Religious Involution: Sacred and Secular Conflict among Sephardic Jews in Australia

Abstract

For immigrant Sephardic Jews in Sydney, Australia, a struggle between religious and secular powers is aggravated by the position of the Sephardim as a minority within a minority. (Limitations of functional analysis, religion as a divisive and dysfunctional force) From the middle of the twentieth century, large-scale immigration, accompanied by continual and dramatic social change, has brought many cultures together, in many cases causing friction or a struggle for power (Gelfand and Lee 1973). Within this context, immigrants from ascribed social systems often have had to adjust themselves to an open social system (Glazer and Moynihan 1963, 1975). This has altered the position of religion, which, like many other institutions, has lost many of its traditional functions. Functionalists (mainly following Malinowski 1973 and Radcliffe-Brown 1952) have long argued that belief and rituals reinforce tradition, strengthen ties between individuals, and enhance group solidarity. Conversely, the social structure of the group enables rituals, tradition, myths, and symbols to persist. While this argument is satisfactory when applied to ascribed social systems, it can hardly deal with situations of rapid social As Geertz (1973:143) points out, the tendency has been consistently to demonstrate the manner in which religion preserves social and psychological structure rather than the manner in which it destroys and transforms There is therefore a need to emphasize the transactional nature and the consequences of the relationship between social structure and religion. Malinowski, of course, emphasized the individual's needs and their fulfillment by the social structure: The individual, both in social theory and in the reality of cultural life, is the starting-point and the end (Malinowski 1973:293). Under modern conditions, however, unchanged traditional institutions can no longer fulfill changed individual needs. Rather, the transactional relationship between the individual and the institution -- in this case religion -- must take a different form. It is crucial that any analytical discussion of religion in society consider tradition and experience. After all, culture is built on these, which continuously develop over the course of a group's history. Geertz (1973:146) suggests that historical materials can be fitted into [a functionalist] conception, and the functional analysis of religion can therefore be widened to deal more adequately with processes of change. Indeed, functional theory can contribute to the analysis of the dynamic relationship between religion and society, provided that it takes into account material, the distinction between social and cultural structures, and the place of individual personalities. This article presents a case study of the Sephardic Jewish community in Sydney, Australia, whose members moved from a relatively traditional social system to live in a large-scale modern one. In the countries of origin, religion played a fundamental role as an integrative, consolidating force which helped perpetuate and preserve the social system even in times of strife. Yet, as will be shown, the adaptation of the Sephardim to the democratic system in Australia was largely hampered by the failure of their religious institution to deal effectively with That was due to the attempt to use old models to cope with new situations. Thus, religion in its old form was disintegrative and dysfunctional, dividing the community rather than integrating it. THE SEPHARDIC COMMUNITY IN AUSTRALIA Of the 40,000 Jews who reside in Sydney, about 5,000 are Sephardim (of Middle Eastern, Asiatic, and North African origin), while the rest are Ashkenazim (of Eastern European origin) (ABS 1986).[2] In the context of Australian society, the majority of Sephardim would be considered lower-middle class, although a few practice such professions as medicine and law. …