Rivlin calls for “renewed alliance” between Israel and Diaspora Jewry

On the backdrop of an ongoing crisis between the government of Israel and much of world Jewry, President Reuven Rivlin calls for a “renewed alliance” between Israel and Diaspora Jewry.

Speaking at the state memorial for Israel’s founding prime minister David Ben-Gurion in Sde Boker, Rivlin says the relations should no longer be limited to “philanthropy on the one hand, and blind admiration on the other” but should instead reflect a shared commitment to justice and openness to listen to the other.

“It is time for a renewed alliance, for a common language, between Israel and the Diaspora, before it is too late,” the president says.

“American Jewry is less traditional than in the past, and more deeply involved in the various sectors of American leadership. Its self-image is strong and well-established. The community longs for a connection with Israel, but wants a relationship between equals — not of philanthropy on the one hand, and blind admiration on the other.”

Rivlin’s comments come amid outrage from many US Jews over comments made yesterday by Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely claiming that US Jews are “people that never send their children to fight for their country” and that “most of them are having quite convenient lives.”

— Raphael Ahren