Jewish Agency to focus on Diaspora, not local projects, to combat assimilation

I don't suppose you'll pubish this because people seem to be sensitive about comparisons between questions of encouraging Jewishness and racism, but it just sounds it. Obviously you'll get those posting who say it's not racism because Judaism is a religion and all religions like to keep their numbers up. Fair point on one level, except that's not really what this is all about. The Jewish Agency isn't really interetested in how religious the Jews around the world are, it just cares that they're ethnically and culturally Jewish. And that does sound a bit racist.

--''The 'assimilation police' will soon be coming to a neighborhood near you!"

With stubborn hard-line leaders like Sharanski it is hardly surprising.

Israeli identity should not be based on ethnicity; name one successful democracy that is not composed of multi-ethnic factions in some ratio. It should not be the focus of any state to foster the continuing divisions of any community. Integration and assimilation does not mean that the community forgets who they are, or what their religious beliefs are. However, if individuals in a community chose an individual identity over a cultural identity, there is again no right of any government to impose on that individual. Personal choice should never endanger a citizens rights in any democratic country. The fact that Israel spends money to get young Jews to come to Israel, when they still have outstanding debts to be paid for reconstruction in Gaza and the West Bank just illustrates the flawed nature of the current administration.

A) It will help the dwindling numbers. B) They'll be too busy fornicating to push their agenda on others...

spend money bringing Americans who may not even need subsidy to visit an Israel in which the gap between rich and poor grows greater and greater and the needs of the people on so many fronts are ignored -- with some added to send Israelis abroad as public relations reps for a land with problems it is not facing. Perhaps Jews of the Diaspora will not be appreciative of this vote of no-confidence in them, but who know?

Many Israeli Jews oppose mixed relationships between Jewish women and Arab men. A 2007 opinion survey found that more than half of Israeli Jews believed intermarriage is equivalent to “national treason”. A group of 35 Jewish men, known as "Fire for Judaism”, in Pisgat Ze'ev have started patrolling the town in an effort to stop Jewish women from dating Arab men. The municipality of Petah Tikva has also announced an initiative to prevent interracial relationships, providing a telephone hotline for friends and family to "inform" on Jewish girls who date Arab men as well as psychologists to provide counselling. The town of Kiryat Gat launched a school programme in schools to warn Jewish girls against dating local Bedouin men.[180][181] In February 2010 Maariv has reported that the Tel Aviv municipality has instituted an official, government-sponsored "counselling program" to discourage Jewish girls from dating and marrying Arab boys. The Times has also reported on a vigilante parents’ group policing the Jerusalem neighborhood of Pisgat Ze'ev to intimidate and discourage local Arab-Jewish couples. The Jewish anti-missionary group Yad L'achim has also performed paramilitary ”rescue operations” of Jewish women from non-Jewish husbands and celebrates the "rescued women" on their website.[182] However, according to Halakha, descendants from a Jewish mother are always defined to be Jewish.

assimilation is a national tragedy....we see it even in canada..bronfman s actions help but not in his own family.////.be proud, learn our history and religion

Speaking as a member of the college aged generation, I can say that I'm glad to see the Jewish Agency making an effort to reach out to people my age. I see many people within the community assimilating too much into mainstream society, and that's something I'm afraid to see.