Well this past weekend I attended a seminar in Jaffo, the old city of Tel Aviv. It was called "Israel-Diaspora Relations" and it was put on by Masa. The seminars that Masa has organized for the participants are really wonderful in my opinion. People from all the programs that are under Masa come and get together and are able to interact and learn from one another. This particular seminar, however, was even more special. It is the first time that they have had a seminar in which 5 seminars are being held at one time. The separate seminars were for the languages English, French, Spanish, Russian, and Hebrew. Many of the parts of the seminar were separated by language, such as when there were speakers or discussions, so that people could understand. When we were all together though, everything was said in each language so that everyone could understand and it was really neat to hear something in Hebrew then English then Spanish then French and then Russian. The most interesting part was that English speakers were by far the minority in this situation! However, it opened with a reminder of what had happened the night before, thursday night. The shooting in the Jerusalem Yeshiva was so shocking and disappointing to me. To kill young people, at a school that is meant for studying Judaism was just such a slap in the face. I was a little scared because the situation does appear to be escalating here but I do not feel unsafe. I know that Masa would pull us out as quickly as possible if they were worried because the bad press would be so detrimental.
The seminar began with a program at a nature reserve called Neot Kedumin. There we had groups split up randomly and I was in a group with people from Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Russia, France and Chile. We did a zip line and hiked through the reserve. It was a beautiful day and I learned a lot from interacted with these people. For example, I spoke to a girl from France who was around my age and making aliyah (becoming an Israeli citizen). She was telling me how she experienced antisemitism regularly in Paris so she and her sister decided to move to Israel. That was so sad to me, because I live so freely as a Jew in America that it is hard for me to fathom that we are losing touch with the Holocaust or Shoah or whatever you prefer to call it so soon after it occurred. I know our slogan is "Never Again" and "Remember" but I fear we are not doing enough to make it this way.
We also had an Israeli song sing along right before Shabbat began on the roof of the hotel. It was beautiful to see the sun setting over the old city and the ocean and listen to beautiful music while talking to people from all over the world. Many people did not speak English well but we used what they knew of English and what we knew of Hebrew or Spanish or French to communicate. It was a very special experience.
Our speaker for the weekend was an American man who made aliyah here, is raising his family here, and is a journalist here for many different news organizations. His basic message was that nowhere in the Diaspora is safe for Jews and so every Jew should move to Israel, we will develop the Negev and prosper as a nation of Jewish people. In fact, he told us that the US is not going to be the powerful country we know it to be today in a couple of decades, so American Jews should get out now before they become the scapegoats like history shows us to always be. Now, I understand why Masa chose him as a speaker to stir up discussion and debate, but give me a break! It is not going to happen, man! This is what I told him too, because he was worried about assimilation and annihilation of Judaism in the world and, to be honest, I think it is a valid fear because our numbers are dwindling fast. However, all Jews making aliyah is not the solution, my friend! Solutions can include ways to get kids in the Diaspora involved in Judaism if they want, allowing people of different levels of Judaism, whether their mother is Jewish or not, to be active in Jewish organizations and come to Israel without a problem. If you are not aware, you cannot become an Israeli citizen or come on Birthright or Masa if your mother is not Jewish even if you were raised in a Jewish home. In fact, I have to extend my visa for being here and we are meeting resistance at the visa office because in order to stay here this long I need to prove that I am Jewish by getting a letter from my Rabbi or presenting my parents Jewish marriage license, the Ketubah. The reasoning is that they do not want Christian missionaries here, and I understand that but if it deters people from their Judaism, how is it helping us at all?
Most of the people in my discussion agreed with me that this guy was CRAZY but some actually agreed with him and believed it was the right thing to do for all Jews to move to Israel, because it is what G-d wanted and what should be done in the modern world to preserve Judaism. We are outnumbered hugely by Christians and Muslims and more Jews could only make the nation stronger. I understood this point, to an extent but there were many times that I just believed I was right. For example, he asked what Zionism was to our group and some people answered that "to be a Zionist, you must live in Israel" but I do not agree with this at all. If I live in American and promote and support Israel in my community, as well as encourage people to go to Israel, to live there, am I not a Zionist? Also, the speaker asked the group about how people vote in elections their home country, whether Israel is their number one priority. If you know me, you know that I believe that I am neither only American nor only Jewish when I vote, and I must vote as an American Jew, thinking of what is best for American with what is best for Israel as one of the important issues for me. For many in the room, this was an unusual concept. Most people in the room said they vote solely on who would be best for Israel. It was sort of eye-opening for me because although I knew this was common among Jews, I did not know how common it was among young Jews.
As the speaker sat there and spoke about America losing its power, which I agree will happen but then they will earn it back, I realized how American I actually am. I believe in what our country provides not only for Jews but for immigrants as a whole. I know this is certainly a controversial statement but the ability to climb the ladder in the US is much more possible than anywhere in the world. Also, the country itself is much more politically correct and respectful towards different groups, even if certain people or groups are not. In Israel, it is acceptable to call a black person a nigger, which is outrageous to me! The Ethiopians do not really care either, is the strangest part! With so many Ethiopian Jews here that are struggling to survive here, it is just so disrespectful, but to them it is just another word. It would not be acceptable in the US.
Another topic discussed a lot at the conference was how Israeli Judaism is so different than Diaspora Judaism. Here, you are either religious or secular and there is no in between. Those that are secular practice in a lot of the ways that American Jews do who do not consider themselves observant by driving on Shabbat, not keeping kosher, etc. However, secular Jews in Israel usually do not even belong to a synagogue! Also, there are disputes between the religious and secular Jews over political issues. As a religious state, Israel is not a democracy and the people lack certain freedoms which I love about the country I come from! There are so many different synagogues, organizations and options for Jews in America. If you don't like your rabbi, go down the street to another synagogue, maybe that one is right for you. If your child is not in touch with their Judaism or having trouble making friends, send them to one of five different youth groups in your area. There are just so many options.
All in all, it was an enlightening experience which reminded me of my values and my opinions as well as taught me about the Judaism in other countries and how proud I am to be an American Jew!
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