We can't run country alone

This is even more difficult when talking about explanations given to members of the Jewish community, who feel a strong connection to the country. They "take events hard" and seek solace among their community members. These days emphasize the complex relationship between the Jewish community in the United States and Israeli society.

Long years of a philanthropic relationship between this community and Israel led to a relationship model of a wealthy distant uncle that supports us under all circumstances.

This has created a very predictable relationship: On the one hand, the Americans donate their money and blindly support the State of Israel. As a result of cultural characteristics and mostly because of a Diaspora sense of guilt they left us Israelis to "run the show," while being amazed by a society that is able to face longtime challenges. This led to the formulation of an arrogant Israeli position, according to which the Americans must continue to donate without interfering in the country's affairs.

Fifty years ago it was easy to maintain a relationship based on great commonality. For example, my grandfather and that grandfather of an American my age shared much in common as members of the same people. Yet the common denominator shared by my children and Americans their age is no longer so great. The distance between them is not only geographical, but mostly a distance manifested through a different value system regarding their Jewish essence.

Not long ago it was author A.B. Yehoshua who with the same Israeli arrogance told the American Jewish community it does not live a complete Jewish life because this can only be done in Israel. In the Jewish context of the matter I disagree with him and think that beyond the arrogance this is also inaccurate.

Speaking Hebrew and serving in the army are not sufficient characteristics of a Jewish identity. There are quite a few non-Jews who do that.

Let world Jews influence

On the other hand, despite unflattering statistics regarding the rates of assimilation and lack of connection to Judaism, we still see about 50 percent of the Jewish community in the US (more than three million people) connected to the synagogue community.

We can be critical here too and argue that most of them aren't "good Jews," because they do not fall into the definition of "Jew" we are familiar with through our Israeli experience.

Yet we must recall these are people who regardless of their connection to a certain branch – reform, conservative, or God forbid, reconstructionist or humanistic – devote their time and resources to be connected to the Jewish community and maintain a distinct identity. We're talking about numbers that in Israel we don't see at synagogues even on holy days.

Israel was built as a Jewish nation aiming to serve as a home to all world Jews and where an exemplary Jewish society would be created. Today we can say that the country is a matter that is too serious to leave in the hands of Israelis alone. In the era of a "hollow leadership" we must create a mechanism that would provide room for expressing the positions of the Jewish world regarding events in the country.

We Israelis must show openness to hearing views different than our own. On the other hand, world Jewry must "coat" its support with a clear, loud and moral statement. Declarations such as "they don't live here so what right to they have to tell us how to manage our affairs" on the Israeli side, or "my sons don't serve in the army, so I can't tell Israelis how to manage their affairs" on the America side must disappear from the dialogue between the communities.

The fact Israel has no welfare minister for such a long time isn't only an "Israeli" issue. It's a "Jewish" issue and it says something about the moral priorities of Israeli society. And if this is what's happening to the society of the Jewish State, which is supposed to be a home for all world Jews, then world Jews must have the ability to influence its values and priorities.

If we want Jews of the world to view Israel as a home and not only a shelter for times of distress we must make them feel at home. I'm not talking about interference in foreign policy or a decision to withdraw from the Territories, but rather, about obvious moral issues.

I don't know what the right mechanism for doing this is. To that end there are enough forums of experts and thinkers, but we must find a mechanism for dialogue on various issues and areas where world Jews would be able to express their views on what's going on in Israel. More importantly: These views should have weight and significance when it comes to Israel's public discourse.

The writer is a Jewish Agency shaliach in Minneapolis, Minnesota