Our savior, Harper?

Editorial

We believe the Almighty has answered our prayers. This was the message delivered by B'nai Brith Canada leader Frank Diamant last week to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Thrilled as many Canadian Jews are with the unambiguous position of the federal Conservative government on the right of Israel to defend itself, the B'nai Brith executive vice-president offered the most glowing tribute to Harper at a Toronto dinner last week.

There are theological and political implications to this statement of unequivocal support from a leading national Jewish organization to a Canadian political leader.

First, Diamant, at least as interpreted by a CBC Radio news report, claimed that Jews pray weekly for sympathetic leaders. This is not exactly true.

A siddur used by Conservative and some Reform Jews puts the prayer this way: "Our God and God of our ancestors, we ask Your blessings for our country, for its government, for its leader and advisors, and for all who exercise just and rightful authority. Teach them insights of Your Torah, that they may administer all affairs of state fairly, that peace and security, happiness and prosperity, justice and freedom may forever abide in our midst...."

Thus, the prayer is not to bring leadership that is "good for Jews," but to imbue what leaders may exist with the wisdom and fairness that would be good for all citizens.

Moreover, while the leader of a Jewish organization is free to say whatever he wants, within the constraints that his membership places on him, the assertion that a particular prime minister is a literal God-send seems a bit of a stretch.

In Canada, we have a tradition of separating partisan politics and particular theologies, though this is hardly an unbendable rule. Our head of state is the head of the Anglican church, so separation of religion and state is scarcely a sacrosanct value in this country. However, it has often been Canadian Jews, among others, who have struggled most determinedly to keep religion out of the governmental sphere.

A benediction for government leaders is not exclusive to Judaism, by any means, though it may be more portentous for Jews, given the long history until 1948 of existing as a minority in nation-states.

As for the case at hand, Harper's policy toward Israel is an extremely welcome one, but it is hardly evidence of divine intervention in Canadian politics. There are issues over which plenty of Canadian Jews will disagree with Harper. His recently unveiled environmental plan is inconsistent with the views of many Jewish Canadians regarding stewardship of the earth and tikkun olam – repair of the world – in its most basic, literal sense. Jewish social service agencies and those who depend on them may hold strong differences of opinion in terms of funding allocations for Canada's social safety net. Jewish gays and lesbians rightly question the desire of many or most in Harper's party to annul their marriages in the ironic name of family values.

Harper's policy toward Israel is sensible, fair and, in recent Canadian terms, unprecedentedly just. And, while this issue is a core concern for many Jewish Canadians, this is not the only issue of interest to Canadian Jews. More to the point, to cast our lot with a single political party over a single issue is to invite long-term consequences.

Zionist Canadians should –- indeed must – express our gratitude and common cause with Harper over Israel. But we should not be so naïve as to think that, over this one issue, we have found our political savior. For one thing, saviors in the form of politicians come and go.

Based on recent Canadian political longevity, Harper could be gone in a year. He is no Moshiach. He is human, flawed as every human in many ways and, for all we can predict, as everlasting as Joe Clark, John Turner, Kim Campbell or Paul Martin. He will certainly be gone in a decade or two. Then what? If Canadian Jews have cast our lot in with one political party based on an interpretation of one political issue, what happens when that party loses power?

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