The End of Inaction
The divide between American and Israeli youth should concern us. The divide between religious and secular Jewry should concern us.
Once, our great nation was divided into 12 tribes. Today, we are remnants of that great nation. It is said that due to the extreme rise in population, we today embody all souls that ever were. In essence, we find ourselves in the modern era. No longer is there an entire tribe focused on fishing; today, a tribe focuses on technology, for example. We are discovering ourselves as a nation anew.
In the U.S., Jewish youth are now caught in the middle of a blooming American drama where descendants of African slaves and descendants of European settler slaveholders are settling their score. In a moment as this where the large majority of American Jews are fairly new immigrants here, the non-Jewish world debates our fate: white? privileged? victims? But we must know ourselves much deeper than such surface, simplistic terms.
We have been tasked with bringing the Knowledge and Awareness of G-d down to earth, of transforming This World into Paradise, with G-d’s help. The days of simply praying for the Messiah to do all the work for us are long behind us.
Today’s modern youth face a barrage of information - of “culture”, of distractions, of “entertainment”, of packaged products eager to be consumed - yet where is the greater purpose?
Henceforth are two proposals for the betterment of Jewish society:
In the US and other satellite Jewish communities, when teens are given a myriad of seminaries and yeshivot to choose to study at, military recruitment should also be presented, if not as an equal opportunity for self-growth, as the most esteemed one by a long shot. “In every generation there are those who rise up to destroy us" and in a very real sense, this generation is NO EXCEPTION. If we were alive during the Holocaust, would we have encouraged our loved ones to fight with the Allies to end the atrocities? “It is not for us to finish the work nor is it for us to desist from it.” “If I am not for myself, who is? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” At the very least, we owe it to our youth to present them with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join their nation in an unparalleled gift of service, a pledge of allegiance, an honor to fight for a just cause, and an opportunity to transmute egoism to altruism alongside their extended family. It is also a way for young adults to discover their talents, to network, and to gain valuable skills, stamina and strength.
Ultra-Orthodox in Israel and in general are systemically insulated from their own greater Jewish family. “If you know Alef, teach Alef.” If you truly love, cherish and admire our holy Torah, you could not keep it to yourselves; and if you’re hiding from those who would challenge you on its tenets, you are hiding from Torah itself. The Living Torah should be shared with the masses of less educated and less familiar Jews. Student exchanges, and a national service tract to teach a Torah curriculum to the uninitiated would be a great segue into a more integrated society. ‘Every man for himself, doing what is right in their own eyes’ is the recipe for Sodom and Gomorra, which we never want to see in our beloved Holy Land, yet which does threaten to rip apart our newly re-established homeland.
All are responsible.