I was deeply disappointed to hear about young rabbinical students feeling “alienated” from Israel (“Alienation From Israel Hitting Liberal Seminaries,” Editor’s column, May 6).
Gee, if I had a year to spend in Israel to study and absorb the culture, I could think of many other ways to experience it besides the chic existential “alienated” pose that these students demonstrate.
Israel is a complex place with a difficult history. It will never be the utopia that these young people are seeking. I would go one step further and say a sure sign of adulthood is when you stop looking for utopia and face the real world, which is full of heartbreak.
The problems of Israel and her neighbors should certainly be solved, and I pray for that day. But when a friend or relative is in trouble, we shouldn’t distance ourselves: we should become more involved. I believe if it weren’t for Israel we American Jews and other Jews of the diaspora would find ourselves much more vulnerable in the world. We take our comforts for granted.
We stand on the shoulders of giants, some well known and others anonymous, both rebuilding the Jewish people after one of the worst tragedies in our history. Israel, however flawed, is our miracle.
