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Do We Take Israel for Granted?

A

Minister Justin Trudeau issued a public
few weeks ago, I returned from
apology because Canada, in 1939, had
Israel. It was just a trip, not a
refused to allow the St. Louis with more
mission. A trip I wanted to take
than 900 German Jews as passen-
because I hadn’t been to Israel in
gers to dock and disembark in
a few years, actually for almost
Canada. Neither did the U.S. allow
five years, the longest time I’d
the St. Louis to dock here. There
not been to Israel in my adult
can be little doubt that these acts
life. It was my 50th trip. Yes, I’ve
by the Canadian government and
counted. (Well, I didn’t count
the U.S. government in 1939 led
the first few, but by the time I
to the death of hundreds of Jews
got to my fifth trip, I decided to
Peter Alter
on the St. Louis.
count.)
But, there can also be no doubt
The mishnah states that the
that today, if the St. Louis needed a place
day is short, but there is a lot of work to
to dock, a place of refuge for its passen-
do. I thought of that when I returned
from Israel. What I thought about, more gers, all would be welcomed in Haifa
and other ports in Israel. I ask again —
specifically, is all the work we need to
“Do we take Israel for granted?”
do here in our Detroit Jewish commu-
Do we take for granted Israel’s incred-
nity and in other Jewish communities
ible accomplishments as a country, a
around the U.S. as it relates to Israel. I
wondered — and even asked my wife — country that 70 years ago had 600,000
“Do I take Israel for granted? Do we take Jews and today has more than 10 times
Israel for granted? Does our community that number? Do we take for granted its
incredible scientific and other accom-
take Israel for granted?”
plishments — whether camera pills,
While in Israel, I thought of recent
micro robotic surgery or drip irrigation?
anti-Semitic incidents in Paris and in
As a community, we speak of achdut
Pittsburgh and the recent spike in such
— the Jewish word for unity — and we
incidents throughout the U.S.
say kol yisrael arevim zeh la-zeh and,
When I came home and realized
I believe, we do mean it. “All Jews are
that we were commemorating the 80th
anniversary of Kristallnacht, I wondered responsible for one another.”
We are talking the talk. But do we
again, “Do we take Israel for granted?”
take Israel for granted? Are we forget-
Finally, I saw that Canadian Prime

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ting about Israel? Are we educating our
children and grandchildren about Israel?
Are we teaching them how to fight BDS
on campus? About the importance of
being able to communicate with our
Israeli brothers and sisters in Hebrew?
About the importance of supporting
social welfare programs for poor, dis-
advantaged Israelis, poor Jews? Are
we making any sort of sacrifice to help
Israel?
Our sacrifice, individually and col-
lectively, also seems minimal compared
to the daily sacrifice of Israelis and the
morale and commitment of Israelis to
fulfill their national obligations daily,
weekly and annually.
Of course, Israel is not perfect. It’s far
from perfect, but then what or who is
perfect?
Over the last 20 years, ourJewish
Federation’s allocation of dollars to Israel
has decreased from about 50 percent
to 27 percent or less of total Federation
dollars raised.
Over the last 20 years, our dollars
contributed to Israel have decreased in
real terms, without even taking inflation
into account from $13.5 million to about
$8.7 million. And if you take inflation
into account, just to keep pace with what
we did 20 years ago, our contribution to
Israel and overseas dollars would have

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to be $21 million. But, it’s only $8.7 mil-
lion. That’s a rather dramatic statistic.
In our community, at home, our Israel
agenda seems to have taken a back seat
to other needs, important and legitimate
needs.
We have not had a major community
mission to Israel in many years.
Does Federation address and does
the Jewish News cover Israel issues and
needs as much as they did some years
ago?
And, when is the last time, for exam-
ple, there was a major effort for the
entire community to attend a Yom
HaZikaron event in memory of and
honoring our Israeli brothers and sisters
who have died in Israel’s wars starting
with its war for independence? But …
That’s why I ask, “Do we take Israel
for granted?”
Are we simply talking the talk, but not
walking the walk?
These are just some thoughts I’ve had
as I returned from my 50th trip to Israel.
As to paraphrase the mishnah: The
day is short, but there is a lot of work to
be done. ■

Peter M. Alter is a partner in the Southfield office of
Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss. He also was president
of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit
from 2004-2007.

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December 27 • 2018

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