Nadene Goldfoot
Jews of Israel, a Jewish state, and the Jews of the USA, are often at odds when it comes to backing Israel's decisions. Both populations have about 6 million in population each , plus there are about 2 million more in other spots in the world.
President Biden has gone along with the Jews in the USA more likely than not, with Donald Trump being very popular in Israel for the decisions he has made that has benefitted Israel. Donald has turned over the Israel file to his son-in-law, a modern orthodox Jew who married his daughter and converted to Judaism. For instance, Israeli Jews realize the importance of Judea and Samaria, land others call the West Bank. They've lived through the Holocaust, knowing how important a place like Israel is and what it means to their families. So many of their ancestors were wiped out by the Nazis.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at the J Street National Conference, Dec. 4th,
2022. J Street is not clearly backing Israel's government, but their own ideas of how
things should be run. J Street seeks a middle path to the Gaza problem but as yet hasn't
come up with anything . The feelings between Israel and J Street have
not been like Israel and AIPAC. According to Nathan Guttman,
"J Street and its supporters have never made a secret of their
opposition to Netanyahu and his policies." AIPAC stands for
"The American Israel Public Affairs Committee . Blinken is Jewish. In 2002,
Blinken and Evan Ryan were married in an interfaith ceremony officiated by a rabbi
and a priest at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. They have two
children. Blinken is fluent in French, and left-handed.
Israel is a refuge for Jews all over the world. Russians who entered had no knowledge of Hebrew as it was against the law to study it. They had no knowledge other than being called a Jew. Many brought their gentile wives and there was no prophet standing there saying to leave their spouse.
Let's look at the differences in Judaism for the two countries.
Israel was created as a way to keep Judaism alive. Naturally, it is an Orthodox state with two heads of state Rabbis, one for the Ashkenazim and the other Sepharim.
- Ashkenazi: Represents Jews with backgrounds in Eastern and Central Europe
- Sephardic: Also known as the Rishon leZion, represents Jews with backgrounds in the Middle East and North Africa
- Rabbi David Lau—the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi
- Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef—the Sephardi Chief Rabbi
Around 50% of Israeli Jews identify with Orthodoxy, while only around 2% identify as Conservative and 3% as Reform. The chief rabbis also represent the state of Israel locally and internationally, and sometimes comment on current events.
The other 45% of Jews are not identified with a denomination.
In 2022, 45% of Israel Jews self-identified as "secular"; 10% as haredi (ultra-orthodox);
33% as
masorti (lit. 'traditional'); and 12% as dati (lit. 'religious' or 'orthodox', including religious
zionist).
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When is
On Rafah, J Street President says, “It’s important for the president to reiterate that
the United States will not and should not provide Israel with blanket immunity.” I join
Jared in not being a J Street fan.
According to the Pew Research Center, as of 2020, there are approximately 7.5 million Jews in the United States, which represents about 2.4% of the total population; within this group, roughly 37% identify as Reform, 17% as Conservative, and 9% as Orthodox. The USA has no chief Rabbi.
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- 52% of the Jewish population do not identify with any particular denomination
- 8% identify as Conservative
- 5% identify as Orthodox
- 12% identify with other denominations
- Orthodox Jews believe the Torah is the word of God that must be obeyed literally. Reform Jews believe the Torah is a human attempt to understand God and their relationship with the world, and that Judaism should be adapted to contemporary moral values.
- Orthodox Judaism adheres to traditional Jewish law as interpreted by rabbinic authorities over the centuries. Reform Judaism challenges the authority of legal tradition and seeks to modernize Jewish traditions.
- Orthodox Jews strictly observe Shabbat and kosher laws. They pray three times a day, often from a prayer book in Hebrew. Men wear a prayer shawl during morning prayer. In Orthodox synagogues, men and women sit separately during services. Reform Judaism has adapted many traditional practices, such as allowing men and women to sit together during services.
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