KUMMUNIQUE

Shalom! We are proud to present another issue of Kummunique.
This issue is filled with Aliyah and Eretz Yisrael inspiration - so enjoy!

In this issue you will find:

1. "Why Do More Women Make Aliyah?" By Pinchas Orbach
2. "Vayakhel-Pekudei" by Rabbi Benyamin Walfish
3. "Thinkers Discuss Preservation of the Diaspora" by Ezra Halevi
4. "Nefesh B'Nefesh Considers Expanding Into UK" by Yigal Grayeff

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1. "Why Do More Women Make Aliyah?" By Pinchas Orbach

Being heavily involved on the Aliyah scene I get asked this a lot. "So why do more single women make Aliyah than single men?" To be honest I usually answer: "Oh come on, that's not true – plenty of guys come. I'm sure it's really about 50-50." Finally I decided to follow through on a completely unscientific experiment. So I went online. After all, the answers to all of life's questions can be found at OnlySimchas.com – where else? Particularly in the section where Aliyah announcements are posted. And so I went through all 341 posts and tallied all the singles that were listed there. I have to say I was pretty shocked at the results. Women outnumbered men by well over 2 – 1. (Actually 140 – 59.)

Now of course this could just mean women like posting on OnlySimchas.com more than the guys do. But still, to outnumber the men by that much? It really does seem to indicate that it's not just a myth as I thought it was – more gals really are making Aliyah. Which brings us back to the topic of this post: Why?

I have heard lots of answers offered. But I just read something interesting on this week's parsha that I would like to share. It is from Rav Frand. He discuses how the base of the Kiyyor was made with copper mirrors donated by the Jewish women.

Rash"i explains why these mirrors were so precious to G-d. When the Jews were enslaved in Egypt, the men gave up hope. They did not want to live with their wives. They did not want to have children. The thought of fathering children who would be born into and live and die in slavery was overwhelmingly depressing. As the Medrash in Shir HaShirim describes, the women went out into the fields and beautified themselves in front of their mirrors and convinced and persuaded their husbands to live with them and to have children. Those mirrors represented Klal Yisroel. Had it not been for those mirrors and that makeup and the beautification efforts of those women, there would not have been a Jewish nation. Consequently, G-d insisted that those precious mirrors did in fact belong in the Mishkan.

We see that those women exhibited the attribute of faith in redemption. When all seemed bleak and full of despair, when no future seemed to exist, when there appeared to be no purpose in having children, the women retained a hope in the future. The women kept the dream of rebirth alive. When the men were feeling down and were ready to give up, it was the women who insisted "We must go on."

Making Aliyah can be tough and it is so easy to just throw it the towel and say "why bother?" But it is the women that are full of hope. They are the ones with faith in redemption. They are the ones keeping the dream alive for all of us. Despite difficulties in Israel today it is the women who insist "We must go on."

Guys out there – follow their shining example and come on Home already!

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2. "Vayakhel-Pekudei" by Rabbi Benyamin Walfish
From the OU

In this week's Parshah, we are told about the actual building of the Mishkan and all its accoutrements. The Torah informs us that Bnei Yisrael contributed generously to the building of the Mishkan and refers to two categories of donors, "nesa'o libo," "whose heart inspired him," and "nadvo rucho," "whose spirit motivated him."

Rabbi Solovetichik zt"l, explained the difference between the two: A nadvo rucho reacts in an intellectual, rational way. Many in Bnei Yisrael analyzed their ability to donate based on the needs of the Mishkan and contributed a commensurate amount. Their approach was perfectly acceptable and legitimate. The nesa'o libo, however, reacted on a more instinctive level. They were overcome with the desire to build a Mishkan as an expression of their attachment to HaShem. Such people acted well above what was required of them.

The difference between the intellectual and emotional approach to the performance of a mitzvah can be applied to almost all of the Torah's Mitzvot; notably, in the Mitzvah of giving charity. Man can readily accept and understand rationally the need for giving charity. When, however, one gives charity from an emotional need and desire to do so, it becomes etched in his mind and no intellectual or rational reason will deter him. When one acts on such an impulse, it is characterized as an act of chesed.

