This past Wednesday night (7.20.22) in Tel Aviv, at the International Conservative Conference, Ben Shapiro was questioned why he has not made Aliyah to Israel?
Shapiro, originally from California and now residing in Florida, answered by saying:
“Because the fundamental principles [of the United States] are good, eternally good, and worth upholding, and my fight to do that as Jew is deeply important not just to people who are not Jewish but particularly to Jews,” he said. “So, in other words, my Jewish mission does not conflict with my presence in the United States or my citizenship in the United States or my loyalty to the United States.”
Amit Segal, the journalist who was conducting the interview pushed Ben further and said to him, “shouldn’t every Jew live in the State of Israel?”
Shapiro responded with:
“Jews should live where they can be a light to the nations, and for me, as a person with millions and millions of followers in the United States promoting what I think are values that are eternally good, living in the United States is a point of morality for me.”
Many people have given Ben Shapiro “asylum” for his answer just because he is Ben Shapiro.
I am not among that group. You should not be either.
We must question and analyze Ben’s response and ascertain if his answer is a good one? a complete one?
There is no doubt that Ben Shapiro has an important voice in the United States. He is doing valuable work and contributing nicely as a conservative political commentator. This is definitely a meaningful life mission, as he says. Ben is not shy about stating this, nor should he be.
However, the importance of Aliyah goes far beyond Ben Shapiro.
Shapiro was mistaken not to mention that making Aliyah is a mitzvah of eminent importance for all Jews. Shapiro, who publicly represents Jewish values, should have made it clear to the Jewish Tel-Aviv audience that while his work is important, he regrets that he has not made Aliyah to Israel. He should’ve said very clearly that the future of the Jewish People is in the Jewish State and that he hopes and plans one day to join his people and settle with his family in Eretz Yisrael.
These points were sorely lacking from Ben Shapiro’s response.
Perhaps Ben should reevaluate and reexamine whether his American values, as important as they are, have replaced his Jewish values?
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