November 07, 2022

The Future of Religious Zionism... Or A Dangerous Distortion? A Conversation Over Coffee About the Past and Future of Religious Zionism (134)

1 hour 8 minutes

The Religious Zionist Party in Israel, headed by Betzalel Smotrich, has been vilified as mainstreaming racist, misogynistic, and homophobic attitudes. Yet last week, that party - or, more appropriately, the three parties that ran together under the Religious Zionist banner - won 14 seats in the Knesset. That means that the Religious Zionist Party represents percentage-wise close to 12% of the Knesset.

Scott refuses to believe that all or most of the voters who voted for that party fully support some of its more objectionable ideas; he says that the correct response is not to cancel them, but to listen to them... with the hope that they will be willing to listen to the other side, as well. That doesn’t mean that ideas that are outside the pale should be mainstreamed; this isn’t about compromise where it offends our sense of what’s right. But canceling half a million voters who represent the bulk of the Religious Zionist population isn't right, either. The best way to ensure that objectionable ideas stay outside is to talk about it with people who are amenable to listening, rather than declaring that all of their voters did something morally out of bounds.

To that end, Scott sat down for coffee with Rabbi David Fine, who ran for the Knesset as a member of the Religious Zionist Party, and Daniel Goldman, a former chair of Gesher and World Bnei Akiva and who has written articles about why he strongly disagrees with the direction of the Religious Zionist Party. Together they talked honestly and forthrightly about their areas of agreement and disagreement. And while no one was converted to the other side, their conversation will hopefully provide some understanding of why they feel passionately about their respective political positions.

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Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com

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By Scott Kahn