Haaretz: MK Katz proposes Aliyah Day

By Raphael Ahren of Haaretz’s Anglo File:

A new bill proposing the establishment of an annual Aliyah Day represents the latest initiative in what seems to be a growing effort by lawmakers to advance immigration to Israel. Some observers praised the proposal and pledged to support it, while others deemed it unnecessary.

Conceived and written by an American-Israeli aliyah activist and sponsored by National Union MK Yaakov Katz, the bill presented to the Knesset Monday was “designed to strengthen public awareness, especially among the young, of the centrality of aliyah, which shall be done through educational activities, broadcasts and public ceremonies” on the official day.

The bill was written by Yishai Fleisher, a 33-year-old journalist, who was born in Israel but grew up in New Jersey. “Everybody who made aliyah is proud of being here,” Fleisher told Anglo File. “We put in our blood and sweat and tears to come here and so this is a day of pride.”

Aliyah Day would take place during the week in which the Torah portion “Lekh Lekha” is read, as it tells of God’s commanding Abraham to settle in Israel, usually in October or November. Katz presented the bill at the end of a half-day aliyah conference in the Knesset he had sponsored. The Algerian-born Shas MK Chaim Amsellem, who was the only parliamentarian in the room when Katz introduced the bill, signed it immediately.

“It’s very important to me that this law will also be exported to the Diaspora, so that [Jewish] schools will celebrate this day like they celebrate Independence day,” explained Fleisher, who runs Kumah, an organization encouraging immigration by distributing pro-Israel CDs and movies and through its widely read blog.

Others were less enthusiastic.

“Whether this bill will have any relevance outside of Israel remains to be seen,” said American-Israeli sociologist Chaim Waxman, who specializes on immigration. “If the schools’ curricula were to include more discussions of aliyah, then perhaps this could raise the consciousness within Israel, but I don’t expect a major impact abroad.”

Kadima MK and former Jewish Agency chairman Zeev Bielski told Anglo File he would support the bill. Yet he, too, remained skeptical about the hoped-for increase in aliyah. “It won’t cause any harm,” he joked.

Former minister Rabbi Michael Melchior praised Katz for the proposal but said it is ultimately futile. “Initiatives like this are not worth anything if they’re not followed up by a commitment on concrete issues that prove that we want aliyah,” he told Anglo File.

Over recent weeks, the government and at least one opposition parliamentarian turned their attention to Western aliyah. In February, the cabinet significantly raised the amount of money it gives to private aliyah group Nefesh B’Nefesh for every immigrant it helps bring to Israel. Earlier this month, two Israeli-born MKs – Yoel Hasson of Kadima and Likud’s Carmel Shama – relaunched the Knesset’s Lobby for the Encouragement for Aliyah from the West, which Hasson had co-founded during the Knesset’s last term.

“I feel very close to this issue and I do everything I can to encourage the government to make more efforts to push aliyah from western countries,” Hasson told Anglo File, adding that as chairman of the Knesset’s state control committee he specifically aims to combat the red tape many immigrants confront upon arrival.

Melchior, on the other hand, is convinced no real change is taking place. “There are many lobbies that are created that have two meetings and that’s it,” he said, adding that he knows how the system works because during his 10 years in the Knesset he founded many lobbies himself. “We don’t need an extra $500 per immigrant or a lobby or a day in the Knesset. If the government really wanted to do something it would sit down and think about how to create a society immigrants would want to come to, what to do practically to help the people who decide to come, and what they need to do to attract people.”

The Shuk- A Sign of Redemption?

Just the mere mention of the words Shuk Machaneh Yehudah, Jerusalem’s open air food market, conjures up vivid images and an almost visceral reaction: the colorful fruits and vegetables, the sweet aroma of spices, coffees and pungent fresh fish, the taste of sweet rugalach, the nuts and dried fruit, the warm pita fresh out of the oven, the Yemenite Medicine Man who sells tonics made from Etrog- guaranteed to cure what ails you, the hustle and bustle of the crowd, the shouting, the bargaining.  Its rich tapestry is a sensory overload.

The Shuk  is an experience like no other and quintessentially Jerusalem.

