Is it proper for American Jews to weigh in on Israel’s political, military, and policy matters in personal and social media conversations with Israelis?
While it is true that right now I still do not have the merit of living in Israel, I have difficulty understanding why this is even a question. Number 1, Israel is the Jewish land. It is the Jewish people’s land – our people, our nation, our land. Number 2, even if it weren’t, assuming that a person had a vantage point that was clear, they were knowledgeable and they thought things through, why in the world would they not be entitled to their opinion about an issue, especially one as grave as these questions are, which affect the rest of the Jewish people.
Especially now that we are dealing with very grave issues and decisions that deeply touch our morality, in terms of what value to give to free a single hostage when it potentially endangers thousands of other Jews and other questions of this nature. One does not need to live in Israel to understand the severity of the issue, nor the depth of it. In that sense I think it would be highly appropriate and certainly fine for one to offer an opinion.
The proof in the pudding being that Rav Moshe Feinstein was asked questions about Israeli troop involvement in various situations, and he answered. Those answers were then taken into consideration. Again, assuming one is qualified to speak on the issue, I see no reason why their opinion should not be recognized or appropriate.
– Rabbi Ben Zion Shafier is founder of The Shmuz and author of 10 Really Dumb Mistakes That Very Smart Couples Make (available at theshmuz.com).
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Generally, for an ordinary citizen of one country to seek to effect change [read that “interfere”] in a foreign country’s policy is clearly wrong. In fact, the founding fathers in this country, the United States of America, initially sought to limit voting rights to landowners. Their reasoning was that these were the people who had the most to lose/gain.
Surely, for a citizen of another country to seek the right to vote without attaining American citizenship was understood as absurd. The same may be virtually identical for other nation’s laws in this regard as well.
Yet, the Jew and the land of Israel strike a uniquely different relationship. The modern state acknowledged that G-d-given scriptural difference when they enacted the Law of Return, namely that all Jews, no matter their country of origin, are considered as native to the land of Israel. Indeed, the Jew and Israel are all at once one.
Thus we as Jews seem to have a right to discuss with our peers personally or even on social media or even have a seat at the table when matters of great consequence are being discussed, especially as regards the Jewish national identity of the state.
However, we should not only talk the talk but also walk the walk. Visit Israel, support Israel by mobilizing our Diasporan elected and appointed leaders both governmental and communal to support our one and only unique Jewish State, support financially its infrastructure via donations to Israeli charities and give recognition to those who volunteer to serve in Israel’s armed forces as well as those who volunteer to take up the slack in industry and agriculture for those called to duty.
Being practical, Israel, under Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister, has the best possible government at this time and place. Therefore let us pray for his wellbeing and the wellbeing of the entire government of the State of Israel. Let us pray that G-d bestows His grace on all His people both in Eretz Yisrael and throughout the Diaspora and grants them peace and tranquility with the coming of the redemption.
– Rabbi Yaakov Klass is chairman of the Presidium of the Rabbinical Alliance of America; rav of Congregation K’hal Bnei Matisyahu in Flatbush, Brooklyn; and Torah editor of The Jewish Press. He can be contacted at [email protected] and [email protected].
