I have a question for the posters on this thread. I have no doubt that in the past, Socialism/Zionism and other “isms” led massive number of Jews away from Torah and mitzvahs. Yes, agreed. However, the question is, are we not living, to great extent, in a post-Zionist world today, whereby many Jews in Israel are (and the United States) are not driven by anti-Torah ideology but looking for Emes in a world of sheker. Assimilation in Israel is a problem no doubt. However, far more Jews have disappeared in the United States due to the materialistic and corrupt atmosphere that exists there than anywhere and anytime in history. In 1960, the intermarriage rate was less than 5% and now it’s approximately 70% (and in some out of town communities more than 90%). There’s no bigger destruction than that. Millions of Jews gone. Gone. Leave aside Zionist ideology for one moment. In Israel, the intermarriage rate is miniscule (less than 5%). You’re forced to self-identify as a Jew whether you like it or not. No matter how secular you are, the Arabs don’t let you forget it. In the United States, it’s a slow death by a thousand cuts. Yes, there are strong and flourishing on clays of Torah Jewry. Amazing Torah fortresses. However, the ultimate future of the Jewish nation is learning and living Torah in our Holy Land. Soon more than half of the Jews in the entire world will be living there. So shouldn’t we all try to make our Holy Land a place of Torah and mitzvahs by reaching out to our brothers and sisters in our Holy Land and teaching them the beauty and truth of our Holy Torah instead of ostracizing them (calling them filthy “Zionists” and thereby irredeemable). Most of them are tinokos sh’nishbu and as such are simply ignorant. We need to show them the way with love. It does not mean we water down the Emes. We need to follow the path of the great kiruv organizations who draw our estranged brothers and sisters close to Hashem and his Torah as Aaron HaCohen did. I am a Kohen myself and it pains me to see us write off the chilonim as our enemy.
I welcome any and all reactions.