That’s the gist of it. Is there a future for Jews in the Diaspora? And if there is, what should be the relationship of that Jewry with Israel? Up until now, Israeli Jewry has been antagonistic towards the Jews of the Diaspora, seeing them as being pre-occupied with the good life, while the Jews of Israel have been busy re-building the Jewish National Home at great expense in treasure and blood, the home to which all Jews will flee if Jewish life in the Diaspora becomes untenable. For their part most Jews of the Diaspora, until recently, have been strongly supportive of Israel, and that support, that identification, has helped many to find purpose in a Jewish life outside of Israel. Zionism as Jewish justification in the Diaspora has not weathered the passage to a new generation. The young generation, if Zionist, does the Zionist thing and moves to Israel, and if not, turns from Zionism and after having done so, if still remaining Jewish, remains Jewish in new and original ways.
This tension between the Diaspora and Israel seems to demand a resolution. At one extreme, there are Jews in the Diaspora who deny or denounce any connection between themselves and the “Zionist entity.” At the other extreme there are those who see in Israel the only place wherein a Jewish future is possible. All along the curve from one extreme to the other there are those who claim the God of Israel as their main support, and there are those who have replaced the divine with rational enlightenment on the one hand or with secular nationalism on the other hand, or more commonly, with a mixture of both. Stephen’s stance is clear-cut and absolute. Alan’s is nuanced but with more substance than it may at first seem.
Before dealing with Alan calls “A Jewish Division of Labor,” I would like to share some comments, with permission, from loyal reader David Kopel, who prefers to send his comments directly to me. I believe that he presents faithfully what was until recently the normative Jewish point of view in America.
American Jews can come up with all sorts of reasons why they choose to stay here. Many of them are just elaborate rationalizations because life in America, despite the recent problems, is familiar, comfortable and for the most part, safe. Aliyah (Jewish immigration to Israel EN), on the other hand, is hard, risky and takes initiative and guts. Therefore, even if posed philosophically or hypothetically, [justifications of the continued Jewish presence in the Diaspora, EN] are a deflection of the Jew who rejects collective destiny, betrays self-doubt and lacks conviction. I might fall in one of those categories but I'm certainly not going to turn it into a mission from God.
It has been a good life for Jews in America, and David sees no reason to apologize for that, and for holding on to that. In addition, he offers a more optimistic outlook for Jews in America:
But that doesn't mean the future here is quite as grim as some might think. One of the reasons I say this is that when I first told friends and family back in April, that I was going to Israel, the Jewish one asked me if I was crazy, if I had a death wish and why don't I just stay home.. Meanwhile two of my Christian friends offered to go with me. These were gestures of true friendship I will never forget. Most Christians in America are connected to Israel through the Bible but some are also connected through us. [i.e. through a basic human solidarity with the Jews. EN]
…So even if the situation looks a little dicey at the moment, I have hope for America because there's still a lot of good people here, Jew and Gentile. But if Diaspora Jews have "a job" right now, it's to support Israel in every way we can, morally, materially, politically. Because without a strong, thriving and free Israel, we don't have a future here. We don't have a chance.
Here is the counter-intuitive nexus that the younger generation is beginning to reject: Diaspora Jewry thrives because of Israel, so for its own good, Diaspora Jewry must support Israel. This leads to David’s interesting and original theory on the rise of Antisemitism in America:
Contrary to the conventional wisdom, the recent surge in antisemitism in America didn't happen because of what Israel did to poor Gaza after 10/7. It happened because for a brief agonizing moment Israel appeared weak, indecisive and vulnerable. That is when the termites here came out of the woodwork with their keffiyehs, threats and slogans--to celebrate Israel's imminent demise.. And they will scurry back into the woodwork when they see that Israel is strong, determined and here to stay. And that American Jews are 110% behind them.
Then, somewhat surprisingly (but heart-warming for me), David comes full circle and says that in the end, the Diaspora exists today in order to…prepare for the return to Zion:
For 2000 years, the Diaspora existed as an expectant mother in a long labor, waiting to give birth. But now that Israel is reborn, its (the Diaspora’s EN) mission is to prepare its children for return, even if we cannot manage it ourselves. An occasional dose of antisemitism is an important reminder of who we are and where we stand.
