Israeli Rabbi Criticizes Diaspora Jews’ Acceptance of Exile on Tisha B’Av
Rabbi Yoel Ben-Nun critiques the Jewish diaspora’s complacency with life abroad, arguing that normalization of exile diminishes the significance of returning to Israel and the responsibility of aliyah (immigration to Israel). He references Rabbi Netanel Darmon, chairman of the Organization of Israeli Communities in Europe, who highlighted the stark contrast between mourning the destruction of the Temple on Tisha B’Av in diaspora synagogues and the acceptance of regular life there despite ongoing antisemitism. Darmon points out that some communities even celebrate inaugurating new synagogues abroad immediately after Tisha B’Av and view aliyah as a threat to Jewish education in the diaspora due to declining student numbers.
Rabbi Ben-Nun expands on Darmon’s observations by emphasizing the unparalleled survival of Jewish identity in exile, a phenomenon unmatched by any other nation. He stresses that this survival should amplify the miracle of the ingathering of exiles, a unique historical process culminating in the establishment of the State of Israel and the Law of Return, which has brought millions from around the world back to their ancestral homeland. He recalls a Chinese official’s remark to an Israeli envoy that the Jewish right to return to their ancient land is unprecedented globally.
The rabbi underscores that Jewish prayers still express hope for joyous return to Israel, yet halachic sources consider remaining in exile, especially when able to immigrate, akin to idolatry. He cites the teachings of Rabbi Yehuda Alkalai, an early advocate for aliyah, whose ideas remain underappreciated. Ben-Nun laments that the religious attachment to survival in exile has obscured the severity of the sin of remaining outside Israel and the historical pogroms endured, culminating in the Holocaust.
He contrasts the mass aliyah of Jews from Yemen and North Africa after Israel’s founding with the persistence of Jewish communities in post-Holocaust Europe, where new stone synagogues are built and mourned on Tisha B’Av. He prays that God will open the eyes of diaspora Jews to immigrate before further tragedies occur, fulfilling the greatest miracle of all: the ingathering of the exiles.
