Reviewing My ‘Conceptzia’

I learnt the term “Weltangschauung” as a teenager. It means one’s world-view, the way one interprets one’s surroundings, and it explains how we come to hold our preconceptions. One’s weltangschauung can blind one to the reality around but it can also help us make sense of what we see and experience. In Hebrew we used to say “hashkafat olam” – very close to weltanschauung. The way we see the world contributes to our individual and our group identity. It provides us with a framework with which to make decisions.

For the past year, the term “conceptzia” has made a dramatic entry into the public discourse, often with negative overtones. Sometimes it refers to a single misconception but often it is used as an alternative term for “hashkafat olam”. Its ubiquitousness began on October 8^th, when critics suggested that it was a wrong “conceptzia” that had led to the failures of the government and the military to prevent the Hamas massacre. Since then, when one politician or public figure wants to criticize another, s/he is likely to say that his conceptzia is blinding him.

Each year, as we approach Rosh Hashana, we are challenged to review our pre-conceptions and to reassess how we see the world. When we begin the recitation of the penitentiary prayers (selichot), we are asked to scrutinise our ideas, our values and our actions, all of which are a result of the framework in which we see reality.  Now is the right time to review our “conceptzia” or “conceptziot” (plural).

Like every Israeli, I look back at the year that has just passed with trepidation. The events of October 7th challenged all our beliefs. They posed a serious threat to our sense of security, to our confidence in the army and to our complacency that the government would always act in our interest,  and extended to a challenge to our faith in the Zionist ideal. In the religious community, the massacre might have made us ask about whether we were truly fulfilling the Divine will or whether the Almighty was angry with us and punishing us.

Each of us has been forced to think about our values, our allegiances, our priorities and our beliefs. We have been challenged to reconsider all that we previously believed.

As a person of faith, an interfaith activist and an active member of and occasional spokesperson for Women Wage Peace, I have had to face questions about my faith, especially about my faith in people and their inherent goodness, and my faith that peace will come.

Ironically, perhaps, my faith has been fortified over the past year.

I was certainly wrong about many things. I did not believe that the massacre of October 7^th could happen; I did not imagine that the government would survive October 7^th; I did not believe that more than 100 hostages would still be in Gaza after a year; I did not foresee the intense expression of antisemitism that has erupted around the world since October 7^th.

I did not realize the depth of fear that some Israelis have of their Arab neighbors and how the massacre would make that fear almost irreversible. I did not realize how entrenched some political views are here, so that those loyal to certain parties do not change allegiances even when every principle and every expectation has been negated.

However, many things have been clarified and confirmed.

I am more convinced than ever that the Creator of the universe has given human beings the power to either improve or destroy the world. We have choice and we have ability. We have responsibility for the future. Relying on Divine providence to protect us is wrong-thinking. At the same time, ignoring the ethical principles that have been Divinely ordained will have disastrous consequences. The Almighty has set up the world so that every decision we make and every action we take has consequences.

We were permitted to return to this Land in order to build an ideal society that all the nations of the world would admire – so teach the Prophets. It is the privilege of this generation to be able to fullfil the destiny that our ancestors could only dream of and pray for. Being in Israel must not be taken for granted. We are here only as long as we live up to our principles; if we fail, the Land will expel us, as we read on Yom Kippur – it will vomit us out!

I take that warning very seriously. It is part of my “conceptzia.”

The Torah and the Prophets provide us with a myriad of laws, principles and ideals that we need to work towards. The Prophet Micah helped us see the underlying values in saying that what is required of us it to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

My teacher, Nehama Leibowitz (z”l) reminded us that the most frequently repeated commandment in the Torah is to treat the stranger with kindness. Rather than allow our history of being oppressed to lead us to become oppressors, we are supposed to fight our instincts and become exemplars of fair treatment of the minorities in our society.

My “conceptzia” on this matter is unchanged: as long as we fall short in our treatment of minorities, we are not deserving of the privilege of being here. As long as we do not put justice ahead of immediate gratification, we will not prosper here.

One of the first verses in the Torah teaches that human beings were created in the “image of G-d.” I have asked myself if I truly believe in the goodness and intrinsic potential for holiness of each person. I do.

It was disconcerting to realize that criticizing a particular “conceptzia” has been a politically-correct way of expressing racism. I was outrage to realise that it was code for: “Those who believed that the people of Gaza were human beings with normal sensitivities were wrong. Treating them as normal was a mistake. You were wrong to trust them. It was inevitable that they would turn on you because they are intrinsically evil.” This has also been a way of blaming the victims. Many of those murdered on October 7^th were peace-workers. The critics are saying it was their faults that they were murdered. They were naïve – or worse.

During this time of “selichot”, I want to say unequivocally that I hold proudly to the “conceptzia” that Gazans are no different from us. They, too, are created in the Divine image. What is different about them are their circumstances and their education. Many have been brought up to hate. The ammunition to fuel their hatred is their experience of poverty and violence, blamed (not entirely fairly) only on Israel. I would like to believe that nobody I know would ever behave like the evil perpetrators of October 7^th did, but I cannot be sure what that level of deprivation and brain-washing would do to those of us who have grown up in privilege and freedom.

My belief that only peace will bring us security is stronger than ever. When the son of Women Wage Peace founder and activist, Vivian Silver, who was murdered on October 7^th, was asked what Vivian would say, he said she would undoubtedly say that this is a result of NOT making peace. I share that “conceptzia”. Only with a negotiated peace-settlement will we be able to begin the process of building trust and re-educating the next generation to respect, rather than fear, and to appreciate or even like, rather than hate.

I wrongly thought that this is self-evident.

I also thought it was evident that there are many Jews whose behavior falls short of any ethical standard. I was wrong about that, too. There are many who continue to deny any Jewish responsibility for Palestinian suffering.

Peace-activists have a lot of work to do.

I enter the new year more aware and more reflective. I thank those who brought the term “conceptzia” into the public discourse for providing me with the challenge to review my beliefs.

There is one more important matter to air while we are on the subject. Criticizing another’s Weltanschauung can be a way of dismissing that person as irrelevant or ignorant or even dangerous. However, with all the calls for unity, we cannot demand uniformity of thought. We need to find a way to embrace multiple world-views and appreciate their legitimacy.

May this be a year when we open our minds and hearts to those whose “conceptziot” are different from our own and find a way to understand them and perhaps even appreciate and learn from them.