DIASPORA DIARIES

The April 5 reports by Rabbi Stewart Weiss (“Word to world Jewry”) and Brian Blum (“Where’s the antisemitism?”) of their recent trips abroad got me thinking. Is a paranoiac fear of antisemitism having an adverse impact on Israel’s growing influence in such profitable areas as hi-tech, medicine, and agriculture?

Representatives of Israeli enterprises are routinely expected to participate in meetings, conferences, and workshops throughout the world. Will the kind of apprehension that Weiss and Blum write about limit Israel’s international visibility and contribution to technological innovation, development, and advancement? It is not, alas, at all unlikely.

Remote conferencing is, of course, a possibility; but given the dramatic differences in time zones, the use of technologies such as Zoom may not always be practical. What was the only viable option during the pandemic years does not replace the advantages and benefits of face-to-face meetings.

With physical violence against Jews and Jewish institutions alarmingly increasing, concerns about safety and well-being are understandable. Jewish-related hatred and bigotry are not readily identifiable characteristics. And not unlike what went on during those horrendously dark days in Europe, contemporary law enforcement organizations give little priority to antisemitic incidents, both petty and serious.

In wondering where lies a solution to this troubling and dangerous reality, Weiss dismisses the notion of encouraging aliyah, suggesting that, in view of current hostilities, it would be asking Jews to jump from the frying pan into the fire. Maybe, but here protection comes from a Jewish army and police force. And while local political debate and expression can be raucous and even, unfortunately, violent, the kind of antisemitism and anti-Israel bias that Jews are facing throughout much of the world does not exist here. The war should not be used as an excuse to abandon or even delay aliyah.

Blum, for his part, missed a terrific opportunity when he was given the offer to don tefillin. He should have turned to the two Chabadnikim and asked, in Hebrew, why they aren’t promoting this mitzvah on the streets of Rehovot or Herzliya rather than in Brooklyn or Queens. For some, it seems, the mitzvah of aliyah is still debatable.

BARRY NEWMAN

Ginot Shomron

The more we acquiesce, the more the US demands