Truth Hurts When It's Not

                                                                                                            ב"ה            

13 Kislev 5772                                                                                                                  December 9, 2011

                                  With America Our Anchor We Are Already Home

                Two disparate newspapers arrived simultaneously, but light years different in content and quality: New York The Jewish Week, a substantive publication which delves into issues of our metropolitan community fairly, balanced, and unafraid, and the recently introduced The South Shore Standard, decidedly of a conservative religio-political bent --- how could it be otherwise, when in the clutches of minority financial interest by the notorious editor-publisher of the hopelessly compromised Five Towns Jewish Times?

                The highlight of the latter publication was the well-deservedly spotlight placed on Lawrence District's School Five's Sixth Annual Literacy Night --- an attempt to have young readers establish lifetime connections to reading --- and the fluffy piece on District 15's veteran educator, now in a newly-created post of Superintendent for Community and Students Affairs, and a friend, Patrick Pizzarelli. (Lawrence HS's Golden Tornadoes won the Nassau County Conference III Championship with a 63-34 victory over the Plainedge Red Devils.)

                However, it was The Jewish Week that gripped our attention with three front-page stories: the too-often troubling approach of religious tribunals in handling child sex abuse allegations; the ill-starred and justly withdrawn campaign, pitched to American Jews, asking them to "Come Home" to Israel; and, the first-ever organized UJA-Federation outreach to welcome the inter-married into our fold. Each topic is entitled to extensive discussion, but this writer will limit comment to the middle topic.

                $300,000 were invested by Jerusalem to woo American Jews to settle in Israel, on the grounds that their continued existence in the New World is problematic, where identity with Zion, and Judaism are concerned, lessening our commitment to both, through assimilation and intermarriage. Of course, and ironically, those forces obtain even in the … Jewish homeland! However, I was intrigued by the lead, The Truth Hurts, letter to the editor, by one signed simply Heshie Billet, Woodmere, L.I., but assuming him to be the spiritual leader of our neighborhood Young Israel.

                In his jeremiad, the rabbi takes issue with those objecting to the series of ads --- so overly highlighting the negatives of living in America, instead of affirming the advantages of life in Israel --- identifying too darkly with "the tragic realities of a large segment of secular American Jewry." It is this perceived "truth" that "hurts," regretting, finally, that the Israelis succumbed and yielded to "heavy-handed tactics of some U.S. Jewish leaders."

                Let it be said, for our family, that, in 1956 we arrived to the blessed shores of America, survivors of both the Holocaust, and the ravages of earthquakes in Greece. In time, we gained not only material succor, but learned to live the glory of  committed Judaism --- replete with intense love for Zionism, begun decades ago, while stuffing drachmas into the JNF's (Jewish National Fund) azure tin boxes. Now, Anna and I revel in passing our ennobling Jewish legacy to a fourth generation! An additional note has it that, after WW II, my father Jacob's, z"l, plan was to move his young family to Israel, to join his then single brother Moshe, living in Holon. The agreed-upon signal from the latter, that pre-State conditions made immigration desirable, never came. Instead, it was the United States which opened its golden gates to welcome us.

                Identity with Israel and our faith is genuine, deep, and not subject to guilt-fraught coercive promotions; we even have a sabra (Israel-born) son-in-law, further buttressing our bi-national ties, as do so many of our coreligionists! Quite obviously, this is yet another instance where a respected religious leader has deeply erred, for he has ventured beyond his area of expertise, as did the early David Ben-Gurion. This rabbi, too, can gain the prime minister's insight to be more tolerant of the plethora of legitimate motives that inform decision-making. Then, with less prejudgment and more compassion, we can even be ready to join in making the obscurantist editor of the grossly misnamed 5T Jewish Times a mensch.     

                Sincerely, and with fraternal affection,

                        Asher

            Prof. Asher J. Matathias 

               

312 Longacre Avenue, Woodmere, NY 11598-2530

                516-374-2958 Mobile: 369-5799 AsherJmat@Aol.com                   

*This was very interesting. You should write pieces on all three topics in the third paragraph. They're all important issues. Jonathan C., Los Angeles, CA

**Thank you. G.F., Teaneck, NJ

*Asher, Well written, but the advertisements that you're writing about were not directed to American Jews, but Israelis who moved to America. It showed that they would always be Jews, but their children were iffy.

A.Y., Oradell, NJ

***Dear Asher, … You have a most lovely daughter!!! I enjoyed meeting her last night! You know that "Jewish" newspaper is really not with it. I have Chassidic mishpacha --- they are Klausenberg Chassidim. I attend most of their weddings and I keep up with some of them.  One young woman, whom I call often, to see how she's doing, always says to me, when I mention that although I go to shul each Shabbat, I'm not observant-Conservative, and certainly not shomer Shabbat.  They always respond that I'm Jewish just like them and that I'm one of the most Jewish of people they know, because of my "Jewish heart" for Jewish causes, my children's upbringing, etc. And they're Chassidim. … because we're all JEWS! (Even those of us foolish enough to support Israel's destroyers, without mentioning any names.)  Again, to quote the song (I'll just change the name from Brown to Mattathias) "Mr. Mattathias, you have a lovely daughter." Linda J., North Woodmere, NY

*I have always been a proud Jew who strongly identifies with Israel. I believe that I belong in Israel even though I have loyalty to America as well. Many times, I have been at odds with myself over what thing to do is. With both our daughters married to Israelis, the day may come when we will make Aliyah. My family on both sides has been in America for 100 years. Most of my cousin's children are married out and their parents have accepted this fact, albeit with disappointment. We purposely did not send our daughters to sleep away colleges, because we thought that intermarriage would very possibly result. J.N., Cedarhurst, NY

**WELL DONE ASHER --- SHERMAN R., Valley Stream, NY

*Try the Jewish Star, it's much better.
Editor/Publisher The Lid Contributor to: American Thinker,  Big Government,Big Hollywood, Big Journalism, Big Peace, and NewsReal Blog

In a message dated 12/10/2011 6:45:11 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, AsherJmat@aol.com writes:   

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Breaking News Alert

Dec. 2, 2011 Netanyahu pulls ad campaign for Israeli expats in US

NEW YORK (JTA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is canceling an ad campaign aimed at luring Israeli expatriates home that some American Jews have found offensive.  >> Full story Look for additional updates at JTA.org.