One particular piece of our required rehabilitation seems to have been overlooked despite the critical role it plays. While it might not be emphasized by either the decision-makers or the common Israeli, Israel’s rehabilitation will not be complete until we have also repaired the connection between Israeli Jewry and Diaspora Jews.
During the 11-day operation, one thing has been clear to everyone: The need for a positive global opinion in Israel is as important as the Iron Dome, and a functioning Foreign Ministry is as critical as a strong IDF.
Over the week-and-a-half of the operation, NGOs worked tirelessly on social media and other media platforms to fight misinformation and ensure that Israel was presented fairly. Israelis across the world held their breath as they refreshed Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok, hoping for a familiar and famous voice to speak out on our behalf.
Many Israelis condemned Natalie Portman for daring to criticize government policy. Tens of thousands pressured Gal Gadot, as an Israeli who lives abroad and has many followers, to tweet, post or otherwise utter a word in favor of the state.
The feeling in Israel was that Jews across the world, famous or not, have a duty to speak up for us.
The embrace of our brothers and sisters is crucial to our existence. Without them, our country is a tiny speck in the Middle East, our people truly “a nation that dwells alone.” Put simply, Israelis expect and need world Jewry to stand up for them. And to their credit, the Jews of the world have. Rallies have been held across the globe, students galvanized to combat anti-Israel sentiment on campus, and extremists were confronted – often at the cost of physical harm.
Over the years, world Jewry has continuously answered their call of duty to us, but can we honestly say that we have done the same for them?
Have we as a country recognized the liberal streams of Judaism? Non-Orthodox rabbis and Jews continue to stand up for Israel despite being challenged by difficult Israeli policies on one side and friends and colleagues who critique or defame Israel on the other. Yet, we have not repaid their uncomfortable favor, and instead our leaders have continuously refused them a seat at the table because it is inconvenient politically, ideologically or religiously.
How much longer will our Diaspora family speak out for us if we do not speak out for them?
We have many issues to rehabilitate: the neglect of our security, our broken political system, healthcare and a weak educational system. No doubt, we are right to be furious that there is no adequate response to emergencies, yet this does not afford us the right nor the ability to sweep our relationship with world Jewry under the table, or worse; to treat it as a one-way relationship.
It is time to rehabilitate our relationship with world Jewry, and it starts with the long overdue recognition of progressive Judaism. They deserve to feel at home in the country they stand up for, a respectable place for prayer at the Western Wall, recognition of non-Orthodox conversions, and the allocation of budgets for educational activities, rabbis and much, much more.
The many streams of world Jewry continue to embrace Israel despite its flaws. It is time for us to embrace them the same way.