Prayers that straddle Israel’s divide

Perhaps few other places in the world have seen so much prayer as Jerusalem’s Western Wall. The stony remnant of a destroyed Jewish temple has drawn millions to pray over centuries. Yet on Sunday, the day before Israel’s government approved a contentious change to the independence of its courts, one group of prayers stood out. They had gathered, as The Jerusalem Post put it, to offer “a prayer for the country’s unity.”

“They didn’t cast blame, demonize the other side, or predict a dystopian future for Israel,” the Post opined. “Instead, they called for cooler heads to prevail to prevent an insurmountable schism.”

For months, Israel has seen mass protests against any judicial overhaul by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The national debate strikes at the heart of Israel’s identity as both a democracy and a Jewish state – and at the values guiding Israel’s actions toward the Palestinians.

The gathering at the Western Wall was “the first major event of its kind to bring together representatives of both sides of the controversy,” observed Haaretz newspaper. The group included those in favor of and opposed to the judicial changes, which will prevent the Supreme Court from overturning government decisions it deems unreasonable.

Before the event, Rabbi Yaakov Medan, a supporter of clipping the court’s powers and a prominent leader of a West Bank Jewish settlement, explained, “We will pray for Him to cool down the consuming fire eating away at our souls. 

“There are two views here, but what we share is greater than what divides us: The continued existence of the Jewish People,” he wrote in a statement.

The praying may have had a calming result. Afterward, the group of several hundred people marched arm in arm to the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, many singing songs. They could be heard debating the legal changes – with civility – “to the point, in fact, that many of these arguments ended with a big hug,” observed Haaretz.

One participant, Rabbi David Stav, described the prayers as “a plea to the Almighty to send wisdom and good counsel to our leaders so that our state makes it intact out of this situation.” His group, Tzohar, seeks ways to reconcile religious and secular Jews in Israel.

Most of all, the affection displayed during the event has set an example for how Israel can move ahead. The changes to the courts approved by the current ruling coalition could easily be reversed by a future government. In many democracies, fundamental change by a ruling majority can often alienate a minority. Just as praying helps people listen for God’s word, it also helps people listen to each other.

Or as Shlomit Ravitsky Tur-Paz, co-director of the Jewish Life Advocacy Center, wrote about the political tactics surrounding the new legislation, “Belief, and a bond to culture, tradition, and history cannot be achieved by compulsion, but only through love.”