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American Aliya- What's holding it back & How Accepted?

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Rabbi Ari Shvat

Elul 29, 5777
Question
If there was Peace tomorrow and American Jews started showing up in Israel, there might be some resentment on the part of native born Israeli citizens. You would have a serious cultural conflict. Because American Jews are too pampered and have never experienced high threat situations (except maybe 9/11 if they were there, or maybe a hurricane). Such a conundrum. I think Judaism will come to an end in this century.
Answer
Peace isn’t what’s holding back the orthodox Jews from America. It’s mainly the comforts of America, difficulty in leaving family, and the lack of guts needed to make such a change. Inevitably, whenever a new wave of Aliya has come to Israel, the previous olim and citizens were a little resentful, yet as time has passed, the unique contribution of each group has proven it worthy and they are appreciated. The idealism of the socialist Aliya; the precision of the Aliya from Germany; the religiosity of the Chassidic olim from Poland, Hungary, and Yemen; the family-orientation of the Morroccan and Iraqi Aliya; the well-manners of the olim from England and South Africa; the culture and hard-work of the Soviet Aliya; the sensitivity of the Ethiopian Aliya, etc. etc. How much more so when the contribution of olim from America, in intellect, high-tech, work ethic, truly-democratic etc. are already self-apparent. What starts as cultural conflict eventually adds a new note to the harmony of national unity and the human mosaic of the “Ingathering of the Exiles”. They will get used to the security situation and the army service as well as we all did. We just hope that this Anglo Aliya will continue to come out of idealism, and not just have to run away from anti-Semitism, like what caused most of the aforementioned aliyot, as well as the present significant immigration from France. Don’t worry about Judaism- Jews in America will inevitably end as promised in the Torah regarding all exiles, but the People of Israel shall never “come to an end”, as God promised Avraham, and as fitting for the Eternal People destined to be a Light for the other nations forever.
את המידע הדפסתי באמצעות אתר yeshiva.org.il