Just over a month ago, a snow day closed most of the schools in the New York and New Jersey area. But there was one school, a Jewish day school, where something extraordinary happened.
The school principal heard that just that day the school’s shaliach (emissary) would be coming back to work after 75 days spent in battle in the IDF.
The principal wanted to stage a worthy "homecoming" for their school’s hero. So he got on the phone and literally begged the relevant authorities for special permission to open the school. And so, hours later the entire staff and all the students made the effort to brave the elements and host a very warm and emotional welcome for their shaliach.
I was told that there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
The WZO's Education Department is responsible for sending this shaliach and more than 260 other shlichim from Israel to Jewish schools and communities all over the world.
A few days ago, the WZO's Va'ad HaPoel (Executive Committee) met in Jerusalem. The committee, comprised of representatives from both Israel and Diaspora Jewry, discussed many issues, some related to WZO management procedures and some to questions of Jewish identity and the relationship between Israel and Diaspora Jewry. Many of these issues have obviously been accentuated and gained greater relevance over the last few months.
As someone who has spent many years involved with Diaspora Jewry and still is interacting with Jews and Jewish communities around the globe, I can testify that we are currently living in a time of rare opportunity for strengthening the connections between Israel and Jews all over the world.
The events and aftermath of October 7 have led to a much closer relationship between us, manifested by a huge display of support for Israel and mutual responsibility, including hundreds of millions of dollars raised for IDF soldiers, reservists and Israeli hospitals. Dozens upon dozens of solidarity missions are still coming to Israel and there are mass pro-Israel events in many countries.
At the same time, there is a sharp global increase in antisemitism, which only serves to bond us even more.
All this has revealed exciting opportunities to strengthen the critical relationship between Israel and World Jewry.
One of the proposals for discussion at the Va'ad HaPoel was to add the clause of "encouraging military and national service as a strengthening force for the Jewish people in Israel," as part of the Jerusalem Plan (a document collating the WZO's core values). Similar to the State of Israel, the WZO is made up of diverse political factions aligned with both right and left, with frequent disagreements and opposing opinions on fundamental issues.
The joint World Herut and World Mizrachi delegation managed to mobilize a huge majority from all the factions (Haredi, Orthodox, Reform, Conservative and the secular movements), to insert IDF and National Service as pivotal values in the WZO constitution.
The fact the Mizrachi Movement managed to attain such a broad consensus is no matter of chance.
Something has shifted within World Jewry and its relationship towards Israel. So much so that sectors with opposing views can today meet each other and discuss – and even agree upon – issues that were previously a source of deep division. Indeed, one American Jewish leader recently told me he's getting the impression that "It's cool to be a Zionist today."
Pro-Zionist sentiments are also growing in many liberal and progressive communities. In this war, the State of Israel is receiving the full backing of organizations for which the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had previously caused anger and frustration towards Israel and the IDF.
In addition, we can see that a proportion of the haredi community in the Diaspora – who are generally more open and involved in secular life than their peers in Israel – are including the Prayer for the State of Israel in their shuls and leading fundraising campaigns for IDF soldiers and reservists.
I am not living in dreamland. Of course it's easier to encourage others to serve than actually enlist yourself, but still, we could very well be seeing the first buds of significant ideological parity in this respect.
Since its inception, the Mizrachi Movement has endeavored to be the bridge that links opposing ideologies. The shifts that have appeared in the wake of the war have allowed us to create a broad consensus around the military service issue and around the need for mutual responsibility between Israel and Diaspora Jewry.
One of the highlights of the Va'ad HaPoel was just after the proposal to encourage military service. One of the delegates – who had just come back from reserve duty – asked the other participants to replicate the uplifting spirit he himself had experienced within his brigade in Khan Younis. His emotional plea was met with vociferous applause.
This example can serve us in Israel too (both in the Knesset and outside), as an opportunity to sit together and find the points of far-reaching consensus around which we can conduct authentic, respectful discussion.
Let us identify the issues upon which we can broadly agree, to enable our continued existence in our precious Land.
Adv. Roi Abecassis is World Mizrachi's representative in the National Institutions, Head of the WZO's Education Department and Deputy Chairperson of Keren Kayemet LeYisrael (KKL).