A way back, I began a series of posts on how to actually practice Modern Orthodoxy in Israel, rather than just talk about it. The first post, on the necessity for integration and social interaction with "traditional" Jews, sparked a veritable firestorm. Comments, both positive and negative, taught me a great deal about the various positions in this fight. I even tried to "get into the head" of RWMO Jewish parents' objections to integration a few posts back.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I get the sense that interaction and integration with non-Orthodox Jews, in all its various forms, is THE hot-button issue of the day. More than "religion and state" or the Greater Land of Israel; how we regard the Jewish world outside us – both its ideas and its people, promises to be the main ideological battleground in the coming years.
In light of this, I intend to try and explain why I think the approach of controlled exposure to the "outside world" is preferable (notice I didn't say "right", this issue not being black-and white) to the current attitude of self-isolation. What will follow is a thorough, point-by-point, post-by-post discussion of the issue from my own perspective.
I will ask that those who comment read posts carefully and patiently before writing. Also, I would ask that if you disagree, that you provide viable, reasoned alternatives. Constructive dialogue is eminently preferable to a shouting match.
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