Live to learn

The title question “What will it take?” of Charles Golding’s piece (July 12) referring to the future of aliyah from the UK may be raised in connection to many of the existential problems currently faced by Israel and the Jewish people and in each case both positive and negative approaches have been proposed.

In addition to aliyah we may also consider the propagation of our religious heritage as well as how to educate our children to a rapidly changing world economy.

In these three areas the negative approach is characterized by instilling fear in order to get our point across while the more difficult positive approach involves the love, appreciation and awe of the ultimate goal.

Traditionally, over the millennia our rabbis and teachers have discussed two kinds of incentives for religious observance: fear of punishment and the awe of the majesty and grandeur of our creator.

In current education, the trend is subject oriented study by raising fears of being obsolete, replaceable by robots and generally non-relevant. The objective is to amass knowledge in order to pass a test rather than developing a love of learning, a thirst for knowledge and the ability to think creatively.

Mr. Golding’s article predicts a continuing dearth of aliya from the UK despite the increased fear for the future of Judaism there. Fear as a motivator is self defeating. Not only does it not induce people to move from a known to an unknown situation but it also leads to a higher rate of reversal for those few who actually try it.

A much healthier approach to aliyah is to recognize the unique opportunity to participate in and contribute to a unique revival of Jewish sovereignty, to realize that Israel is the right place to raise children and to stand in awe of the amazing accomplishments in the past 70 years. SAMUEL DERSHOWITZ Jerusalem