Rabbi Avi Ronsky
Photo: Tzvika Tishler
IDF chief rabbi: Not sure secular Zionism exists
Incoming IDF Chief Rabbi Avi Ronsky says that 'secular society is experiencing grave crisis, but I trust genes of Jewish nation. We have an ability to survive, and not in the lowly meaning of the word'
Rabbi Avi Ronsky can check yet another box. Ten months after they asked him whether he would like to serve as the chief IDF rabbi, he got the job. Chief of Staff Dan Halutz pinned the brigadier general's insignia on his shoulders in mid-September, and he assumed office on Sukkoth eve.
A few months after the disengagement, appointing the rabbi of Itamar, a Samaria settlement, and the former head rabbi of the Ateret Kohanim Yeshiva in Jerusalem as chief IDF rabbi seemed like a ludicrous idea.
Paradoxically, the fact that Ronsky is a settler, a founder of Elon More and later of Itamar, and holds right-wing views actually tipped the scales in his favor. As a senior officer put it, he will know how to talk to them.
Ronsky said he was not certain about the taking the post. He saw how his predecessor, Israel Weiss, was treated, how he was cursed. He heard all about the hardships endured by Yonatan Basi, "a close friend of mine." Nevertheless, when he came close to the finish line Ronsky decided he wants the job.
His friends who serve as rabbis were against it, mainly because the realignment was still on the agenda. The residents of Itamar, as well as his family members, were against it too, but Ronsky would not let the opposition influence his decision.
In Ronsky's view, the Rabbinate Corps is one of the combat-supporting units, and wherever soldiers fight, wherever soldiers of the Logistics and Medical Corps are present, his men will be there too.
"The rabbi of the Golani or the Paratrooper Brigades should be with the soldiers in the field. If they go to Lebanon, he goes with them," he says. "When they fight in the Gaza refugee camps or in the Nabulus Kasbah, he goes with them. He should serve as a role model, talk to them, and encourage them.
"He should connect the warriors not only with the location they are in, but also put them in touch with the general context, with who they are, where they come from, and what they are doing.
"An IDF soldier should not only know how to fire his gun, but also who was Gedalya. The way I see it, a brigade is a community and a brigade rabbi is the community's rabbi. He is there to help with personal issues and cooperate with education officers. He should be the commander's sensor, involved in everything that is happening in his unit."
We live in self-deception
Rabbi Ronsky spent the long weeks of the last war with the soldiers in the north. "I wanted to hear the soldiers, directly. I escorted units all the way up to the border fence, sat in front command posts of both the reserves and the standing units, used my military experience."
What did you hear? What did you see?
"I heard uneasy voices. The goals were not clear - both simple as well as the complex ones - before they moved in and after they pulled out. People failed to understand the big picture. There was a feeling of crisis."
Where did it come from?
"First of all, I believe we have a big problem on the national level. The army is a mirror that reflects the society. Soldiers and commanders come from their homes. The Israeli society does not understand that we have not yet reached a state of peace and security, that our enemies keep saying that they want to destroy us and they mean it.
"We live with the sweet illusion that peace will be here any minute, that we can start shortening service terms, reducing reserves days, and slicing training hours."
There will be no peace
Rabbi Ronsky remains optimistic nonetheless.
"I live by the Bible," he said, "where next to prophecies of doom you also find optimistic prophecies that speak of a better future, even if it takes hundreds of years."
Will we live on our sword forever?
"Not forever, but certainly in the foreseeable future. The only thing to do is go back to Judaism. So perhaps those who live in the Tel Aviv bubble, which I am not closely familiar with, do not have the strength to do that. There has always been a minority here that believed and fought, an idealist minority that will always get the job done."
Are you speaking about the settlers?
"I do not wish to make patronizing remarks. Do not forget that I lived as a secular Jew half my life, that my extended family is secular. The people of Israel are drifting away from its traditional values, which is a problem.
"I have six children and eight grandchildren, which is not much when compared with my neighbors, but my secular friends, my classmates, do not even have married children, not to mention grandchildren. They live here as if we were a Scandinavian country.
"I hold many wedding ceremonies and some of them turn into this big dance party with a DJ and all. What are we, Americans? We sure can learn things from them, but why should we learn the low stuff? Part of my job as the chief military rabbi, perhaps the central part, is to reconnect the soldiers with the values of Judaism.
"We have people here who do not know the most fundamental things, who have never seen a prayer book. This translates into military power because we cannot import the French Legion to fight for us. Soldiers need to understand why they are here. If all they care about is living the good life, why should they be here of all places?"
Do you trust only those who have seen a prayer book?
"Not just them, but they are the pioneers, the leaders of the camp, and they are always the minority. I have many secular friends who serve with elite units, but without the basic Jewish values, without deeply understanding that we were sent here by God, to benefit the entire world, we have a problem.
"People are proudly telling me that their son is succeeding in the United States. They are proud of being that which Yitzhak Rabin condemned and scorned."
Does this explain the fact that the disengagement did not diminish the settlers' motivation?
"Of course it does. This is the way of the believers. The eternal nation does not fear the long road, as Rabbi Cook established and as the people sang during the disengagement. We are an eternal nation with eternal goals. We all hope to see the wolf residing with the sheep and beating our swords into ploughshares, but in the meantime, we are not afraid of the long road ahead."
If the realignment still takes place, will you go home or will you call on the soldiers to follow orders?
"I will not go home. If it happens, the Military Rabbinate will have a greater influence on the understanding that our ties with this land are based on values, not on security. The roots of the disengagement are not the political move, but a spiritual crisis, so when we want to deal with this issue, to prevent another disengagement from happening, we should address this spiritual crisis.
"Still, my friends and I made no threats before and we will not make threats in the future either."
When asked whether he believes there is such a thing as secular Zionism, Rabbi Ronsky said. "I am not sure. I believe secular Zionism is experiencing a huge crisis, which did not start today. Look at what happened in the kibbutzim. The durability of religious Zionism is seen not only in the army, but also in the settlements - in Yesha, the Negev, and Wadi Ara; in all those difficult places that require dedication.
"The secular society is experiencing a grave crisis, but I trust the genes of the Jewish nation. We have an ability to survive, and not in the lowly meaning of the word. All we have to do is find the truth.
"A secular Zionist who is connected with our traditional values on the intellectual level only is not whole. Those who dwell on it and go deeper will reach the place I have reached. They are encouraging success and more success, and the most important thing is to have more money."
Without an apology
Rabbi Ronsky feels he has been greatly privileged. There is much work to be done, he said, his future plans overflowing. He truly believes they can bring salvation, not only to our battered army, but also to the battered nation.
He would not apologize for living in Itamar, but protested the sweeping attacks, as he put it, against the settlers. He became upset when I reminded him that the olive-picking season is starting and that every year, Arab pickers are attacked. A tiny minority is involved in that, he said, but the media blow this out of proportion.
"Returning to our fathers' land does not mean making real-estate deals in Tel Aviv. The Land of Israel is a living and breathing place, not merely a refuge. It is a land to which we return joyfully, and it gives us its fruit. Cynicism is king with the general public. 'This is my land' is a song no one remembers and no one plays.
"When they asked me whether I was not worried when my 12-year-old daughter went to Neve Dkalim to fight against the evacuation, I said that I would have been more worried if she spent her time in the parks, screaming at the sight of some rock star.
"The founders of the Zionist movement were deeply rooted in Judaism. They studied the Bible and were familiar with our lore. The situation today is different. Education is the operative word."
