Comments on Kumah - Home of Neo-Zionism and the Aliyah Revolution: Kosher-Style

The land of Israel has an intrinsic holiness, rega...

2007-05-08T16:56:00.000+03:00

The land of Israel has an intrinsic holiness, regardless of who rules it, what their behavior is, etc. There is infinitely more intrinsic holiness in a toilet in Tel Aviv than in a shul in Boro Park.

This is one kosher Jew who will never make yerida...

2007-05-07T21:16:00.000+03:00

This is one kosher Jew who will never make yerida to the failed Bolshevik "Israeli Soviet Socialist Republic."

There are only 2 places in the world (and I've lived in a supposedly anti-Semitic European country where never once did I have any problems) where I have been made fun of for my typical "charedi" dress. One was Copenhagen, Denmark, and the culprits were Muslim teens. The other

Dear Anchorite,A. American Jews living in the US a...

2007-05-03T10:38:00.000+03:00

Dear Anchorite,

A. American Jews living in the US are not the cause of Yeridah - they are its facilitators. We have created a better Israel in Teaneck - and that is a sin. By the way, the situation in Israel is not "abysmal". We certainly have problems, but I'd rather live in Israel, with 5 million wonderful Jews, breathing the air of Yerushalayim the abode of Hashem, any day. Let the

Yishai,I have to disagree with you on a number of ...

2007-05-03T05:06:00.000+03:00

Yishai,
I have to disagree with you on a number of points.
A. Americans living in the US are not the cause of yeridah, the abysmal situation in Israel (security, education, politics, jobs etc.) is the cause of Yeridah,
B. What is the point of this post? do you really think some frum jew in america will read it and say
"gee, he's right, lets pack our bags and make aliyah"

frumbabe - I am not sure I understand you. Are you...

2007-05-02T15:49:00.000+03:00

frumbabe - I am not sure I understand you. Are you saying that Rav Kook felt aliya was more important than shmirat mitzvos? what is your source for that?

nobody but kook tolerated sacrificing tora observr...

2007-05-02T15:07:00.000+03:00

nobody but kook tolerated sacrificing tora observrance on the alter of aliya.

I commented on this article on my blog here. You m...

2007-05-01T17:13:00.000+03:00

I commented on this article on my blog here. You might be interested in taking part in the raging debate over there to clarify your position...

i am truly appreciative of the struggle that is go...

2007-04-26T12:16:00.000+03:00

i am truly appreciative of the struggle that is going on through this blog...and this website....it is also encouraging to see that ..some.. have a more acute awareness of the need for American Jewry to bestir its self to the volatility of our times....the imperative nature Israel is to their survival,the great and on going struggle Israel is engaged in for her own survival,and how those two

"Kosher Style" - great title. America's Jews have ...

2007-04-26T11:58:00.000+03:00

"Kosher Style" - great title.

America's Jews have made Kosher so cool it's stylish - but are like the menu at the Second Avenue Deli - full of shmaltzy feel-good Jew stuff, but contradictory as they build Golden Calves and call them Temples. As they sit and learn the Sinaitic document and skip over all of the practical commandments that scream out that the whole point is to create a

Woops! Here is the link!

2007-04-26T00:34:00.000+03:00

Woops!

Here is the link!

There is another dimension Yishai. We have to real...

2007-04-26T00:30:00.000+03:00

There is another dimension Yishai. We have to realize that one requires heavenly approval to live here in Eretz Yisrael. Take Moshe Rabbanu. Even he wasn't zoche! Or closer to our time - take the GRA, the Chofetz Chaim, the Netziv. They all attempted Aliyah but failed! But that's the point. They attempted Aliyah. The point is not that it's not kosher to live in Chutz La'aretz but that it's

Call a spade a spade: Those few American Jews who...

2007-04-25T23:15:00.000+03:00

Call a spade a spade: Those few American Jews who do feel pangs of guilt occasionally vis a vis their non-aliyah, will continue, as always to make constant and lame excuses. We here all know that their "mitzvot" are not really counted; rather a so-called "rehearsal" so they won't forget how to act if they do end up here (maybe as the result of the rampant anti-semitism which is greatly

I write here in the depths of staunchly antizionis...

2007-04-25T20:57:00.000+03:00

I write here in the depths of staunchly antizionist Williamsberg, may G-d bless all of Klal Yisroel with peace and understanding.

I can tell you from an "Kosher Style" Jew- the comforts and ease of the American grind are a very powerful force-

How can a father of a family, paying tuitions, having large debt (student loans), with a mortgage, credit card bills, health insurance

Yishai!From a fellow H.Y.A'er, great article! Righ...

2007-04-25T20:33:00.000+03:00

Yishai!

From a fellow H.Y.A'er, great article! Right to the point!!!!

Reminds me of one of Rabbi Kahane's letters about how the Kosel responds when all the American Orthodox come to visit "as one coming to greet an old friend" and "walking backwards when leaving the wall."

Dear Yael,I have always written positivity about A...

2007-04-25T20:14:00.000+03:00

Dear Yael,

I have always written positivity about Aliyah and American Jewry. But there is another side - a destructive side - and after years of writing about Aliyah, I wanted to reveal that there is another side to this equation called Yerida. This post is not about making people feel bad, it's about facing a harsh reality, and it's about fostering some much needed discussion. (By the

Yishai, this is counter-productive. Who's going to...

2007-04-25T20:04:00.000+03:00

Yishai, this is counter-productive. Who's going to rush out to make aliyah because you insulted them into it? Contrary to what you seem to think, you're not doing the Jewish people any favors here. You're just making us feel badly.

I've never encountered such a lack of kindness at Kumah.org before. It's a shame, because not only are you discouraging people from making aliyah, you're also

While it seems obvious to many of us that moving t...

2007-04-25T16:48:00.000+03:00

While it seems obvious to many of us that moving to Israel is a real mitzvah incumbent on every Jew, there are famed Orthodox rabbis who treated the mitzvah somewhat lightly.

click here to read a D'var Torah I gave on the question of whether it is a mitzvah to make aliyah. Hint: I'm making