But for me, the Shuk is a sign of geulah, Redemption.

The Talmud (Sanhedrin 98a) sees bountiful produce as a sign that redemption is “at hand”:

R. Abba said there is no greater [signal of] the end of the Exile than this, as it says ‘But you, O mountains of  Israel,   shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to My people Israel; for they are at hand to come (Ezekiel 36:8).’

In fact, elsewhere the Talmud evokes the same verse from Ezekiel to explain why the prayer for sustenance precedes the prayer for the ingathering of the Exiles in the daily amidah (See TB Megillah 17b).  According to the Gemara, it is the fruit of the land that heralds in the redemption.  Maharsha (16th-17th C. Poland) in his commentary to the Talmud (ad loc.) explains that the abundant growth at the beginning of the Redemptive process is due to the many years the land laid fallow.  That “growth potential” lays dormant ready to be released at the right moment.  That is what accounts for the incredible bounty.

While things are far from perfect, there is so much growth in Israel today.  Israel is at the forefront of so many technologies and industries.  Yet, they still can’t finish the light rail in Jerusalem.  But the torn up streets and the traffic are just a part of this redemption sprouting forth; flourishing.  Wherever you walk in Jerusalem you see Israel’s national bird- the crane.  The construction crane that is!

It is an exciting time to be in here in Eretz Yisrael.  I love shopping in the Shuk with my family.  Besides for the bargains, it keeps me inspired!

May we merit seeing the complete Redemption, speedily in our days, amein.

And I will see you in the Shuk!

Thoughts on the Haggada of Pesach

Rav Yisrael Ariel in his book The Haggada of the Mikdash explains that after the destruction of the Mikdash by the Romans the haggada of Pesach underwent a significant change.  Whereas the main discussion of the seder during the time of the Mikdash was the halachot of the korban pesach, after its destruction the main emphasis of the haggada was the story of leaving Egypt (yetziat mitzrayim).  Moreover, he calls the later version, the version which we still use today, the Haggada of the Galut.

Contemplating on the different emphasis, I believe there is an important lesson here.  Although the word ‘pesach’ comes from G-d’s skipping over the Jewish homes, it’s obvious that we’re not just celebrating the fact that He killed the Egyptians and He didn’t kill us.  More importantly, our taking the lamb in broad daylight (and of course the subsequent killing of the lamb and smearing its blood on the doorposts), regardless of the fact that this would clearly infuriate our Egyptians tormentors who worshipped the lamb, was a mighty show of trust in G-d (bitachon) and strength (gevura). For once we stopped fearing the mighty Egyptians and decided to follow Hashem no matter what, regardless of any consequences that might come about as a result of our bold behavior.  Simply stated, this was a true act of mesirat nefesh.  This is beautifully pointed out by Rav Kahane (and I believe the Ktav V-Kabbalah) who highlight the fact that we were davka requested to roast the lamb on a fire, in clear view of our Egyptian oppressors, rather than in the comfortable and closed confines of our homes in order to clearly display our trust in G-d. This clear act of mesirut nefesh, our readiness to do whatever G-d requests of us regardless of what the powerful nations of the world might say or do, is the real freedom (herut) that is celebrated on Pesach.  Moreover, it was only after we outwardly displayed this powerful inner freedom that G-d finally physically took us out of Egypt.

Thus, the korban pesach which we ate during the time that the Mikdash still existed, represented Jewish strength and might. In addition, it also represented an active display of following G-d in a difficult situation, rather than passively sitting around and waiting for something to happen.

Contrasting this is the current Haggada of the Galut with its emphasis on the story of yetziat mitzrayim.  As opposed to the powerful display of bitachon, gevura and mesirut nefesh which is symbolized by the korban pesach, yetziat mitzrayim was purely passive. It wasn’t about us actively doing something to change our situation but it was simply G-d taking us out of Egypt.  Moreover, the way we left Egypt was be-chipazon (hastily). Although the sages (chazal) differ as to whether this be-chipazon refers to the Jews leaving quickly out of fright or to the Egyptians quickly chasing us out, either way it was a far cry from the active display of bitachon and mesirut nefesh that was associated with the korban pesach.

