have created a potential schism between the conservative and liberal wings of that tribe. If that topic grabs your interest, you will very likely enjoy the book. ■