A group of secular Israelis has inaugurated a community centre on the island of Koh Phangan to counter the influence of Chabad houses.
A collective of secular Israelis has opened a community centre on the island of Koh Phangan, in the province of Surat Thani. The initiative aims to offer Israeli visitors an alternative to Chabad houses, which they accuse of religious indoctrination.
The project, named Secular House, is run by the Free Secular Movement, a militant organisation (of the left) that defends secularism and the separation of religion and state in Israel. As a deliberate snub, the centre has been set up directly opposite the local Chabad house.
Each year, more than 450,000 Israelis travel to Thailand. Koh Phangan remains their preferred destination, with a resident community estimated at between 1,000 and 4,000 people, including families and entrepreneurs who have settled permanently.
Naor Narkis, a secular Zionist activist and politician, told the Jerusalem Post that the movement actively combats the establishment of Chabad houses abroad.
It is important to note that being secular does not mean being anti-Zionist. Naor Narkis and the Free Secular Movement explicitly define themselves as secular Zionists. They defend the existence of a democratic and secular State of Israel, while opposing religious influence (particularly that of Chabad) that seeks to turn Israel into a theocratic state governed by Jewish law.
« The aim of these Chabad houses, through flattering rhetoric, is to shape generations of secular Israelis who have become indifferent to attempts by the Chabad-Lubavitch movement to take control of Israel. » … « We are all familiar with the phenomenon: Chabad houses scattered across the world, extending a hand to young secular Israelis with guitars and cheap food, and thereby promoting religious proselytising, belief in the “king Messiah” and their vision of a religious state governed by Jewish law — all for a bowl of lentils. »
The Secular House will offer workshops on secular Jewish philosophy, Friday dinners focused on secular identity, yoga sessions, readings of the works of philosopher Baruch Spinoza, discussions around the ideas of Shulamit Aloni, Thai and seafood cookery classes, as well as a coworking space for digital nomads.
Naor Narkis welcomed the establishment of a secular presence thousands of kilometres from Israel: « Religious organisations are present wherever Israelis are to be found. Their strategy is transparent. I am delighted that a secular foothold has now been planted far from Israel to strengthen secular identity. »