The lesson should be clear.  Through the grace of G-d we once again have a nation of our own, which means that millions of Jews are no longer living in the galut.  If so, we need to stop with the galut mentality of fear and trepidation, passively waiting for something to happen, and start acting confidently, based upon a deep trust in Hashem and recognition of all that He has done for us, and actively doing whatever we can to change the situation.

It’s time to get back to the korban pesach mentality!

Yes to inclusion no to exclusion

Ever wonder what life would be like in Israel if there were no Arabs amongst us? Sounds like a dream right? For starters we wouldn’t have to pour so much time and money into security. We could finally iron out our domestic issues, all without any silly distractions like bloodshed and constant threats of war. Finally we could have our cake and eat it too!

Sadly though I am confident that with the doing away of our external problems our internal problems would take even more of a center stage. What I am referring to here is the Haredi/Secular divide. I and others have a theory that the Arabs are actually G-d sent because without them it seems likely that we would be fighting ourselves.

There is a notion here in Israel of “us” and “them”. The us refers to whoever we are and the them refers to everybody else who thinks differently then us. Now if that sounds a bit confusing let me clarify what I mean. If I am Haredi then the them are the secular sinners. If I am secular then the them are the crazy settlers or Haredim or even better the crazy Haredim settlers. If I am Sephardi then the them are the Ashkenazim and so forth.

Ironically the world sees us all as Jews yet we as Jews see ourselves very differently. The truth is that the world is right. We are all in fact Jews. We as Jews have been exile for over 2000 years precisely because we fail to get this point.

So how do we fix this huge time enduring issue of division and hatred in our ranks?

As Jews we are supposed to be about the notion of “kol yisroel arevim zeh la zeh”, which means we are all responsible for each others actions and we either rise together or sink together. In order to actually bring this about though we have to come together and stop the mutual hatred and exclusionary behavior.

Everyone shares the blame here. On the Haredi side of things there is little appreciation for the State that allows them to live their lives the way they like. Somehow throwing rocks at people for breaking shabbat which weirdly breaks shabbat itself is OK. If you are gonna tell me that this is being done by a few kids and doesn’t represent the consensus then the Rabbis need to speak out against this. How are we gonna bring Jews back to observant Judaism if the supposed pinnacle of religiousity is throwing rocks and beating girls up in Beit Shemesh for having the nerve to walk around at night?

The blame on the Secular side is the failure to see that the Haredim are actually keeping the tradition alive by taking the time to study Torah and diseminate it’s laws onto the next generation. Your average secular Israeli knows very little about the very basics of Judaism and it’s laws. Without people learning Torah the very world as we know it would fall. Now of course in order to get more people to see it this way we need to make the whole process more attractive and inclusive.

How can we make religious Judaism something that is appealing to the masses? For starters instead of throwing rocks and calling soldiers Nazis we should be trying to bridge the gaps not widen them.

The only way to do this is to make being an observant Jew something that is for everybody. Not just a select few. If we can turn people on for the right reasons and show them the beauty of the Torah and a Torah way of life then they will want it. By pushing our fellow Jews away because we see them as sinners, antagonizers, and gentiles then we have failed to right history and we are doomed.

Our Messiah will only come if we are moving towards this and not further away. My hope and prayer is that we somehow come together and realize this so we can all benefit from redemption together.

Kumah Knesset Law Gets Head Start!

At a conference on Aliyah in the Knesset on Monday, it was resolved to begin parliamentary work on a law institutionalizing an annual Aliyah Day (by Hillel Fendel Israel National News)

MK Yaakov Katz (Ketzaleh), head of the National Union party, hosted the conference. He spoke of the importance, in terms of both the Sages’ teachings and Israel’s everyday contemporary needs, of Aliyah (immigration) to Israel. Katz quoted the Medrashic dictum, “The day of Ingathering of the Exiles is as great as the day of Creation,” explaining that never in history had an entire nation been exiled and then returned to its ancestral homeland; the fact that this is occurring with the Jewish People is a re-creation of the way the world operates.

