Comments on: A.B. Yehoshua: Israeli identity kicks Diaspora ass

By: DK

DK — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:46:11 +0000

By: Diaspora Boy Contextualized — The Kvetcher

Diaspora Boy Contextualized — The Kvetcher — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:06:47 +0000

[...] I can’t help but remember a bitter debate that Eli Valley and I had versus the utter contempt displayed towards Diasporists by The Zionists, but I have changed since then. I have [...]

By: TW

TW — Wed, 17 May 2006 16:12:00 +0000

Video of Yehoshua’s comments at the AJC symposium can be viewed at ajc.org/site/a...

By: Jewish Mother

Jewish Mother — Mon, 08 May 2006 22:19:04 +0000

G-d guides everybody’s footsteps.

By: Jobber

Jobber — Mon, 08 May 2006 14:59:10 +0000

Ofri, well them saying it is better to live in Israel is fine, but it takes an effort to make it happen, A, and B, I can tell you first hand experience that not enough is done to absorb the western olim, yes if you are so gung ho, as Laya and her friends are, fine, and we will watch over the years, as the continue to refine and grown and hopefully marry and raise children. But for every Laya, one who ‘gets it’, at a fairly young age, she has stated that she is 24 yo, there are probably 100 Laya’s who just went for all kinds of reasons, and wound up unhappy and left. and that is a shame, bec. that means there are less shidduchim to be made one w/ the other. and I know first hand about this, because that is why I had to leave, as I was unable to find a shidduch there, and was able to meet a garden variety America Jewess, a first class person, w/in a few months of my migration to North America.

By: ofri

ofri — Sun, 07 May 2006 17:27:44 +0000

Adam, I know a few Tunisians who made aliya in the 50s or 60s who would take issue with your story. But, more importantly, why is it that no one on this blog can say/post anything without someone flying off the handle? It’s pretty discouraging.
Jobber, there are resources for olim and absorption centers. If one does not want to be absorbed, as seemed to be the case with the English woman and I’m sure at least some of your friends, no one can force her or him. People who are committed to living in the state of Israel can and are doing so. No one promised it would be easy. Anyway, what that has to do with this particular discussion is unclear to me.

By: michael

michael — Sun, 07 May 2006 17:02:37 +0000

Gosh, what a nice, if slightly pointless story. I’m sure it served somebody’s point very well once, only it’s not true. The Tunisian Jewish community, like every other Jewish community in the Diaspora, knew full well the Temple had been destroyed by the Romans. The community on Djerba claimed to have one of its doors built into their synagogue. For fuck’s sake, it’s written in the Talmud (which is a compendium of rabbinic debate, Biblical interpretation, and halakhic rulings, among other things, in case you didn’t know). Maybe you should try cracking a volume open sometime if you’re so intent on the Torah.

Or, an alternate idea is to save your opinions on the virtues of the Torah and your opinions in general until you’re a) Torah-observant or b) not a prick. You can judge other people’s behaviors based on the Torah when you have peyot, a beard, and a clue. Until then…gosh, how do I put this diplomatically?…kindly fuck off.

By: Jobber

Jobber — Sun, 07 May 2006 10:48:45 +0000

My beef w/ this whole discussion is that the Israeli side does not address the issues concerning the true absorbtion of olim, something that was touched upon recently w/ the Enlish woman who was refusing to learn Hebrew thread. I think about 20% of my friends here in the Diaspora have tried to live in Israel and had to move back.

By: Jobber

Jobber — Sun, 07 May 2006 10:46:41 +0000

the previous posters raises the question if those who conciously remain in the Diaspora are really Satmar-like, meaning that they absolutyly reject the state conciouslty, even though they may go to rallies and events supporting Israe.

Satmar is a group who is basically opposed to the state of Israel being created in the first place, and would not say Hallel on Yom Haatmaut,you could not sell, if you are a store owner, greeting cards w/ the Israeli flag on it, in their neighborhoods, among other things, but they are not the group who meets w/ Arafat.

