Aliyah Committee, Amton Newsletter — Spring 2000

Zionist Challenge:

Rabbi Joseph Wernik Calls on American Conservative Jews to Rededicate Themselves to Experiencing Israel and Learning Hebrew

You left a promising career in the U.S. to settle in Israel. How did it all begin?

It was not a sudden decision. I had grown up in a Zionist youth movement (Young Judaea). As Jewish Zionist activists, my wife, Miriam, and I felt that we wanted to help create what was evolving in Israel. We wanted to be a part of what was happening, and we wanted our children to grow up being a part of the Zionist state. In early l968, I was offered a job with Young Judaea in Israel. We had sleepless nights because we had great satisfaction in what we were doing in N.Y., I as Rabbi in charge of Education at the Park Ave. Synagogue and Miriam as a teacher at Wagner Jr. High. But we felt that if we were going to do it, this was the time. Our first son was born that December, and we made aliyah nine months later. On August 26th, we celebrated our 30th anniversary in Israel. Since then, we started the first TALI school on French Hill, with others, and we helped build the Masorti Movement, and I have been involved with the Movement right along.

It's well known that the road to aliyah is usually fraught with difficulties -- language, culture, separation from family and friends. People say that almost every oleh goes through a period of depression at some point in the first year. Did you experience difficulties as an oleh?

There's always a euphoria when you first make aliyah, then you go back to the routine, and a down period often sets in, and then you finally adjust to reality. It wasn't easy to make a living there. We had one young child and then another. We didn't come with lots of savings. But we were "coming home" and I think we had the spiritual baggage "to make it", with all the difficulties. We also had a lot of friends for support. At the end of our first year, we moved to Ramat Eshkol. Our building was all olim, people who had left the U.S.A., and made aliyah about the same time, all without family, and we were a support group for each other. It was wonderful. It was around l970. We were the first building in Ramat Eshkol. There were no roads yet, and you could hear the coyotes outside. Plus, we were fortunate two years later, after our daughter was born, Miriam's brother came to visit us and stayed and married in Israel. Then her folks who used to visit once or twice a year, made aliyah, too, in their 70's. So Miriam's whole immediate family has been there with us, which is wonderful, and our children have had their grandparents, aunts, uncles and other relatives there.

In the last AMton, we read an article by Charlie Kalech, describing how he and Debbie Perla started a "garin" (group) here in N.Y., about 10 years ago, all of whom then moved to Israel together. Initially, they received support services through your intervention and leadership, until newer olim came, mostly from the former Soviet Union, needing more services. Are there enough support services for new American olim?

They were and are an exemplary group, how they independently started their own "garin", and they succeeded. They have established themselves professionally and socially. They found their way. Show me more groups like this today and we'll help them, too!!! We're supporting a lot of Zionist activities. Through Tnuat AM and MaroM we are reaching out to congregations, students and young adults all over the world. Tnuat AM is doing a lot of exciting things: lecture series, study programs, conferences, this newsletter -- they're really spreading out. What I'd like to see now, is more peer leadership. We have young people involved, and now we need to see them taking more initiative.

If you could do or say anything you wanted to American Jewry from a big Bully Pulpit, what would you say?

First, I wish that everyone would think of the centrality of Israel in their lives and would rededicate themselves to learning Hebrew. The importance of the Hebrew language as a Zionist force is the dominant unifying force for Jews all over the world. Second, I would like to strengthen educational activities about Israel and Israel experience programs. Everyone needs to search for his/her options as a Jew -- and one of these options should be aliyah. Aliyah has to be out of knowledge, out of experience. That's why I say "aliyah b'shlavim" (aliyah in stages) where a person goes first for a summer, then a whole year, and then, hopefully, settling in Israel.

Israel is now 51 years old, the state is established. Is there still a role for Masorti (Conservative) Jews in Israel today?

Indeed, yes! We need new North American olim (immigrants) to continue building Israeli society, to help us in the struggle for pluralism. By pluralism, I mean an openness to study and learn, not just religious pluralism but pluralism as a value, where people have a right to express different points of view. And this is what democracy is all about. North American Jews have such a contribution to make in this regard because of the American history of democracy, freedom, and tolerance. We're struggling with these issues in the Knesset, the Supreme Court, in the media. It's still very much an uphill struggle. We need you to JOIN US, LIVE WITH US, BUILD WITH US!!!

Conservative Jews in the U.S. run a gamut in level of observance from very observant to not very observant. Do you think one's level of observance makes a difference in terms of adjustment for an oleh (new immigrant)?

No, it doesn't make any difference. But I would say that people who make aliyah should find out where our kehillot (congregations) are, because this can give them a boost to getting absorbed. When individuals/families or congregations make contact with our shaliach (Hezi Nir), not only do they get practical information about aliyah, but also links to us. When we know when people are making aliyah, we can be in touch with them, help them.

Do you have any other advice for potential olim?

Start learning Hebrew as soon as possible. Without Hebrew, it's very difficult. Don't wait till you get to Israel! And of course, visit Israel, make a pilot trip and come to one of our congregations on Shabbat.

To the "uninvolved" the name "Conservative Judaism" is often misleading because of the connotations of today's political and religious conservatism in contrast with the inherent evolutionary nature of Conservative Judaism. Do you think the time has come to change the English name from "Conservative Judaism"?

I believe that the best name for our Movement is "Masorti" which expresses our closeness to tradition. This is what we're all about and in Israel and Europe, this is what we call ourselves.

Final thoughts about Zionism for the 21st Century?

It's not about the political Zionism of Herzl anymore, it's about Ahad HaAm (spiritual) Zionism. We should be a light, not only to other nations (ohr l'goyim), but to ourselves and our fellow Jews around the world. We need to create in Israel a Jewish Zionist society that educates its young people to feel a commitment that they are partners with world Jewry. We must imbue our young generation to help ensure the flourishing of world Jewry with a dynamic, spiritual Israel as the center.