Leap of Faith: Jews, the honours system and appreciation

What do campaigner for estranged grandparents Lorraine Bushell, New North London Masorti Rabbi Jonathan Wittenberg and Jewish News co-publisher Justin Cohen have in common? Apart from my personal admiration, each is a committed Jew and has received recognition in the New Year Honours List 2024.

In some senses an honours system is irrelevant to Jews and Jewish living. Jews are, by definition, expected to lead a morally sound and hardworking existence, and, whilst they may receive appreciation from other human beings, the ultimate reward is to be found in the Divine sphere, in the olam ha’ba: the World to Come.

The World to Come has many aspects and descriptions but perhaps it is ideal for those of real meritorious behaviour and achievement, as reflected in this passage from the Babylonian Talmud in Berachot 17b: “In the future world there is no eating or drinking nor propagation nor business nor jealous nor hatred nor competition but the righteous sit with their crowns on their heads feasting on the brightness of the Divine Presence.”

Nevertheless, Judaism does acknowledge that there are those men and women whose spiritual presence and connection to God was of such a quality that they merited the title Tzaddik or Tzaddeket. This epithet was earned primarily by people whom others considered were operating on a spiritual plane presence and connection to God was of such a quality that they merited the title Tzaddik or Tzaddeket, meaning righteous or saintly person – fully human yet spiritually fine-tuned.

More prosaically, Jewish communities sought to recognise persons of merit – particularly but not exclusively those who scholarship or financial generosity was worthy. Synagogue offices and mitzvot in the synagogue ritual are open to all but communities always did – and continue to- require money for capital projects and running costs.

The custom of pledging a donation to charity and receiving a blessing and/or the opportunity to perform a ritual mitzvah is widely discussed in Jewish commentaries. It is also true that many Jewish communities would not have been built were an individual or a group of donors not to have been ‘honoured’ for their contribution by the naming of a building or an object in recognition of such.

This is, of course, vastly different from Jews receiving honours for their contribution to national life. Indeed until relatively recently Jews were excluded from many aspects of national life, even when their contribution was widely known but only informally acknowledged.

The mission of the Jewish people remains what it has always been – to serve as a light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6) and the task of the individual Jew is to play his or her role such that it will give others cause to say: “Blessed be the God of the Jews” (Jerusalem Talmud Baba Metzia 2:5).

The efforts of all those Jews who were recognised in the New Year Honours List is not only a personal tribute for their merit of achievement and service but serves a wider particular and universal agenda too. First, it reinforces the positive contribution which Judaism demands that Jews make to the society in which they live, which should bring admiration and appreciation from our secular neighbors and second, it plays a role in the raison d’etre of Judaism – to create a world in which the values of care, justice and faith are embedded in day-to-day living.

A hearty Jewish ‘mazeltov’ and an enthusiastic English ‘well done’ to all this year’s Jewish recipients.