Solidarity

While walking briskly in Manhattan from one meeting to another, I recalled the first time that I visited New York, more than 20 years ago. Coming out of Grand Central Station with Betsy, my future wife, I was startled by the sight of so many people rushing along the sidewalks. I felt as if the crowd was heading directly for me, and I grabbed Betsy's hand and pulled her aside so we wouldn't get trampled. That summer I had gone from walking in the avocado groves of Kibbutz Ramat Yochanan to walking along the crowded sidewalks of Manhattan, and I found the huge change to be rather overwhelming.

Manhattan in the middle of July is full of life and tourists - and is hot, humid, and sweaty. Years later, even after dozens of visits to the city, I still get a thrill from the pace, the crowd, the rush and the energy.

On my most recent visit to New York I met my friend K. He is a businessman who has been active in the Jewish Zionist world in many roles, both high profile and behind the scenes, and is a generous and devoted supporter of Israel. K. usually enjoys challenging me with complex questions about Israel, trends in Israeli society, and issues of peace and war. But this time I was the one who challenged him. The question I posed was certainly provocative, but unfortunately, the scenario on which it was based is not totally hypothetical.

"Let us assume for a moment," I said, "that Iran announces (and proves) that it has developed nuclear weapons that can reach Israel. It then issues an ultimatum: if, within 30 days, Israel does not meet Iran's conditions (conditions that Israel cannot ever meet, such as unilateral withdrawal from Judea and Samaria and the release of all Palestinian prisoners), Iran will attack Israel with nuclear-armed missiles. "

Then I got to the question itself: "During the thirty days until the Iranian ultimatum runs out, how many Jews from the United States will get on a plane to Israel, to stand with Israelis - not just with their hearts and wallets, but physically- thereby putting public pressure on the US government to support Israel and use its position as the world's only superpower for Israel's sake?"

K. did not hesitate, and his unequivocal answer shocked me: "20 people, or 15... maybe fewer."

After a moment's thought, he took a deep breath and explained. "In 1948, more would have come. In 1967, more would certainly have come, but now - not many." He continued, his voice becoming defiant, "Where was the Israeli public when the 'Who is a Jew' issue was being considered and a significant portion of US Jews were almost disenfranchised? How many Israelis really care about us here in the States? Are Diaspora Jews only needed for their money and influence? Most of the young Jews in the States don't identify with Israel and don't feel connected to it."

A few days after this conversation, when I was back home in the Galilee, we hosted two teenage American boys who are in the Bronfman Fellowship program with my eldest son, Guy.

American participants in this program come from the elite of American Jewish youth and are chosen from hundreds of candidates via a rigorous selection process. I presented my provocative question to them, and once again I was surprised by the emphatic nature of their responses. One boy explained earnestly that in order to ensure the continuity of the Jewish people, it was vital for there to be enough Jews living outside of Israel in case Israel was wiped out. The other explained that the physical presence of American Jews in Israel would be less effective in pressuring the US Government than demonstrations in Washington and threatening to stop Jewish donations to members of Congress.

This is a message I am hearing from more and more friends in the US, Canada, Britain, and Scandinavia. Furthermore, my friends are people who, for the most part, care about Israel, support it, and come to visit - and they are a minority. The number of people who feel connected to Israel is going down all the time. Overall, Israel is slowly losing the Jewish people, and the Jewish people are losing Israel.

The issue of the relationship between the Jews of the Diaspora and Israel is complex, and has been studied by many. It seems that we can learn afew lessons from my conversation withK in New York.

First of all, let us pray that we never need to find out what would happen in such a horrifying scenario, which, sadly, is certainly not entirely hypothetical. The scenario is so terrifying that most people prefer to ignore it.

Secondly, we must never, ever neglect our best friends outside of Israel's borders - the Jews of the Diaspora. There are those who claim that Israel is now strong enough not to need the help of Diaspora Jews. I believe this is an error. History is full of rises and falls. Although we are strong today, yesterday we were not and who knows what tomorrow may bring? Israel makes great efforts, including financial, to secure friends around the world.

We must do everything we can to guard and strengthen our bond with our brethren overseas, including exposing Israeli youth to the complexities of life in the Diaspora and the difficulties of maintaining one's Jewish identity outside of Israel.The Jewish identity of Israeli youth will only be strengthened by such exposure.

Thirdly, and notwithstanding the above, at the moment of truth it appears that we Israelis will have to rely primarily on ourselves. I onceresearched the issue of American aid to Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The aid did arrive eventually and was a significant factor during the campaign, but it arrived very late and only as the result of great pressure on the US Government. The US has many interests in our region, and they do not always coincide precisely with Israel's.

To return to the provocative question... I shared my thoughts with my 14-year-old daughter, Eden, and she raised another point to consider: Not only would few Jews leave the Diaspora to come to Israel during our hour of need, but many Israelis are liable to leave Israel for a safer place for themselves and their families.
May we never need to find out the answer to this question.

Feedback to: Melamed.sagi@gmail.com

Sagi Melamed lives with his family in the community of Hoshaya inthe Galilee.He serves as Vice President of External Affairs at the MaxStern Yezreel Valley College, and is the Chief Instructor in theHoshaya Karate Club.Sagi received his Masters degree from HarvardUniversity in Middle Eastern Studies with a specialty in ConflictResolution. He can be contacted at: melamed.sagi@gmail.com.