There is another Mitzvah which demonstrates the difference between the nadvo rucho and the nesa'o libo - the Mitzvah of Yishuv Eretz Yisrael - living in Eretz Yisrael. It is perfectly legitimate, and under certain circumstances necessary, to approach aliyah to Eretz Yisrael as a nadvo rucho. Practical, economic, rational considerations should be part of the process. But ultimately, the nesao libo is the one who will make aliyah. One who has an emotional, existential attachment to Israel to the extent that it becomes etched in his mind so that he is constantly aware of the desire and necessity of performing this Mitzvah, is the one who will actually make aliyah and no rational or intellectual obstacle will deter him.

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3. "Thinkers Discuss Preservation of the Diaspora" by Ezra Halevi
From Israel National News

The third annual Jerusalem Conference began Monday morning, with notable thinkers and shapers of public policy gathering in Israel's capital to formulate an agenda for Israel's future.

"Just days before a critical election for a new prime minister and government of Israel… we celebrated the holiday of Purim, where [the hero] Mordechai is described as seeking peace for his people," said Conference Chairman Robert Rechnitz of Los Angeles. "What a wondrous way to describe a politician - especially compared with those we see today, who seek their personal betterment in exchange for nothing but talk and sweet words. How many times have we been disappointed by leaders who give us nice words, but do not match them with actions."

Rechnitz said he hoped the conference would herald new initiatives that would guide Israel's leadership and build bridges in an increasingly fractured Israel. "We must use this opportunity to remedy the alienation between religious and secular Jews in Israel. It is OK to talk about concessions, but not painful concessions. Our people have a monopoly on pain, and the concessions we should be engaging in should be within our people - to bridge gaps between brothers."

Click here to listen to IsraelNationalRadio's show live from the Jerusalem Conference, including interviews with Rabbi Pesach Lerner, journalist Dan Margalit, and others.

The Monday morning session was entitled, "The Jewish People - Thoughts and Challenges for the Next 25 Years."

"We have not thought about this enough," said Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror , who chaired the plenum. "People are so preoccupied with demographics that they have forgotten about the central issue of keeping Israel a Jewish State in all the critical and necessary ways, beyond mere numeric dominance. Does the State of Israel have to ask itself how its actions will affect Jews living outside the State of Israel? What do we do so as not to lose the Jews of the Diaspora to intermarriage? Is that within our purview? All these questions are hardly addressed in a serious manner, but I think they are more important than what Israel's borders will be – though some think that is the most important question. "

Amidror recalled a meeting he had with former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, in which Kissinger told him, "You have to remember that the United States can live without Israel, but American Jewry cannot."

Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau (pictured), former Chief Rabbi of Israel and current Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, took the podium next, quoting the Biblical prophet Bilaam, who said Israel is a nation that will dwell alone. "We usually view this as sad and fatalistic," Rabbi Lau said. "Sometimes Micronesia votes with Israel, France once did, but usually everyone votes against us. The Netziv of Volozhin said this verse should be punctuated properly. The real meaning is that 'They are a nation that when alone - dwells.' As long as this nation retains its character, it will remain. But when it mixes and loses its portion, it will lose its ability to remain."

Rabbi Lau then focused on what he views as the main crisis facing the Jewish people – the disintegration of the Diaspora Jewry. "The Jews of the Diaspora are like gold to us," he said. "And it is not the money or the bonds or the trees. But to this day, what have we given them in return - beyond our existence, which is very valuable in and of itself? How many emissaries have we sent? Not to ask for money, but as emissaries? How many of our generals and notables have we sent to Jewish schools – which are the only hope for the continuity of the Diaspora - to show them that Jewish continuity is important to Israel? Press conferences and parlor meetings are well and good, but to sit on a stool with children in the first grade who only know a few Hebrew words is what is important. 85% of the Jews in the Diaspora have never been to Israel. If there is no education and no basis then that is no surprise. Our problem is that we don't reach out enough to the Diaspora. We talk about immigration, but not about building schools there."