For David, in the end, the Diaspora is temporary; eventually, all Jews will return to Zion.
There is a convincing theory of a Diaspora that does not play second fiddle to a dominant Israeli culture. These ideas were developed most elegantly by Simon Rawidowicz, who at the end of his career was a department head at Brandeis, in Waltham Massachusetts, right next door to a still unborn
of Newton. Rawidowicz claimed that the Diaspora was going to remain for any foreseeable future, and that being so, there needed to be a strong Jewish culture cultivated around that simple fact. This culture was to be based on the Hebrew language, and that would cement the relationship to Israeli culture. Further, that relationship was to be one of equal partners: A flourishing Jewish culture in the Diaspora in a symbiotic relationship with the Jewish culture of Israel. This is a potent idea, especially for a secular Jewish public that loves its yiddishkeit but does not find spiritual nourishment in the ancient Biblical call to return to Zion. But it has proven potent in Jewish Orthodox circles too, and that may be where it has been most fully realized, in the yeshivas of New York City and Lakewood, New Jersey. Despite this local success, the idea of a world-wide Jewish culture with a dual epicenter has not taken off.
Which is not to say that it has disappeared. Here is Alan:
A Jewish division of labor (Alan’s edition)
The job of Israelis is to hold down the fort. To defend a Jewish state surrounded by enemies who want to snuff out the Biblical Story and the people who tell and live it. Despite their many mistakes, Israelis continue to do this job with strength, ingenuity, and immense courage. (Thank you for your service, Ehud Neor.)
The job of diaspora Jews is different but complementary. Our job is to elevate the questions raised by Israel’s reemergence on the stage of history, and to encourage the West to confront a mystery it desperately wants to avoid. Our job is to help figure out a sensible, coherent, and meaningful next chapter for the Tribe and for anyone else who believes the Bible is a Story worth sustaining.
We need to be Jews, in public and without apology. We need to say to the world, to our neighbors, and to each other: Hineni (הנני) — Here I am.
In Alan’s telling, the Diaspora and Israel are on parallel paths that will remain parallel—no future convergence planned or necessary. Like Rawidowicz he is proposing a serious culture, strong and independent. He calls this culture professing the Jewish Story, proudly and openly as Jews, while inviting like-thinkers to become part of the story, to help sustain it and to receive sustenance from it. On the face of it, this is a radical departure from normative Jewish thought, that always sees Zion as seminal to any Jewish future. However, the return to Zion always had a purpose beyond the gathering of God’s chosen people to God’s chosen land. Once the Jewish people are in their natural space and in a proper relationship with their Creator, the light of the Jewish vision is to radiate outwards and shine upon all the nations of the world: Israel is to be “A Light Unto The Nations.” Judaism’s divine manifest destiny has as its ultimate object all of humanity. None are to be denied the fruits of Divine benevolence.
With this in mind, perhaps Alan’s vision of a vital Jewish Diaspora can be seen as a harbinger of Judaism’s ultimate fulfillment. Pre-placed lightbulbs of Jewish enlightenment, if you will, preparing the way not for Jews to return to Zion, but for the Jewish story in its entirety to spread throughout the world. Perhaps. It is up to Alan to enlighten us.
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My take is that the anti-Semitism upsurge in the U.S. is largely due to two things. First, rich Islamic states have been pumping money into the universities whose radicalized students are funded to produce their protests. Much of what you see is astroturf, which begs imitating actors. Second, the Jewish population seems very divided about the issue themselves, half or more of whom vote for Democratic political actors whose policies are patently anti-Semitic. In my day-to-day life I haven't heard any anti-Semitic sentiments. I do live in rural Ohio.
More Jews stayed in Egypt than entered " the promised land." More Jews stayed in Persia when King Cyrus let them rebuild the Temple.
My take is that the anti-Semitism upsurge in the U.S. is largely due to two things. First, rich Islamic states have been pumping money into the universities whose radicalized students are funded to produce their protests. Much of what you see is astroturf, which begs imitating actors. Second, the Jewish population seems very divided about the issue themselves, half or more of whom vote for Democratic political actors whose policies are patently anti-Semitic. In my day-to-day life I haven't heard any anti-Semitic sentiments. I do live in rural Ohio.