We held an
exceptional Salon on Israel and Democracy on Wednesday. You can catch up here. https://fb.watch/iK-WV_tZzQ/
One important
question came from a member who asked what democratic grounds exist for
disputing the will of a government elected, as Israel’s government clearly is,
by a clear majority. It’s an important question, if somewhat of a canard.
Democracy
is indeed, ‘power exercised by the people’ but for that power to be measured,
the mechanical structures, the constitutional arrangements, are at the heart of
the matter. Even in Judaism – where a perfect God is the assumed source of
obligation – an entire Seder of Mishnah is dedicated to the careful balancing
of the expression of power. How are courts to be set up, who serves, who holds
power over whom? When it comes to the expression of the will of humans - fallible,
corruptible and power-hungry as we are – the need for controls become even more
important.
As a Jew,
the phrase ‘power exercised by the people’ evokes a particular and
particularly deeply rooted reaction. I’ve struggled to explain this in inter-faith
and non-faith settings. Visions of pogrom-ing Cossaks and Nuremberg rallies
flash before my eyes. And besides, as a Jew I’m more than at home in being
dis-established and a member of a minority. Existentially, I believe in
minorities as the source of creativity, progress and the test of ethical
decency in society. Of course we are all minorities in one way or another. We
should all be far more keen to ensure minorities are protected than lulled into
the persuasive power of majorities.
The role of a democracy is to limit the unfettered exercise
of power by the majority. It is to stop majorities thinking that decency comes
merely through number. It is NOT to nod through the claims of the masses as if
simply through their number they accrue an existential right to be considered
decent. Faith, our faith, has a similar function. I spoke about this in a
recent sermon inspired by the Reith Lecture of former Archbishop Rowan Williams.
My sermon is here. http://rabbionanarrowbridge.blogspot.com/2022/12/why-be-religious-archbishop-rowan.html
I’ve co-authored an op-ed in this week’ Jewish Chronicle on
the threat to democracy in Israel, a threat coming from, I’m sad to say, from
the duly elected majority. It’s a threat that needs to be pointed out, the
democratic claims of the Jewish State are under threat. The article is here https://www.thejc.com/lets-talk/all/the-extremists-in-the-israeli-government-are-undermining-zionism-6BKSiwGbPuSBi2T91ZJcLM.
It’s part of a campaign you can sign up to here https://choosedemocracy.org.uk/. I would
be particularly keen to hear from members on this issue, particularly as we
consider how best, as a community, to stand with and engage with this issue.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Jeremy
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