Lau then took out a graph he says he carries with him always:
"In the 1990s, from 1990-1997, two Jewish statisticians, Gordon and Horowitz, conducted a comprehensive survey of US Jewry from coast to coast. They sought to determine what happens in the Jewish community. They divided it into five groups – secular, reform, conservative, modern orthodox and yeshiva orthodox. Their model was to see how many out of 100 Jews remain Jewish after three generations. The results were: 72% of secular Jews intermarried, with the rest having an average of 1.62 children – leaving five Jews out of 100 in the fourth generation. 53% of Reform Jews intermarried, having an average of 1.72 children – leaving 13 Jewish in the fourth generation. 37% of Conservative Jews intermarried, having an average of 1.82 children and leaving 24 Jews remaining in the fourth generation. Just 3% of Modern Orthodox Jews intermarried, bearing an average of 3.27 children and expanding to 346 Jews in the fourth generation. Yeshiva Orthodox had the same level of intermarriage at Modern Orthodox, but had an average of 6.4 children and were therefore 2,587 in number in the fourth generation."

"As many mistakes as there could be in the study, the trends are clear," Rabbi Lau concluded. "What do we worry about while this is going on? Nonsense and vanity. And it is happening in the United States, with wonderful schools and Bnei Akiva and Chabad. What can we do as Jews when we say we are responsible for one another? Our brothers and sisters are being lost before our eyes. What can we do so that this candle will not be extinguished?"

Veteran Israeli journalist Dan Margalit spoke after Rabbi Lau, largely taking issue with his conclusions. "The Jewish people are dissipating in the world," he said. "I think in 25 years, there will be no debate with [Arab MK] Ahmed Tibi regarding the Law of Return because there won't be quantities of Jewish people outside Israel enough for it to be relevant. In the atmosphere of globalization and the war of civilizations, the Jewish people will continue to shrink."

Margalit said that this pessimistic assessment need not necessarily be combated via strengthening Jewish life in the exile. "What are we doing to have Israel be the Jewish State and not the state of the Jews?" Margalit asked. "How and why would it be a Jewish state if the Jews of the Diaspora do not come live in it? Unless it will be the state of the Jews, Israel's chances of being a Jewish state are negligible. As you know, there is a danger to the Jewish majority in the State of Israel, as well... If we have a critical mass of Jewish people in the State of Israel, then it will become a Jewish state.

"We cannot preserve the Diaspora, but [we can only preserve] enclaves for a certain number of generations. There is a need for a great breakthrough among the Jewish leadership in the Diaspora. It is necessary for them to draw the conclusion that there is nothing to look for in New York and that they have to go to the land of the Jews. I am afraid that leadership does not exist right now."

Margalit then offered an alternative solution whereby Israel would continue to build walls, fortify them and launch a recruitment effort to accept anyone in the world who wants to undergo a simplified conversion. "I don't know what it says in Jewish Law about conversion... but I think that those who can, should find a way to increase the Jewish people via a mass conversion effort."

Rabbi Pesach Lerner, Executive Vice President of the Young Israel movement, agreed with Rabbi Lau about the importance of education, suggesting that widespread educational projects focus on educating youngsters about the Land of Israel. "We must spend some time teaching Jews in the Diaspora about the Land of Israel – the history, the geography, the mitzvoth [commandments]. How many people know where Judea and Samaria is or what the distance from Gaza to Ben-Gurion airport is? If we could find creative ways to teach a connection to the Land of Israel - that will be a foundation to stay connected. We talk about college students who don't care. They don't care because they don't know the difference between the Land of Israel and Uganda."

Former Prisoner of Zion and current Likud MK Natan Sharansky addressed the conference, taking strong issue with Margalit's suggestion to pursue mass conversion. "When I was in Russia I heard a Soviet functionary speak about how Israel made its great efforts to bring immigrants to Israel in order that they could act as cannon fodder to fight the Palestinians. I knew then that it was a lie, and was filled with pride that the Jewish State goes to the ends of the earth to gather the exiles," Sharansky said. "But now, a good Israeli comes and says, 'We need cannon fodder – we need bodies – and let's take whoever is willing to come' – like a football team. This is Soviet propaganda standing on its head. And these are the finest people in Israel suggesting this."

