Israel – American Jews are only partial Jews while Israeli Jews are total Jews, Israel Prize laureate A.B. Yehoshua claimed at a lecture he delivered on the relationship between Israel and Diaspora Jews.
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“They are partial Jews while I am a complete Jew,” Yehoshua said, referring to American Jewry. “In no way are we the same thing – we are total and they are partial; we are Israeli and also Jewish. In recent years, my friends and I have needed to defend Israel against the matter of the state, as if it is merely an issue of citizenship, while Israel is the authentic, deep concept of the Jewish people … in no siddur is there a mention of the word ‘Jew’ but only ‘Israeli’. The name of our country and the territory is Land of Israel – and it is about this deep matter that we must defend against a Jewish offensive.”
The lecture was part of the HaKatedra Strategic Friday lecture series, which is organized by the Land of Israel Museum.
Yehoshua added that living outside Israel “is a very deep failure of the Jewish people.”
Benech, I guess the chilonim n tzahal’niks who r far from tidishkeit r the complete Jews, n we r just partial, cuz we happen 2 live in brooklyn!!!
The guy is a nut case
He too shall pass.
He’s a real nincompoop. Real Jews are any Jew who was born of a Jewish mother or was properly converted no matter wherethey live, whether they are frum or not.
He is entitled to his opinion. And that’s all it is.
A Jew is not considered where he lives, but what he keeps. Hashem has enough part time Jews he is looking for more full time Jews, and unfortunately to you Mr. A.B. they live in Chitz Laoratz.
I would like to question the author on what was the classification of the Jews who spit on other Jews in Bet Shemesh? What about the Neturei Marta who advocate the downfall of the government?
What about Reb Moshe (who lived in New York), the Rambam or even Moshe Rabeinu who never lived in EY.
Then I realized that this was still Adar and the article and the author are shtus.
What a genius. No matter that Jews are to be a light to the nations. Do we all do that from Tel Aviv?
Mr. A.B. nowhere in Torah Shabaksov is Eretz Yisroel mentioned, but it’s mentioned as Eretz Cannan or Eretz Zuvas Cholov Udvosh, but בני ישראל is mentioned all over the Torah and by the way the acronym for בני is Brooklyn New York think about that my friend wake up it’s never to late.
He may be exaggerating the point, but he’s right in that the typical golus Jew does NOT have a proper appreciation of, or yearning for, Eretz Yisrael (both the physical and the spiritual). And indeed the biggest proof may be in where we choose to reside. Actions speak louder than words.
reminds me of a story that happened to me.many years ago on the B train to manhattan,a man of color sitting next to me politely explains to me that you people are not the real Jews you are Europeans who stole the religion the real Jews are in central America and he proceeded to show me a list how each tribe reuven shimon.etc,represent a different country…. when he finally finished i told i only wish Hitler ye-mach shomo thought like you………………..
Show me where in the siddur it says one type of yid is better than another. Show me where it says that AB Yehoshua is appointed to judge anyone or anything. Some people just need to feel bigger by putting other people down. He should have a refuah shelaimah b’korov.
Jews for J also say they are “completed Jews”. To me being Jewish is a religion. Guys like this can cling to old ideas like nationalism and socialism. I stick to the Living Word of Hashem in His Holy Torah. If someone doesnt believe in Torah, then their Jewish self-identity is only racism, as one cannot convert to become a “secular jew”. Torah has nothing to do with a race. The Mishnah says Eretz Yisrael is holy because of the halachos of trumah and maaser, not because of nationalism.
The Chesed L’Avraham writes that when Moshiach comes there will only be 7000 Jews in Eretz Yisrael. I try my best to be frum, but I am not so arrogant to think I am worthy to be from the 7000 best Jews on Earth. It is very scary to think about this, but before Moshiach comes, Eretz Yisrael will be the last place a Jew will be found. We have to pick up the sparks and make the world a better place, proclaiming and testifying Hashem’s existence and Word by keeping mitzvos. If we are all cooped up in one place, how do we influence the world?
excuse me a person born of a jewish mother is a jew regardless of his location. and being observant jew has nothing to do with location.
According to such people you can eat chazzer on Yom Kippur in Eretz Yisroel and you are a complete Jew, but if you keep all the mitzvos in New York you are only a partial Jew. Ever heard such nutty ideas? Only from Zionism can this emerge!
As much as I disagree with him and I’m sure so do you guys from brooklyn but he has one point which I’m not even sure he meant that but I would gladly give him the benefit of the doubt…and here is the point.
A none religious jew in Israel, although he may not keep Shabbos etc he will still bring Hashems name on his lips many times by saying “be’ezrat Hashem”, a none religious Jew in the US unfortunately doesn’t have that Jewish spark to them. In fact some of them know less than gentiles….
Not unexpected for someone with half a brain.
Further, you would think that, as an Israeli, his knowledge of the Hebrew language would be better. He should know that “Yisroel” is a Jew, not an Israeli.
Then by all means let’s act like he says we should. No more “Full” tzedakkah to Jews living in Israel. If we’re just “Partial” Jews we should only give a little bit.
He is absolutely correct, the Gemora says “HaGar B’Chutz LaAretz Domeh Lo KeiIlu Ein Lo Eloah”
Everybody is entitled to his own opinion but not his own facts.
Had it not been for the support of his so-called incomplete Jews, he would not have even had food to eat at various different times during the medine’s history. Know your place, little man, and know your state’s place at the tail of the Jewish people, constantly dependent on our goodwill that wears thinner and thinner as you stray further and further from being Jewish.
In the 1940s, how many in Europe really wanted to be a Jew? Now everyone wants to be a Jew! The Heavenly Father is probably (as it were) shaking his head and laughing.
I don’t know why everyone is getting so excited, it is not the first time this babble mouth has stated stupidity, he seems to be in competition with Biden…
Tell this scholarly researcher that the Jewish Agency brought to EY hundreds of thousands of Russians, who are not halachically Jewish. Many of them still have not converted; therefore, the Government of Israel cannot count them in its census as being part of the Jewish community.
to #30
good I agree