Sunday, September 30, 2007


Nefesh b’Nefesh – Nebich
by: Schvach Yid

Not to be a spoil sport, not to serve as the naysayer, but really, 600+ olim from North America settling in Israel? There are 6+ million of us stewing (in a religious sense) in golus (mostly in the US), and only 0.01% of those of us in this region of chutz l’aretz have officially signed up to make this ‘big move’ via Nefesh b’Nefesh this year.

I don’t mean to be critical, and I certainly don’t mean to deride the decisions of these most recent olim from North America – kol hakavod to them, but their number is a bit thin, don’t you think?

Do we remember that the Jewish State of Israel was established as the Jewish Homeland, in part to provide a safe haven for Jewish refugees from the gleeful efforts of rampaging Jew-haters who, on a somewhat regular basis, choose to express their brand of population cropping by cropping us? There are still 6+ million Jews residing outside Israel. What happens if the 6+ million Jews living in North America and Europe suddenly ‘feel’ the need to move – you know, to Israel? Just how long do you think that would take? Go ahead, ask the airlines. I’m sure that under the appropriate circumstance, they would be eager to accommodate.

And just how long does one reckon Israel would need to settle 6+ million new olim, thus doubling Israel’s current population? Just where would Israel fit us in? What would the Sachnut use as an absorption shoehorn - the ‘West Bank’? Not with the current Israeli administration.

The fact is that aliyah en masse is a matter of mass migration – a population shift. It cannot occur as an acute event, but must be accomplished over a protracted period of time, and those of us who are so comfy here in the West, and who are so put off by current Israeli administration policies, are – to put it bluntly – loathe to even consider the possibility.

So yasher koach to those brave and idealistic few who have made the commitment, and who have made good on it. In the long run they may, in fact, prove to be the smarter ones.

4 comments:

Yehudi said...

I understand what you're saying, but I somewhat disagree with you. My wife and I also enjoy a comfortable life here..the three bedroom house, 2 cars, and my 6-figure income that we'll never be able to duplicate in Israel; however, it is the bad policy decisions, the daily threat of war, and the constant danger from Qassam rockets and suicide bombers-they are the very reasons to make aliyah! Israel NEEDS our people. The birthrate of arabs inside Israel is overtaking the birthrate of Jews in Israel. It is our Homeland...ours....noone else's...
It's not a christian nation. It's the only place in the world that we can call home and live the way G-d instructed us. (I have a bit of Zionist passion, can ya tell?)
Anyway, the quality of life that you sacrifice to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves is well worth it to my wife and I. We will be making aliyah in 24 months and counting...
L'Shalom, Daniel

Schvach said...

Shalom Daniel:
Mazel tov on your decision to make aliya. I agree with everything you've said, and I wish you and your family success. Hazak!

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