Misunderstanding the Diaspora

I was just reading a post by ArielBeery at Blogs of Zion, and I had to stop and read it again, because at first it didn’t make sense.  The thesis is that some Jews in America were becoming more like Protestant Christians because we are truncating or eliminating the prayer for Israel from our services.

This post demonstrates severe misunderstanding of the American Jewish community; as I am equally ignorant of Israel, I only wish to educate, not to criticize.

In my experience, the more devoted an American Jew is to improving his spiritual sensibilities, the more bound he feels by halakha, the more devotion he shows to Israel as well.  Those who reject Israel or at least do not show preference or deference to her among the nations of the world are usually the least “religious” amongs us.

As a Conservative Jew in America, I note the irony of our movements vociferous support of Israel — with our deeds, our checkbooks, and our regular recitation of the prayer for Israel – while many in Israel continue to support a coalition that rejects the legitimacy of our rabbis and our converts.

By the way, Protestant Christians are more likely to support Israel than are other types of Christians, in my experience.