The
Book of Numbers, which we commence reading this Shabbat, begins with a
census. There needs to be an accounting
by tribe of men of military age if the Jews are to move forward and “take” the
land that God promised them. (Your Sunday School teachers may have glossed over
the gory battles the Israelites fought on their way to the Promised Land!) In
case you are wondering, the total was about 600,000 men of military age.
Yep,
we’ve been counting Jews for what seems like… an eternity! The Pharaoh in Egypt
added them up and decided there were too many, so he enslaved them and ordered
their male children to be killed. The Romans were busy counting Jews in the
time of Jesus. We know that Hitler methodically
counted Jews, thanks to IBM, and he even gave each one a number.
We
count Jews historically, geographically, denominationally, politically, and we
can even churn out statistical information on Jews and disease! Jewish Demography has evolved into a formal
academic sub-specialty. (I counted Jews
back when I worked at the University of Miami.) Trust me, it was easier to
count Jews back in the desert… fewer tribes, only one denomination – Israelite!
Quantifying level of observance wasn’t an issue either as Moses and Aaron
pretty much set the standard. You didn’t have to ask the Jews in the desert if
they “self-identified” as a Jew… but you DO have to ask in America.
What
about MODERN Jewish Demography? Let me hit you with some numbers:
World Wide Jewish
Population
1939 - 16,728,000
1945 -
11,000,000
2012 -
13,746,100
Current Demographic Information –
Israel and some Diaspora Communities
Israel 5,901,100
United
States 5,425,000
France 480,000
Canada 375,000
United Kingdom 291,000
Argentina 181,800
South Africa 67,000
Australia 112,000
New Zealand 7,500
As they say, numbers don’t lie. And numbers are
extremely important today, as Israel comes to grips with the reality that, not
only are more Jews living OUTSIDE of Israel than INSIDE, but that the belief of the
Zionist Founders of a massive and total immigration has not happened! The “yearning” for Jerusalem… “NEXT YEAR IN
JERUSALEM” – for many is a metaphorical desire…or maybe just a directive to
call your travel agent and book a tour.
Many Jews in the Diaspora are content to live as they wish and practice
Judaism as they choose to define it.
What we are seeing both in Israel and in the
Diaspora, is a struggle to “commandeer” Jewish identity. If Israel chooses to take the hardline
Orthodox path of defining “Jewishness” in the State of Israel, then the Nation of
Israel will, bit by bit, erode support of Diaspora Jews for the State of
Israel. We can already see this starting
to happen here in the United States, where young Jews are forging their own
Jewish Identity separate from the constraints of organized religion. We also
see that many Jews in America no longer establish a strong emotional or
financial bond with the State of Israel.
This past week, a special and very modern holiday
was observed in Israel. It is called YOM YERUSHALYIM and commemorates the
reunification of the City of Jerusalem in 1967. The IDF Paratroopers risked
their lives that day and recaptured the Western Wall of the Temple, Judaism’s
most holy and longed for place. Very
recently, six of those paratroopers returned to the Wall, this time in support
of the rights of women who wished to pray, in their own way, at the Wall. As
one of the paratroopers stated, “We liberated Jerusalem and the Wall for ALL
Jews, not just SOME Jews.”
They say there is safety in numbers. How Israel
chooses to forge a new relationship with Diaspora Jews is still unknown, but
the status quo can only weaken the bond.
Jews of the Diaspora have always stood by Israel in times of trouble. It remains to be seen whether they can stand by her in
times of peace. For Israel to believe that she can count on every Jew, in the Diaspora, every Diaspora Jew must know that he or she
truly counts!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Rose
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