Why can't we all get along?

LESLIE BUNDER SOMETHINGJEWISH.CO.UK

In San Francisco, a conference recently took place that was about Jewish diversity. Attended by Jews of all backgrounds, from Europe, Israel, Africa, Asia, North America, South America and Australia, it was pretty much a United Nations of Jews.

Sponsored by the Institute for Jewish and Community Research, the Be'chol Lashon International Think Tank four-day event saw such topics as communal development and common bonds of the community, as well as the threat of anti-Semitism and internal community conflicts between Jews of different backgrounds and origins, discussed and debated.

Be'chol Lashon itself in Hebrew means In Every Tongue.

Hard as it may seem for some people to grasp, not all Jews are white and of European descent – indeed, Jews come in all shapes, sizes and backgrounds – but it is rare for the subject of Jewish diversity to be discussed.

Whether we are Jews living in London or New York or Tel-Aviv or anywhere else, we sometimes overlook our own internal community dialogue. Our self-elected leaders will often talk up the work they are doing with developing dialogue with other communities, but how many of these leaders are actually doing work to develop dialogue with their own community and the diverse make-up of it?

We have all too often seen some leaders and rabbis shake the hands of their non-Jewish peers and contemporaries but refuse to be seen to do the same or share a platform with their own Jewish cousins because of a conflict in Torah interpretation.

Why do we need Jewish diversity events in other cities? So we can bring the issue onto not just a global level but also a local level. We need to stop all the backstabbing and internal conflicts among the Jewish religious organizations – and a way to do this is to start developing a level of mutual respect for each other.

It is not about tolerating one person's interpretation of the Torah, it is about respecting one person's interpretation and understanding why their branch of Judaism is being followed in that way.

As Jews, we talk so much about the importance of tolerance and respect for others, but within our own communities, the power struggles that religious organizations have for the control and influence they seek to maintain is leading to bitter conflict among members of the community.

Celebrating Jewish diversity and the challenges and opportunities it presents is something we should all embrace. An Ashkenazi Jew from London could learn from an Japanese Jewish convert living in France, while an African Jew could teach an Indian Jew something as well. It's all about providing a forum and opportunity for Jews to communicate not just how alike they are, but how different they are and how each can learn something to bring back to their own community.

As Jews, we have enough problems from anti-Semitism, anti-Israel and other negative issues, so to allow our own internal problems to develop without being resolved is nothing short of a catastrophe facing us which, with a bit of thought, could be resolved.

We need to really seize the opportunity that the conference has highlighted. We need to open our mouths and start using our tongues to talk to each other, rather than shout at or insult each other.

What we need to see from our leaders, if they are really as concerned as they claim to be for the interests of the community, is a bit more talking with fellow Jews outside of their own communities and then some action to continual dialogue with them. Maybe then we will see a stronger community, which will benefit everyone.

Leslie Bunder is the editor of SomethingJewish.co.uk. This article is reprinted with permission.

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