Recently, in the wake of Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the Democratic Mayoral Primary in New York City, I published a post on Facebook that read: “I believe with (Im)perfect faith that even the election of Mamdani won’t convince American Jews to make aliyah.”
My point was that, irrespective of developments, I am convinced that aliyah is not really on the agenda of American Jews, including self-identified Zionists. Hence, I maintain that the flood of social media posts urging Jews to move to Israel in the wake of ever-increasing Jew-hatred and anti-Zionism in the West is both non-productive, and probably engenders unnecessary antagonism.
The post elicited a wide range of comments, and these largely confirmed my suspicions. There were American Jews who objected to the very idea that a Jew should move to Israel out of concern for their personal safety, since life in Israel is also dangerous. One commenter even characterized the very idea as silly. There were those who expressed their desire to move, but had all kinds of explanations as to why such a move was impossible for them. These explanations, in turn, were of two types. Some blamed Israel, and the difficulties that either inhered to moving or those created by the aliyah bureaucracy. Others referred to personal challenges that kept them on the other side of the ocean.
I have no argument with those who find themselves unable to come for personal reasons. I do take issue and umbrage with the others, especially those who dismiss the question of personal safety and security, or who are inhibited by bureaucratic and other factors. In my opinion, you’ve got the whole issue backwards.
There are different types of safety and of security.
There is the safety of not being accosted for being identifiably Jewish.
There is the safety that comes with being able to wear items of clothing and jewelry that proclaim one’s Jewish identity.
There is the safety that comes from knowing that the government, and all of the national security forces, are dedicated to one purpose: protecting you without hesitation.
There is the security that comes from knowing that when they come for you and your family, you (and your children) will have the privilege of bearing arms in a Jewish army to defend yourselves.
There is the safety that comes from knowing that every other person you see has your back, as you have theirs. If you fall, they’ll pick you up. If they hurt themselves, you’ll call for help.
There is the security that comes with knowing that simply by living your life, you are making a tangible and massive contribution to Jewish survival and Jewish history.
There is the security in knowing that by moving to Israel you have a unique opportunity to contribute to Israel’s future. Why? Because, as the war winds down, Israel will finally turn to determine the character, quality and parameters of its Jewish and democratic pieces. Israel desperately needs the input of Western Jews who are far better equipped to address the nuances and tensions surrounding Judaism and its interaction in a broader cultural and geo-political context. Western Jews have, largely, no idea just how great a contribution their collective experience can provide to the State of Israel, as it enters deeper into fourth half jubilee.
Aliyah is not about taking. It’s about giving. It’s about building. The rise of Mamdani, the fall of the Ivy League, the rise of the antisemitic Right, the strengthening of the unholy alliance of progressive liberalism and Jihadi millenarianism (in which the only thing that they share is Jew-hatred), all raise the question: Where will you build on a firm foundation? Here or there.
After over thirty years in Israel, and in light of the biblical scale shifts in the past years, I have no doubt as to the answer. I have no illusions as to the inevitably dismissive responses that this essay will elicit. Still, like both Rav Kook and Vladimir Ze’ev Jabotinsky, it’s important to say what the times demand.
