OPINION: Ideology is important if Masorti is to remain a centrist movement

Yet more ink has now been spilled on the controversy surrounding Masorti rabbi Lara Haft Yom-Tov at one of the country’s largest synagogues, the New North London, after they (Rabbi Lara uses they/their pronouns) referred to some in Israeli leadership as being war criminals and deliberately instigating famine in Gaza.

The latest piece from Rabbi Anthony Lazarus Magrill of the Mosaic Masorti Synagogue is worthy of our attention to highlight misunderstandings he stirs in his column. The first is his likening of this furore to the ‘Jacobs Affair’.

Let us all take stock. The infamous Jacobs Affair which dates back to the 1960s is hardly worthy of comparison here and if anything is an insult to Rabbi Dr Louis Jacobs’ profound legacy.

The prominent and respected theologian had argued in his book We Have Reason To Believe for a more critical and historical approach to the understanding of Torah, suggesting that it was not directly dictated by God to Moses, but rather that it had been divinely inspired and developed over time. It was for this reason that he was passed over for the position of principal of Jews’ College and that his subsequent appointment as the rabbi of the New West End Synagogue was blocked by the then Chief Rabbi Israel Brodie, which in turn sparked the community-wide uproar.

Drawing an analogy between the damaging words on Israel, which have been appropriated from anti-Zionist detractors and remain unsubstantiated and Rabbi Jacobs’ perspective on the multiple authorship of the Torah, backed up by several generations of scholarly opinion, albeit that both were at odds with prevailing and mainstream views, seems ludicrous indeed.

It is the central thrust of Rabbi Lazarus Magrill’s argument which should most concern us. In his assertion that the Masorti movement values debate over ideological purity the only inference that we can draw is that it is possible to hold any opinion within the movement so long as one is open to having a discussion about it.

This approach which favours discourse without guard rails however is certainly not the Masorti way at all as it leaves the organisation open to a usurpation from the extremes which it was founded to protect against.

It is undeniably true that the movement is a broad tent, but indicating that it is one in which there are no sides as Rabbi Lazarus Magrill intimates is far off the mark. Emerging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries Masorti and its counterpart in Conservative Judaism outside of the UK has always sought to conserve tradition while allowing for adaptation and change.

Its approach to God, Torah and community are guided by a respect for our Jewish heritage with an openness to modern scholarship. It is this ethos which acts as the demarcating lines and provides the framework within which debate takes place and certainly not as some free for all as has been suggested by Rabbi Lazarus Magrill.

On the subject of Israel itself, even from its early days, it emphasised the importance of Zionism as a unifying force for Jews worldwide. Solomon Schechter, one of the early presidents of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York was prophetic in his contention in 1905 that ‘’Zionism’s ultimate aim is the regeneration of the Jewish people.” Embracing Zionism with an accompanying sense of healthy scepticism, the hallmark of Masorti’s centrist approach, is also a guiding pillar for the movement.

This brings us on to the third element that we must take issue with Rabbi Lazarus Magrill, which surrounds his take on the so-called apology proffered by Rabbi Haft Yom-Tov.

While it was indeed fulsome in relation to the language they used in reference to some in Israel’s leadership it still left much to be desired. There was no expression of regret for example for the phrase they used in the haggadah calling for the ‘’ending of civilisations’’; which was a circumspect reference to Israel itself.

Even within the apology communication itself, Rabbi Haft Yom-Tov spoke of their campaigning for open borders during their time studying in Israel. These two factors surely put Rabbi Haft Yom-Tov outside of any Zionist camp.

The late Rabbi Dr Louis Jacobs setting out his stall during his very first sermon at the New London Synagogue declared: ‘’We do not subscribe to the doctrine, ‘Hold what you like as long as you hold your tongue’.’’

This was, however, in no way an appeal to voicing any old view but rather those guided by tradition, scholarship and truth – the very ideological building blocks of Masorti Judaism. Its leadership would do well to emulate his legacy as they steer the movement into the future.

Simon Eder is co-editor of Voices of Hope, 36 Essays in Response to 7th October