Speech at World Conference of Mizrachi (1982)

/ Speech at World Conference of Mizrachi …

Speech

December 4, 1982

Speech at World Conference of Mizrachi (1982)

Mizrachi

View The Text

This content is currently available in its original PDF format. As we expand the library, we plan to add a text version as well.

RELATED CONTENT

Speech

Excerpts from an Address at Mizrachi Dinner (2001)

My remarks this evening will revolve around three items: Morale, Mafdal, and Morals. The first theme is that of Morale – a not unimportant ingredient n the success or failure of any organization or institution. We of the RZA (Religious Zionists of America) – as well as other notable organizations of kindred ideology, such as the Orthodox Union, the Rabbinical Council of America, the various alumni groups of Yeshiva University, and all those individuals who are generally committed to the platform of Modem or Centrist Orthodoxy – are beset by a depressing sense of isolation and defeat.It is true that the Mafdal, which is so tightly bound up with Mizrachi and hence with the RZA, has lost a significant number of Knesset seats, and that all Modem Orthodox and Torah Umadda-related institutions are under pressure from within and from without. We feel intuitively that we are losing on the demographic front, and we face constant aggressiveness on the part of both a rather broad coalition of left leaning liberal groups and a triumphalist right wing.But we must not give in to such a debilitating pessimism. I fear that such a dour view of our future can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.But even if there are problems of various sorts that beset us, fear and pessimism unto despair are misplaced. We should not judge the power of an idea by the number of votes in a political body—and Mizrachi embodies a great and even sublime ideaPermit me to share with you something I mentioned last night, at the Annual Hanukkah Dinner of Yeshiva University.Do not be impressed by numbers, and do.not be depressed by minority status. At the very beginning of our history׳, inscribed in the birth certificate of Israel, the Almighty told us clearly: סי^^ס סכל העמים ח11)ק ה׳ 3(0 [י^חר if?—ב;ם כי אתם המעט מכל העמים“Not because you are the most numerous of the nations did the Lord desire you and choose you, because you are the fewest among the nations ” And in the Prophetic period, amongst Jews, Jewish …

Article

Towards the Renewal of Mizrachi (1984)

Religious Zionism is in disarray. Underneath the thin veneer or "normalcy" lies a reservoir of sadness, tension, worry, and foreboding apprehension. There is angst and melancholy in the air generally in Israel because of events that do not require repetition by me. For Mizrachi, there is the awareness that it is today at a critical point in its history. Politically it has lost half of its parliamentary seats — at least, as of this writing; the next Knesset may deplete even that. Organizationally, it is in decline throughout the world. Some of us have begun to feel like vestiges of the past instead of harbingers of the future. Some may think I am overstating the case, yet others that I am understating it. Whatever, the situation is an unhappy one. And yet, our historic challenge and duty is to resist being gripped and paralyzed by a psychology of defeatism. As Hasidism taught us, despair is the greatest sin. Greatness is achieved only in confrontation with great challenges. This means that our generation can no longer look upon itself as a dor ha-hemshekh, as those who continue the past, but as those who must rescue that past by reconstituting and reformulating it in the face of adversity. We have an unparalleled opportunity to leave our mark upon history. This is the time neither to ignore the difficulties nor to despair of them and lose heart, but to rise to the occasion with a clear mind, a firm spine, and a fierce visceral determination to change the course of events and prevail. Indeed, this challenge is greater than that faced by our predecessors over 80 years ago. They founded Mizrachi in the growth phase of the Zionist movement. Zionism was new, the ideal of the Return to Zion had a certain freshness about it, and thus was born Mizrachi, the Merkaz Ruchani, the "Spiritual Center." It is far more difficult, more painful, and more arduous to rebuild than to build. As the Talmud taught us: Kasheh attika me-chaddela, the old is far more impervious to the creativ…

Article

World Conference of Mizrachi (1982)

This is the second 80th birthday party of Mizrachi that I have been invited to attend. The first was in New York a few months ago, and the second is now, here in Jerusalem. Clearly, this is the more festive as well as the more authentic event, and I am honored to have been invited to address you on this occasion in the presence of so many dignitaries from Israel and overseas. Reaching gevurot is worthy of happy celebration. An idea which was just a glint in the eyes of a few visionaries has become a reality which has had an enormous impact on religious Jewry, on the State of Israel, and on the world Jewish community. It is an occasion of gratitude to the Al-mighty to return the Holy Spirit to Zion, that we can together commemorate this eightieth anniversary in the Holy City of Jerusalem. I shall not recount the triumphant achievements of Mizrachi in the course of the past eight decades. First, there are those here who can do that much better than I and out of a greater background of personal experience. Second, I do not see myself in the role of a cheerleader, and I do not think you invited me here for that purpose. Finally, self-congratulation is a luxury which we cannot afford when we are confronted with almost unprecedented challenges. Boasting of the past is usually the symptom of advanced age and the onset of senility. If we are vigorous, we must work to secure the future — which alone can give meaning and continuity to the achievements of the past. The truth is that underneath the thin veneer of festivity lies a reservoir of sadness, tension, worry, and foreboding apprehension. There is angst and melancholy in the air generally in Israel because of events that do not require repetition by me. For Mizrachi, there is the awareness that it is today at a critical point in its history. Politically it has lost half of its parliamentary seats. Organizationally, it is in decline throughout the world. Some of us have begun to feel like vestiges of the past instead of …