By: laya

laya — Sun, 07 May 2006 10:06:17 +0000

The Diaspora certainly won’t keep you, as long as we’re talking history.

By: Adam Hyman

Adam Hyman — Sun, 07 May 2006 09:55:50 +0000

In the late 50′s a Jewish group from Tunisia made mass Aliyah to Israel. They were taken to were they would stay, outside Tel Aviv. They put down their bags and all came into the street and said, “Lets go”. The Immigrant Absorbtion Committee worker said, “Go where?”. “The Beit Hamikdash or course” the Tunisians said. The Tunisians didn’t know that the Temple had been destroyed 1900 years ago. When they were told the Temple was destroyed, they broke down crying in the street.

How do you think the Jews survived for 2000 years without a state?

Having a land is NOT what has kept the Jewish people.
Having a language is NOT what has kept the Jewish people.
Having the Torah is the only thing that has kept the Jewish people.

You may like living in the land… but it might be gone tomorrow. The land won’t keep you.

By: ck

ck — Sun, 07 May 2006 01:42:02 +0000

TM: We are already in contact with Yael. Spoke to her the other day on the phone and she was gracious and fun. Looking forward to us all meeting some day soon!

By: themiddle

themiddle — Sun, 07 May 2006 01:20:32 +0000

Yael, next time you’re near Jerusalem, make contact with ck, Laya and Michael!

By: Yael

Yael — Sun, 07 May 2006 00:30:53 +0000

He is 100% right. As a completely secular (don’t even think I believe in G-d any longer, but hedge my bets) Jew who has lived in three countries –and 7 different states in the U.S. –prior to making aliyah, I can absolutely say that being a Jew of any shape or description outside of Israel pales in comparison. Seriously, majorly pales. Here it is such an integral way of life, or maybe way of being is a better way to put it, that you are not even aware of it on any regular basis but it wholly suffuses you. You are not in the minority and carving your identity in contrast to those around you. It is simply who you are and who everyone else around you is, through and through. And there is no better place to live. There are headaches here yes, but the quality of life is far superior to anyplace I’ve experienced in the U.S., the U.K., or Germany.

By: Jobber

Jobber — Fri, 05 May 2006 17:50:18 +0000

They have a penchant, a rep, for overbuilding, these bulky, fancy shmancy houses in areas that are not architechturally appropriate. It’s an inside joke, you would have to be from a certain area of NY and then to have moved to North Jersey, to understand.

I was addressing why there is more anti – Semitism in North America in the past 20 years. It is easy to say, Easu Sonnei es Yaacov. I look beyong the simplistic.

Aish uses Christian slogans and in fact, in North America, they are targeting Christians to join there cult, I mean Learning centers.

Aish siphons away much needed funds to help support the already frum, who cannot afford tuitions. Their empire of fund raising is second to none. They are genuses in this field. They are not afraid to try and and every marketing play, ploy, and method to hit their target.

I could tell you alot of direct info. on Aish but this would be loshon Harah.

Suffice it to say, their priorities are seriously imbalanced.

They tried lately to hit frum people w/ their dopey movies, but hopefully this has not been cost effective for them.

By: DeisCane

DeisCane — Fri, 05 May 2006 16:58:40 +0000

Nem!

By: Tom Morrissey

Tom Morrissey — Fri, 05 May 2006 16:45:16 +0000

Nem, Middle!

The perfidious Magyars displaced my forebears, the Celts, from central Europe. But all is forgiven. We diaspora Irish are OK.

By: themiddle

themiddle — Fri, 05 May 2006 16:38:19 +0000

Oh good, are we making fun of Hungarians now? Igen? Nem?

By: Tom Morrissey

Tom Morrissey — Fri, 05 May 2006 16:04:45 +0000

. . . Not to mention Hungarian-dominated Hollywood.

By: Tom Morrissey

Tom Morrissey — Fri, 05 May 2006 16:03:17 +0000

Jobber– that’s why I’m anti-semitic. Y’all have Hungarianized Brooklyn and the rest of America!

Take your damned paprika and go home!