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April 1, 1968

Up and Over: Lessons from the World Conference (1968)

Zionism Aliyah
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Aliyah as a Major Alternative (1969)

American Jews are beset by problems that, in our remarkable naivete, we thought had long been solved and no longer existed. We are dormant; our noises and demonstrations do not mean that we are really awake to the realities. We are exercised terribly over Black anti-Semitism. I am more concerned over the White anti-Semitism that it evokes and will yet evoke, the latent Jew-hatred that will come crawling out of the White woodwork in response to the Black charmers. Black anti-Semitism may be crude and loud and even primitive. White anti-Semitism is subtler, quieter, more gentle and more “gentlemanly” – and therefore a hundred times more pervasive and more dangerous. Jewish destiny on this continent and throughout the world is tied in with the State of Israel. Justly or unjustly, we have reason to feel the identity of anti-Semitism with much of anti-Israelism. We are all up against the Wall of Silence. Who can doubt the quiet, brooding, and profound animosity against us as Jews that lies just under the surface of so many non-Jews? Furthermore, anti-Semitism is only a part of the problem. Worse yet is the disintegration of a major part of the Jewish community. Jewish identity itself is being called into question. All the chickens of betrayal and apathy are coming home to roost after the years of ignorance and neglect of Jewish education. Thus we find an alarming increase in intermarriage, in attrition from our ranks, and in genuine self-hatred of Jews on the campus. If, as is true, Orthodoxy is growing in many areas and is stronger than it was before, it nevertheless is true that the major part of the Jewish community is progressively becoming more alienated. And while we ought to be happy that Jewish observance and learning are being strengthened in our own circles, that we are gaining somewhat, it nevertheless is most depressing to note that the largest segment of the community is gradually disappearing. We American Jews must, at this point of our story, snap out of …
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An Aliyah Propoal (1964)

The objective is to establish and develop a religious community in Israel drawn primarily from the United States, with the vast majority composed of young and middle-aged individuals who will bring with them valuable training, skills, and experience in commercial, industrial, scientific, and educational areas. The community will be structured to appeal to such a population group, with its location and its physical, religious, and cultural facilities carefully planned to attract American Orthodox Jews and serve as an inducement for Aliyah. While the primary focus will be on younger families, housing provisions will also be made for older individuals. The community will include a variety of commercial, industrial, scientific, professional, and educational projects to ensure economic viability and sustained appeal. In determining the location, it is important to recognize that most of the olim will not be pioneering types and will resist rural or remote areas with harsh climates. They will be established, middle-class individuals accustomed to urban or suburban American life, and will expect proximity to Israel’s commercial, industrial, cultural, scientific, educational, and religious centers. The community’s population size should be large enough to support the necessary economic, vocational, educational, and religious infrastructure to make it appealing and functional. The absence of such infrastructure would undermine the community’s attractiveness. Housing should accommodate both apartment dwellings and private homes with reasonable space to reflect the standards many are accustomed to in the U.S. Plans should also allow for growth and expansion. Economically, the community will not be a mere bedroom suburb but will include income-generating enterprises and community services. Residents will be employed in communal management, trades, education, and services, while projects such as specialized scientific labs, medical and psychological clinics, a secondary boardin…
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The Ideology of Religious Zionism (1969)

In a broad sense, Zionism has always been an integral part of Judaism. Although the majority of Jews were away from the Land of Israel throughout most of the 3,500 years of Jewish history, ארץ ישראל has always loomed large, indeed, indispensable, in Jewish religious thought. It began at the beginning — with the divine promise to Abraham, and the blessing, which centered about the relation of God, People, and Land. Thus, the Talmud considers the settlement in ארץ ישראל as a mitzvah or obligation, and the overwhelming majority of authorities hold that this obligation is in force today too. This relationship between Israel the People and Israel the Land transcends historical memory or religious ideal or legal obligation. It is all these and more—a long, painful, and glorious love story. In the (Lev. 26:32) we read: "And I will bring the land into desolation; and your enemies that dwell therein shall be astonished ( ) at it." means more than "astonished" some translate; "appalled." Even more accurate, according to Jewish tradition, would be "desolated" so the Land will be desolate that even the enemy will not be able to flourish in it. The Sages found a consoling element in this prediction of doom: "This represents a good quality for Israel that the enemies will find no satisfaction in the Land, for it will be desolate of its inhabitants." People of Israel and Land of Israel are like two lovers, husband and wife, who have had bitter arguments and left each other. But it is a lover's quarrel—they are angry with each other, they have separated, but neither will give its love to any other. The People will not transfer its ultimate commitment to any other Land—neither Uganda nor Birobidjan. And the Land will not yield its secrets nor offer itself up to any other lover. Only Jews have ever succeeded in settling the Land and making it flourish—not the Germans in days of the Kaiser, not the Turks or English or Arabs. Of course, with such a glorious history of mutual love, lon…
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