Page 58 - HaMizrachi Pesach 5782 USA

The political situation concerning the
Land of Israel can be condensed in the
following brief words: The gates have
opened before us, and we need only
go to the land, build it, and establish
a hold on it. We must move quickly
and go to the land while the gates are
open, we must act promptly and go to
the land while no change has yet been
made to it. The only way is to increase
the number of those entering the land,
to ensure immigration continues non-
stop, to the point where locking the
gates will be impossible. Of course,
we must be wary of entering in a An early Mizrachi USA convention in Cincinnati, Ohio. (PHOTO: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
panic, of mass immigration, but we
must increase our numbers in the Zionist Organization, and in order not committee would be independent and
land and substantively expand our to divide the unitary national body, the Orthodox schools would be under
influence. And upon entering the Mizrachi is not leaving the Zionist our supervision and administration,
land, we must “affix a mezuzah to our Organization, whether it agrees with and it would have the same standing
doorway”; we must imprint our lives the opinions of its leaders or does as the other education committee.
with the stamp of authentic Judaism! not. However, it cannot forgo its This decision was accepted by our
“All the nations of the earth shall individuality, its principles. Indeed, colleagues in the Land of Israel, who
see that You are called by the name from its very inception, Mizrachi are familiar with conditions there, and
of Hashem, and they shall venerate was created so that the Orthodox in our demand was fulfilled at the Zionist
You.” (Devarim 28:10) This is not an all places would become a discrete Congress in London.
empty verse. Even the great statesman force, a conspicuous and visible We demanded as well that Mizrachi
Balfour emphasizes that the creation force, that is not overwhelmed by the be granted representation on all of the
of a Hebrew homeland with a religious [secular] majority. Mizrachi is not an workers’ committees, and we could
character has an important place in individual entity within a collective, not concede this demand either. We
politics overall. Further, before we go but a collective that encompasses do not want merely to be “supervisors
to the land, we must make plain our individuals. of kashrut”, to stand at a distance and
demands and assert the grounds on Owing to this doctrine, the question see others work. On the contrary, we
which we stand: that we want the land of education in the Land of Israel want to work, to act, and to do. As a
to be the Land of Israel, the land of the posed a challenging problem for us. party, we must draw up a complete
Jews and of Judaism... On one hand, we recognized the need plan concerning all aspects of future
Here it must be said that perplexity for a single leadership, for a single life in our land, make our demands
still prevails in the minds of many with authority. Yet conversely, we cannot clear to ourselves, and defend them
regard to the approach of Mizrachi yield on matters of education even one resolutely. Thus, for instance, we must
toward the Zionist Organization iota. After lengthy consideration, we demand that the spirit of the Torah
following the schism. Mizrachi arrived at the decision that there is no and of tradition hold sway in public
life, that the laws be laws of Israel, that
of America, as a chapter of World solution other than that there will be
Mizrachi, is part of the World Zionist two education committees in the Land the statutes of gittin and kiddushin be
decisive in family matters. Our Torah
Organization and not of the Zionist of Israel, and each of these committees
Organization of America. Mizrachi will be independent and autonomous. is not merely a Torah of observances,
but a Torah of life.
comes not to divide, but to unite, and Not one committee for Judaic studies
the only place where it is possible to and another committee for secular These demands were uppermost in
unite all denominations and parties studies. We want all studies, secular our minds at the Zionist Congress
is the Zionist Organization. If another studies among them, to be learned in London. Members of Mizrachi
national institution that serves as in our spirit [of Torah]. Though we participated in all the various
the representative of the nation is cannot force our opinions on others, committees and expressed their views
created, Mizrachi will assume a place it is also not our wish that others everywhere, the view of Mizrachi, and
there too. For the moment, we have force their opinions on us. Therefore, defended it. On a few questions, the
no national institution other than the we decided that our education view of the Mizrachi delegates was

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