Proposed Law: Aliyah Day

A practical application of all the speakers’ appreciation for Aliyah was offered by Yishai Fleisher, founder of Kumah and head of Arutz-7’s Israel National Radio. Fleisher closed the session by presenting his legislative proposal for Aliyah Day – which Ketzaleh said he will sponsor in the Knesset.

In the bill’s introductory passage, Fleisher wrote, “Aliyah stands at the foundation of the State of Israel… and Israel strives to continue the process of immigration and the Ingathering of the Exiles. Public awareness is critical to this end… It is hereby proposed to establish Aliyah Day, designed to strengthen public awareness, especially among the young, as to the centrality of this value, via educational activities, public broadcasts, and public ceremonies. On this day, Aliyah will be discussed, commemorated and celebrated in schools, the Knesset and in the public arena. The State will thus commemorate the importance of past and future Aliyah, the elements that help it along, and of course the Olim themselves.

The proposed law itself is straightforward: The Tuesday before Parshat Lekh Lekha, the Bible portion in which Patriarch Abraham receives the Divine command to set out for the Land of Israel, will be deemed Aliyah Day, an educational day teaching the importance of Aliyah and of encouraging it. Aliyah Day will be marked in the Knesset with a special session, as well as in schools, the Foreign Ministry, the Jewish Agency, and the Israel Broadcasting Authority.

Jewish Agency’s Yehuda Katz

First among the conference speakers was Yehuda Katz of the Jewish Agency, who said that an important question in trying to encourage Aliyah is what exactly motivates people to move to Israel. “I have asked many people this question; some don’t know exactly what it was or how it happened, while others said they’d been preparing for Aliyah their entire lives… But if we look around, you’ll that most of you here are Torah-observant; I’m not, I’m a tinok shenishba [lit., one who was “captured” by non-Jews as a baby, who therefore knows nothing of Judaism], but I know that we have to ensure that non-religious Jews also make Aliyah.” He briefly explained the importance of the Masa (Journey) and Taglit (Birthright) programs: “They give people a taste of Israel, reducing their anxieties about Aliyah and leaving them with an emotional foundation that will help them return.”

“Our message to Jews abroad is: Give it a chance! Here in Israel we’re willing to help out, with government help and personal help. We have made a major change of late: no more separation between Aliyah (going to Israel) and absorption in Israel. All the government bodies send representatives to the new immigrants in the hotel, and instead of red tape there is just a red carpet, and within 24 hours they have an Israeli ID card and everything else.”

Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein spoke of the importance of strengthening Israel’s ties with the Diaspora. “In the early 90’s when Soviet Russia opened its gates for Aliyah to Israel, there was a large debate here as to whether we should strengthen the Jewish communities there, or invest only in Aliyah. My opinion then, as now, was that if we only push everyone on to the plane, we will find that all the others ran in the other direction and are no longer potential Olim… The State of Israel has invested in the Diaspora, of course, in educational programs and the like. But we have to do more.”

Edelstein also emphasized that Israel must be more open to the Reform and Conservative communities: “They often feel that Israel doesn’t want them; this leaves them open to other influences, turning them against Israel, etc. We must be open to Jews of all stripes.”

Ketzaleh had earlier said that Hassidic Jews in New York must also be a target of Aliyah efforts.

Minister Edelstein stated that Israel must place greater emphasis on Jewish communities in Europe and not only in the United States. “And the main thing is that no matter how we try to sell and promote Israel, we must remember that the basic principle of Aliyah is the Jewish factor; Jews make Aliyah to Israel – otherwise there is nothing to start the conversation with.”

Aliyah Day Law Moves Forward!

Well folks, it went great. I introduced the law, everyone liked it, and two Knesset members signed it. Soon I will put up the text of the “Aliyah Day” in English. Till then…

Minister Yuli Edestein talking Aliyah at Knesset conf

Rabbi Berel Wein addresses Knesset Committee

Yishai is in the Knesset right now!

Will be presenting Aliyah Day momentarily!

Iphone state of mind!

Hey Folks, please welcome me to the 57th century! This is my first post to the Internet from a mobile device. It’s like hello!