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4. "Nefesh B'Nefesh Considers Expanding Into UK" by Yigal Grayeff
From Jerusalem Post

Nefesh B'Nefesh, the organization that provides grants to North American Jews to emigrate to Israel, is considering setting up in the UK, Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said on Wednesday.

"They expressed an interest in extending their activities into Britain and I've said yes," Sacks told The Jerusalem Post in an interview. He spoke with Nefesh B'Nefesh representatives this week during a visit to Israel that he undertook with 28 other British community rabbis.

Sacks disclosed that this was the first time he had properly learned about the organization.

"I hadn't really been fully aware of its work before. It's absolutely clear that we must bring it to British Jewry as well. They want to and I give it my full support. It's a wonderful program and we're going to go for it," he said.

However, because the plans are at a very early stage, Sacks had "no idea" about how he could help facilitate the organization's expansion into the UK.

A spokeswoman for Nefesh B'Nefesh declined to comment on Sacks's remarks, although The Jerusalem Post has learned that the organization is already in negotiations with the Jewish Agency to co-operate on the initiative.

Before being founded in 2002, an average of 1,300 US and Canadian Jews moved to Israel per year over the previous 20 years, figures on the Nefesh B'Nefesh web site show. Since then, it has helped around 7,000 North American Jews to make aliyah, with Jewish Agency spokesman Michael Jankelowitz saying that a record 3,100 moved to Israel from the US in 2005.

He added that partly with the help of Ami, the French equivalent organization that was set up a year ago, more than 3,000 people emigrated from France. Meanwhile, 481 emigrated from the UK, also a record number.

Jankelowitz warned that while he "saluted" Nefesh B'Nefesh, any UK initiative should have a strong British infrastructure.

"What is so unique and special (about these programs) is that it is Americans talking to Americans, French talking to French. We think that this thing will succeed if its Brits talking to Brits. A Briton doesn't need an American telling him why to make aliyah," he said.

Jankelowitz also warned that Nefesh B'Nefesh would have to overcome bureaucratic challenges.

"Nefesh B'Nefesh is an American organization. Its funders are American. What is their status going to be? There are all sorts of legal issues that one has got to take into consideration," he said.

"For Nefesh B'Nefesh to start operating in Britain they are going to have to apply for all types of statuses," he added. "If there are Brits who are partnering with Nefesh B'Nefesh and it is sharing its know-how, I think that is positive."

Sacks also said that in conjunction with the United Jewish Israel Appeal, his office will increase its 2006 donation to the Birthright organization to ₤250,000 from ₤80,000 last year. Birthright provides free trips to Israel for young people from all over the world.

Sacks praised the organization for helping to facilitate Jewish continuity, in which he believes Israel plays a central role.

"Israel has never failed to inspire our young people," he said. "Israel should become the classroom of the Jewish world."

Sacks indicated that the purpose of the trip, which he described as "very inspiring," was to help equip the rabbis to promote Israel to their congregants back home against the background of negative press coverage.

"I said to the rabbis that they must become ambassadors for Israel," Sacks said.

However, he also said that some of that press has become more positive recently, with the BBC especially more balanced in its coverage.

"I think we have noted a distinct improvement in recent months," Sacks said. "They have taken on board the distress of the community."

During their visit, which was sponsored by the UK arm of the Jewish National Fund, Sacks and the other rabbis visited the Aleh Negev project in Ofakim, a new residential facility for severely mentally and physically disabled teenagers.

They also met former residents of Gush Katif who are living at the Or Negev project near Beersheba, although Sacks declined to be drawn on whether Israel should carry out further disengagements.

"I don't presume to know what is best for the people of Israel," he said, adding that he would support the government in whatever it decided to do.