But that pride did not last very long. Many Jews in the US, most notable among them the Anti-Defamation League's Abe Foxman, began questioning whether a Jew should be running, and whether that Jew should be openly flaunting his Jewishness. The prospect began to scare these American Jews, and many began to openly worry about the secure existence they have built for themselves in the US.
But the non-Jewish majority in the US for the most part welcomed Lieberman's candidacy with open arms. His nomination caused a sustained multi-digit gain in the polls for Gore, and the nomination itself will likely propel Gore into the Oval Office.
For most US citizens, Lieberman's religion is not an issue. He is an experienced and well-respected Senator and one of the country's moral leaders -- someone who rightfully belongs in the senior echelons of the administration. Especially after the moral flop that has been Bill Clinton.
But Lieberman's religion is still mentioned on talk shows in the US, and he is often asked questions that no other candidate would ever be asked. Just this week, he was asked whether intermarriage is against Jewish law. The problem with this is that Lieberman often surprises his audience, particularly the Jewish segment of it. After spending the past two months repeatedly being referred to as "Orthodox", he answered that according to Halacha there is nothing wrong with intermarriage.
In fact, this is not the case. There is a clear prohibition against intermarriage from the Torah itself -- not just a rabbinic decree.
Lieberman may have had his reasons for making his declaration, but it is damaging to every observant Jew in the world when someone of his stature makes such erroneous declarations. Gary Cooperberg, in an excellent column the week of Lieberman's nomination, voice the concern that Lieberman would become an example to all non-Jews of what Orthodoxy means, and that Lieberman's sometimes religiously questionable actions would lead to greater opposition among non-Jews when a Jew wanted to take off for a holiday or otherwise adhere to halacha. It seems that Lieberman is proving Cooperberg's concerns true.
However, none of this is really surprising. Not when you consider the situation in Israel. The Israeli government is preparing to implement what is being called a "Secular Revolution". The government of Israel is preparing to openly flaunt religious statutes in allowing public transport to operate on the Shabbat and in endorsing non-halachic marriages (including intermarriages).
Leading the government's secularization efforts are two ministers. The first, Yossi Beilin, is not a surprising choice. Beilin has been, for his entire career, one of the chief antagonists of the religious and of all those who hold this nation's history dear.
But what is surprising is his partner in crime, Diaspora Affairs Minister Michael Melchior. Melchior is an Orthodox Rabbi who should know better. Yet he has repeatedly stated that he will support the government's secularization program, and has made only the most half-hearted attempts to hide his zeal for this "revolution".
Together these two ministers have become the driving force behind the de-Judaization of Israel, both politically and socially. And after all, if an Orthodox Rabbi like Melchior can condone intermarriage, who is Lieberman to object?
Sadly, it seems that Lieberman may have taken a lesson from Melchior. But it goes deeper than that. Intermarriage has long been a serious problem in the Diaspora, and Lieberman it seems has fallen prey to those who believe it is more important to be American than to maintain Jewishness.
But Melchior, as minister for Diaspora Affairs, should be aware of the magnitude of the problem. Rather than working to increase the chances of the problem growing in Israel as well, he should be doing all in his considerable power to stem this tide.
Let the Lieberman's and the Foxman's of the Jewish Diaspora grapple with the problems of intermarriage. It is a problem that the Jewish Diaspora has created, and it is a problem that they as leaders of that Diaspora have miserably failed to address in any constructive form.
But it is unconscionable that an Orthodox Rabbi who has held leadership positions in the Diaspora himself should come to Israel and lead the Jewish nation from its home back to the wilderness of Diaspora and intermarriage.
It is even more heinous that Melchior's movement, Meimad, does not come out and forcefully condemn the secularization program of the government. The leadership of Meimad, all academics and Rabbis who should know better, bear a heavy burden of guilt for every intermarriage that will take place in Israel as a result of this program.
Copyright 2000. Yehuda Poch is a writer living in Israel. Reproduction in electronic or print format by permission only.
