Of Nations and States
Hello, I am back. In case you did not know, I have been on Sabbatical. I went to Limmud, gave a session. I have been to Italy … But the most important thing actually happened last week. Sara and I have finally become British citizens Now you cannot throw us out of this Country!
For those who do not know, I will explain the process of becoming a British citizen. First, you have to prove you have lived in the UK for five years. Then you have a language test unless you have an MA, to which the Rabbinic ordination is equivalent, so I skipped it. Then you have to prove your knowledge of British life and culture, like for example knowing the national dish of Ulster (it is called “Ulster fry”, and it is soda bread, fried sausages, bacon or eggs…. Not kosher I am afraid), who William Turner, the painter, was and the right of the members of LGBT community to marry. It may surprise someone, but you can become a British citizen without knowing the rules of cricket, and never having heard about The Archers!
Sara and I have done all of this in the past months. The only missing thing was the last stage, and we indeed had it last week. The oath of allegiance. Or, if you cannot take the oath for religious reasons which is the case for us Jews (and for the Quakers), the “solemn affirmation of alliance”.
The wording of such an affirmation is really interesting “I … solemnly and sincerely affirm that on becoming a citizen, I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, Her Heirs and Successors, according to the law”.
If you are really fussy about words and pledges, as the Rabbis usually are, you cannot but notice that Her Majesty is also the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. The ceremony may very respectful of the personal beliefs of the new citizens (I have been told that this is not the case in France and I am not surprised). You can avoid singing the national anthem, as it includes the Name of God, so Sara and I simply stood while listening to a CD. But nonetheless, in this Country, there is a State religion and you must acknowledge its authority.
I often proudly proclaim to my Catholic friends, especially in Italy, that my Boss is God and not a human being like a bishop or a cardinal or the pope (as it is the case for them). I boast about the beauty of Judaism, such as having a direct relation with the Almighty, with no human intermediaries, and no hierarchy in between. But the truth is that, in order to become a British citizen, I had to acknowledge the authority of the “Supreme Governor” that is the Boss of the Bosses, of another faith, the Church of England. A local variety of faith, Christianity, that, by the way, has not always been very friendly with the Jews, with us.
We often overlook such an important fact. Perhaps because other faiths, such as Islam or Sikhism, are more visible at least in certain neighbourhoods or in London or Birmingham. But the truth is that, despite its shrinking membership, the Church of England, the State religion of this Country, enjoys a privileged status. Its holydays are State holidays. In certain Universities, the semesters are named after the calendar of the Church, such as Lent. The Union Jack has not only one cross, but three, including the national cross of Scotland and the one of Ulster (see? I have done my homework). Not to mention the twenty-six “Lords Spiritual”, that is the bishops that automatically are members of the House of Lords, only in virtue of being, indeed, bishops.
Here is something that, by living in this country, you can actually learn. The existence of a State religion has nothing to do with religious intolerance. On the contrary. As we in Brighton know very well, a variety of organised religions exist and thrive in the United Kingdom. Religiously speaking, in this Country we have everything. All the possible varieties of Christianity, including the Copts and the Greeks. Islam of every stripe, from the most relaxed to the strict fundamentalist. Hinduism. Buddhism. Not to mention the relatively new faiths such as Mormonism, Spiritualism, Paganism etc. Oh, and the atheists. How can I forget that faith, the Secularism, or Humanism, a funny lot of people who religiously meet to celebrate the beauty of not having any religion and religiously read the (frankly speaking) boring books by Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens.
The list can go on and on. But I believe my point is clear. The religious identity of a country, such as the Christian identity of the UK, is not an obstacle to freedom of religion and of faith. One can even argue that where there is one established State religion, there is religious freedom. And where the State aims to be religiously neutral, such as in France, religious minorities have a far more difficult life. But I am not interested in pointing out the failures of France (perhaps I am not British enough!)
Rather, I’d like you to think of Israel. The Knesset has recently approved a law that defines Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish people. There has been, as you perhaps remember, a big furore about such a law, with the usual cries of discrimination and, guess what, racism, for a law which does not give to any Rabbi the right to seat at the Knesset, while bishops sit in the House of Lords. Neither does such a law forbid a non-Jew to become President, while in England members of a faith other than the Church of England are forbidden not only to become King or Queen but even to marry into the Royal family.
In short, the UK is far more Christian than Israel is Jewish. Why, then, is the Jewish character of a State perceived and portrayed as problematic, while no one raises similar objections towards the Christian character of the United Kingdom? Why does no one talk about “Christian values” allegedly betrayed by the existence of the British Army? Why is the Army of the Jewish State, literally every day, singled out for betrayal of Jewish values and Jewish morality, often (sadly) by persons who themselves are Jewish?
In this Country the calendar is Christian, and this is not perceived as an offence to the Muslim community. While in Israel, according to many in the British media, the fact that Saturday is, now and by law, the official day of rest, is blatant discrimination toward the same community.
To such a blatant contradiction many English react mumbling something like “typical!” or rolling their eyes. But I am Jewish and cannot resign myself to hypocrisy. And even if now I am the proud owner of a British passport, rest assured, I will continue to call such a double standard with its proper name: antisemitism. That must be firmly opposed.
[10 March 2019]