Photo courtesy of Akiva Scheinberger
Amichai Tsikri, Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Minister for Combating Anti-Semitism and Social Equality, holds the Kfar Chabad etrog.
Mr. Amichai Chikuli, Minister of Diaspora Affairs:
In the name of the many Olim veterans of Western countries who are now aliyah activists, we wish you great success in the important challenges before you. But success will only be achieved by not continuing the same ill-conceived and ineffective policies that have characterized the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs in the past.
The biggest mistake, in our humble opinion, was ignoring the clear guidance of the Torah, as if the words of the prophets were no longer part of the Jewish story. Please let me explain.
The Law and the Prophets of Israel clearly state over and over again that dispersion is a curse and a punishment. In the Torah, exile is equated with a terrible and terrible disease.
The words are brutal and terrifying, and there is no room for misinterpretation. Expulsion from Eretz Yisrael is the worst punishment that can befall a Jew. Hundreds of years ago, the Gaon of Vilna repeated the words of the prophet Ezekiel, who warned that the penal colony was a graveyard for the Jews, and urged his disciples to go out and settle in the land of Israel, and there only He said he couldn’t do it. Find shelter.
Given this terrible predicament, the mission of Diaspora Jewry was to prepare the scattered and wandering Jews for their long-awaited return to the Land of Israel. The goal of gathering to Zion is emphasized more than any other theme in the Law and the visions of the Prophets. For nearly 2000 years, we have prayed and dreamed of returning to our homeland. “Next year in Jerusalem” was our national yearning.
Then something went horribly wrong.
When the state of Israel was established and they finally had the opportunity to return to their homeland, the majority of Jewish communities in the West turned their backs on the opportunity. For example, in America and Western Europe, Jews did not want to flee exile and chose to stay and strengthen diaspora communities. The obvious fact that, in defiance of the clear promises of the Torah, the Prophets, and 2,000 years of prayers and dreams, Hashem was gathering the exiles into Zion and miraculously rebuilding the nation of Israel into one of the superpowers. against. Across the world, diaspora communities in the West have decided to remain in foreign countries where life seems better. Diaspora Jewish leaders and Jewish educators called for the fortification of Galut in exchange for a hasty rebuilding of Israel and participation in the long-awaited salvation.
Yes, the Jews of North America and Western Europe, Australia and Mexico used their money to help the young Jewish state. Out of love for our homeland and concern for the Jewish people who were rebuilding it, they reached deep into their own pockets and contributed to this mission. They applied political pressure on Israel’s behalf. But when it came to coming on their own, they generally did not heed calls to return.
As a result of their failure to reintegrate into the State of Israel, assimilation in Western countries has steadily increased, with the assimilation rate currently reaching 70 percent in the United States. You can’t stop it. The highly energetic Chabad organization has been trying for decades to stop the Silent Holocaust, but to no avail. The Diaspora Ministry and the Jewish Agency’s Jewish education programs have all failed. All attempts to strengthen Jewish identity and strengthen Diaspora Jewish communities have had disastrous results. Assimilation is rapidly increasing in the Jewish world, with the exception of Israel.
The simple reason is that the God of Israel does not want his children to live in foreign, Gentile land. Assimilation and anti-Semitism have become increasingly common, as has been clear to all since God created Medinat Israel through the noble courage and sacrifice of the early settlers, both secular and religious. There is no longer any reason to continue with the curse of Galut, which is growing by the day. I understand.
Therefore, Chikuli, the purpose of the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs is not to continue to strengthen the diaspora, but, in the words of Ze’ev Jabotinsky, “to liquidate the exiles before they liquidate you.” It won’t. The solution to saving our brothers and sisters from the brink of extinction lies in creating more of the same wasteful “Jewish education” programs and the futility of cultivating “Jewish identity” in non-Jewish lands. It’s not about wasting countless amounts of money on endless efforts.
All programs in Israel-diaspora relations must focus on aliyah, not, for example, the strengthening of diaspora communities in the diaspora. The goal of every educational program must be guided by aliyah. All workshops and publications on Jewish identity must place the Land of Israel at the center of Jewish life. We must make it clear that the only future for the Jewish people lies in Eretz Yisrael.
You, along with the new Minister Aliyah, the Prime Minister, and the newly inaugurated Israeli government, are saying loudly that the Promised Land is our only rest and home, and not just a place for ten people. You must declare it without shame. one day vacation.
A group of veteran olim representatives is ready to meet with you to further discuss this important issue. Be strong and courageous in serving your country by helping to bring our people back to their eternally cherished land.
