Respect and sacrifice is needed for Israeli unity

RABBI ELIMELECH Firer is one of those rare individuals who transcends the religious – secular divide in Israel. For over forty years, he has specialised in providing free, expert medical referrals to all, regardless of faith, religiosity, political affiliation or any other consideration. Firer is a connector. He links patients with the best possible doctors, hospitals and treatment plans for their condition. Over that time, he has developed a reputation as a self-taught world leading expert in medicine, and through the non-profit organisation he founded, Ezra LeMarpeh, has literally saved thousands of lives.

His work has been recognised multiple times over recent decades, including the Israel Prize in 1997 and honorary doctorates from the Weizmann Institute and Haifa University in 2002 and 2008, respectively. No-one in Israel has had a bad word to say about him or his organisation, only endless praise and respect.

Rabbi Firer is, however, also a proud Belzer Chasid. So, a number of years ago, he established a principle that the charitable organisation which supports his work, Friends of Ezra LeMarpeh, could only put on events which would follow basic halachic parameters.

This year, they planned to hold a secular benefit concert in Tel Aviv honouring the renowned Israeli singer, Shlomo Artzi. Rabbi Firer made one stipulation for the organisers. As there would be a mixed gender audience present, he requested that no female singers participate in the event.

When this became public knowledge, however, the backlash protesting the exclusion and marginalisation of women was swift and extreme. Some artists cancelled their planned appearance. Firer saw the resultant media firestorm as a distraction from his work and he opted to cancel the concert entirely.

Some, no doubt, will see this result as a victory for a progressive, open society. But in reality, it was a sad and deeply disturbing outcome. Firer and his Bnei Brak based organisation are clearly Charedi and known and respected as such. They are not a pressure group seeking to advocate for greater religious observance in the public sphere, nor do they seek to impose their views on others. All they wished to do was set the ground rules for their own fundraisers in accordance with their own religious outlook.

Indeed, for years, this arrangement worked well. Concerts were put on by Friends of Ezra LaMarpeh and people understood that the organisers were entitled to structure events in a manner consistent with their beliefs. But on this occasion, forces who seek to apply identity politics in a manner which emphasises the divisions in Israeli society, rather than the many points of unity, sadly gained the upper hand.

A secular benefit concert run by a Charedi organisation for the enjoyment of the greater public, rather than for the religious alone, in aid of an organisation which does so much lifesaving work nationwide, could have been an opportunity for a wonderful display of communal harmony. Had it gone ahead, it would have shown the remarkable reach of a unique chesed organisation which unites, rather than divides, the Israeli public. All it required was a degree of sensitivity and respect towards Rabbi Firer and his personal beliefs.

Surely a man driven by his religious values to spend nearly twenty hours a day saving lives should be allowed to request that events put on in his name are consistent with the religious values originating from that same tradition.

Israel now faces the unedifying and embarrassing prospect of its third election in one year. For Israeli society to come together, despite all its differences, some degree of mutual respect is essential. A willingness to sacrifice certain things for the sake of the public good. And when a charitable organisation does so much for the sake of that public good, it should be allowed to put on events it can justify on its own terms.

Thankfully, much of the Israeli public, religious and secular alike, were very upset that the concert was cancelled. Public support for Rabbi Firer and his organisation remains exceptionally high and donations to his organisation in the wake of the event exceeded ten million shekel.

Yet, for the future good of Israeli society, the application of destructive identity politics is deeply troubling. Israel desperately needs to find pathways towards reconciliation and unity amongst its citizens. Finding ways to enable religious organisations to host events consistent with their own beliefs would go a long way towards achieving that aim.

Yoni Birnbaum is the rabbi of Hadley Wood Synagogue