Leeds Shaliach, Yaakov Pinsky, bids farewell as he steps down from his post.
This is my last time addressing you in my role as a Shaliach, and I am also possibly the last one to hold the role of Leeds community Shaliach for the UJIA. Ariella and I held several “shaliach” roles while here, representing JAFI (The Jewish Agency for Israel), UJIA, and Mizrachi UK (Modern Orthodoxy), as well as
bringing Israel content to our roles as educators at LJFS and LJOY. But we really only had one joint goal through them all, one shlichut – one mission.
So, what is that mission? What is a Shaliach? Up until the Temple was destroyed 1,950 years ago, Jews who didn’t live in the Jewish centre of the world maintained their connection to the nation and their religion through three yearly pilgrimages on the festivals, as well as a yearly donation to the upkeep of the Temple. Post-destruction, Shada”r (Shaliach De-Rebanan) – famous Torah scholars, emissaries of the remaining Jewish settlement in Israel, travelled the Jewish world teaching and fundraising, preserving both the spiritual connection with Israel and the Diaspora support of Jewish settlement in the Chosen Land. This has continued for the last two millennia.
In later years with the advent of modern Zionism, shlichim of the 20th century – through the Zionist organisations – focused on raising money for the establishment of the state and were no longer focused on bringing any learning from Israel, possibly coming from a secular approach to Israel as a purely cultural/refuge centre from the nation.
Today, Israel has become quite a successful and prosperous land, it no longer finds itself dependent on the generosity of Diaspora Jewry, and yet Israel still sends out thousands of shlichim every year. Why do we come? Why does Israel send us? The main objective is to keep the connection alive; we are one nation, spread out across Israel and the Diaspora, and we cannot afford to grow apart. We believe this is a two-way street; when shlichim return to Israel, we bring the voice of our host communities back to Israel, deepening the connection. Our Jewish lives are very different, while the Jews of Israel are constantly stirring together in a melting pot of cultures, ideas and innovations, Diaspora Jews grow more distant to Israeli lifestyle, through assimilation into the local cultures, as well as their either different or lessened involvement in Jewish language and religious practice. Hence this back and forth has become all the more important. And yet I believe that it means more to Shlichut than that.
Some Jewish organizations believe that: “Religion is foreign to people today, it turns people away.” I believe this is misguided and stems from unfortunate negative experiences that have been had with the complex unyielding ways of ‘old school’ Judaism. Modern Orthodoxy, or by its Israeli name – Religious Zionism, believes that, as the shlichim have for thousands of years, you cannot disconnect being Jewish from being connected to our land and our religion, and that the only future for Jews is in this ‘holy trinity’ – Nationhood-Homeland-Torah. I have seen this in Leeds. Leeds is a Zionist city, and yet, activities that are purely relating to Israel do not attract the crowds they used to. Yes, people want to have a good time on Yom Ha’atzmaut, or fight BDS, but for the next generations this is not sustainable. The youth today will not stay connected to their Jewish heritage without meaning and purpose. 80 years post the Holocaust, Israel as a home for Jews no longer feels important to them, and sitting through a whole day of prayer while fasting on Yom Kippur really doesn’t resonate with today’s youth.
This is where the second part of Shlichut as I see it comes into play. Israel is the home to the majority of Jewish people, Jewish conversation, and Jewish innovation. While in the Diaspora time can move slowly, particularly in small communities, Jewish future is literally being moulded on the streets of Tel Aviv
and Jerusalem as you read these words – politics, arts, literature, Torah, food, and more. What we tried to bring to Leeds is just that, a modern-Jewish life. My Jewish life is unapologetically Orthodox, but also unapologetically choosing to incorporate the rich modern world around us, hence Modern-Orthodox. In Leeds we have been busy at work, understanding what being a modern Jew means in the Leeds context, and it is our hope that we have been at least a little successful in assimilating some of these Religious-Zionist innovations to benefit Leeds in raising another generation which is deeply rooted in both their religious connection (whichever level works for them), their connection to their nation, and their land. In return, we are bringing the unique Yorkshire flavoured Jewish pudding back to Israel with us, the enthusiasm, optimism, spirit of volunteering, and the many meaningful personal connections we have forged, which we will forever cherish.
Looking forward to seeing you in our homeland soon. Please keep in touch!
Yaakov, Ariella, Renana Tzuri, Tair Bat-Tzion, & Ayelet Chana Pinsky +972 544 943553 yupinsky@gmail.com