Leap of faith: building cohesion in our communities

One of Judaism’s greatest gifts to the world is the concept of a machloket l’shem shamayim – a disagreement for the sake of heaven. It is a fundamental Jewish idea that sometimes it is in our disagreements that we can find God, so the goal is not always to agree but to argue with respect and care. A disagreement for the sake of heaven is one that is not about our own egos, but about grappling together to find the truth. It is about the struggle, rather than seeking to claim victory over those with whom we disagree.

We believe that central to the task of Progressive Judaism is that we disagree well. That we commit to talking and to listening. We must stand in places of complexity. We must not speak in slogans and, equally as important, we must not hear the voices of others as slogans, either.

There were two examples in the news this week showing the importance of our task.

The first was the speech given by director Jonathan Glazer when picking up an Oscar for his movie The Zone of Interest. “Right now,” he stated, “we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people.”

There is much in this sentence to discuss. Many have agreed that the wording was clumsy, and for many it was deeply hurtful. This week, 450 Jewish Hollywood professionals wrote a letter denouncing the speech. It is what happens next that is crucial.

If we believe in disagreement for the sake of heaven then it is not enough to denounce and dismiss what was said, even if we disagree. We must not seek to silence, but to engage. To continue the conversation. So, too, with others in our community who are expressing views with which we might disagree at this difficult time.

The second example goes beyond our community, and centres on the UK Government’s new definition of extremism. The Government is right to deal with this issue, which is real and needs to be addressed. Yet we share the concerns of many – including the Archbishop of Canterbury – that the response must not disproportionally target Muslim communities, pit communities against each other or make it harder to have conversations between faiths and different parts of society.

Progressive Judaism is clear that the response to our concerns is not to shut down our connections. It is to invest more in relationships between our communities and those organisations that can facilitate and support these. Sometimes people will say things that we find painful, hurtful or wrong. And the way to tackle those is by being in conversation.

Only by being around the table with each other, even – and especially – where we disagree, and by talking and working together, can we all be part of building not just a short-term solution, but long-lasting cohesion in our communities and in the wider world.