Robbie Rothenberg, chairman of the Rothenberg Family Foundation and one of the driving forces behind the Aderaba TorahNoar Unity Conference, told Israel National News about the event.
“The event came to me last year,” he explained. “As I read the dirges for the destruction of the Temple as I have for sixty years. Last year, though, I had just immigrated to Israel. We have an army and a country, and the exiles are being gathered in. Half of the curses are on their way to being wiped out. We have more Torah and charity than ever. I asked myself what was still missing, and thought - unity.”
“I asked Rabbi Rimon (a senior authority among Religious Zionist Rabbis - ed.) and we came up with the idea of educating young people what it means to have unity and to practically implement it. The method we are starting here is that you can’t just try to win the debate - you also need to truly understand the other side, and they need to understand you, and you’ll develop a love for people you disagree with.”
Rothenberg told why he specifically wanted to bring in the younger generation: “It’s difficult to change older people. We need to develop young leader. This conference is about teaching young people to put aside their personal views to do what’s best for the nation.”
The conference, Rothenberg emphasized, is not limited to any one demographic: “In the next years, I hope to bring in everyone - people from the left, the right, haredim, secular, and everyone in between, to really sit together and understand each other.”
The interest in the conference left Rothenberg highly optimistic: “Two thousand young people decided to come overnight - without advertising or any real effort. I think young people will come together and say, ‘It’s time to change the opinions, it’s time to change the paradigm.’ Young people will form their opinions at a young age, and carry them forward as they get older.”
Rothenberg raised a few possibilities as to where the idea could go next: “One idea I had was to bring in a panel of super-educators, from the secular and haredi world, and let them teach other educators how to teach unity. Our education system is completely based on merit, but how do you grade unity? You need educators who know how to introduce that into the education system. I believe that’s what we need, and two thousand kids here believe it too.”
Rothenberg said he is exceptionally excited about the conference’s implications: “I am very excited about this. My family has a foundation dedicated to how to bring systems, actions, movements to bring unity to the Land of Israel. That’s going to be my life mission. I think God’s looking for it, and there is not a better time than right now.”
As part of the spirit of the conference, the participants were given a special 'prayer for unity' writtern by Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Rimon, President of Sulamot. The prayer was written in the spirit of Tisha B'Av, and will be incorporated by the youth to the prayers in their communities
Rabbi Rimon calls on the public to recite the prayer during the fast. Click here for the full version.