Prominent dati leumi rav Rabbi Yuval Sherlow in an address to an assembly in Orot Yisrael College in Rehovot on Wednesday, Pesach Sheni 5773, questioned why the dati leumi community “enters into a coalition for the sake of Israel with those who do not adhere to laws of nidah and eat treif but for some reason the Zionist dati leumi community does not do the same for Jews in the Diaspora.”
Rabbi Sherlow feels current alarming assimilation realities demand a dialogue with Reform Jews, which he stresses is not tantamount to recognition.
The rav presented alarming statistics concerning assimilation in the various denominations of Judaism in the USA along with numbers attesting to a very low birth rate. He explained that yes, the number of Orthodox Jews is increasing but this is because the other streams are vanishing,” warning world Jewry is heading to disaster. He talks about “simple math” and the fact that the other denominations of Jewry are vanishing and while the stats show an increase in Orthodox Jewry, those numbers are deceiving and in actuality, there is no cause for celebration because in absolute numbers Jews are vanishing.
Sherlow feels that over the past 20 years American Jews felt alienated from Judaism and Israel. “It is difficult for American Jews to identify with Israel” he adds, “and one must understand the deep analysis, that they receive a warped picture as Israel is portrayed as racist and discriminates against Palestinians, even those living among us, as is the case with women.
“The issue of the Women of the Wall circulates around the world more than anything else that takes place in the country. This leaves Diaspora Jewry feeling unwanted. While we relate to Women of the Wall as a provocation, Diaspora Jewry feels undesirable” explaining the need for dialogue between Israel and Diaspora Jewry.
Rabbi Sherlow feels that Diaspora Jewry seeks to formulate another identity. He pointed out that back in the 1960s, both Rav Soloveitchik ZT”L and Rav Feinstein ZT”L felt Orthodox Jewry was not strong enough and therefore prohibited dialogue with the other denominations of Judaism but today, “we are strong and we do not have to have fears”.
Sherlow stressed that “contact is not synonymous with recognition. The Halachic world will not change as a result of a connection and connection does not constitute recognition of conversions or marriage. This is not the intention.”
Sherlow fears the growing number of “unaffiliated Jews”, warning in another generation or two, in line with the current trend, the situation will lead to disaster.
The rosh yeshiva of the Petach Tikvah Hesder Yeshiva believes that Israel’s foreign and security policies play a contributory and decisive factor in the assimilation of Jews in the Diaspora. He feels Israel’s decisions improve Diaspora Jewry; stressing Israel does not have to make decisions in line with Diaspora Jewry, but Israel does have to accept responsibility for Diaspora Jewry.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
Kol yisroel araivim zeh l’zeh
I thought Rav Moshe’s reason was recognition, not fear.
As for “identifying with Israel”, every secular newspaper calls Israel “the Jewish State”, despite the gross error in that appellation. In truth, of course, Israel is a Zionist State, and not a “Jewish State”, even though there are many Jews in their government and many Jews live there.
The Zionists have been pretty successful in fooling most everyone in that regard, as AP, Reuters, etc. all indicate. It is true, however, that their wars and such don’t help their cause with secular Jews, as he noted.
Regardless of all that, why does some assimilation mean “world Jewry is heading to disaster”, “while the stats show an increase in Orthodox Jewry”?
B”H, Torah Jewry is flourishing, and there are Hillel houses and other Kiruv centers throughout the country that are trying to reach our less-knowledgeable brethren. It would be nice if the Zionists would stop trying to shmad our brethren in Israel.