Judaism and me
Jewish Agency Chairman Zeev Bielski answers questions about his personal take on Judaism
What does the “Jewish experience” mean to you?
As a boy who was born and raised in Jerusalem, I recall wondering about the numbers imprinted on the arms of so many of my parents’ friends. More than once, I asked my mother about those numbers, but she – still aching over losing her parents, as well as my father’s parents, during the Holocaust – was unable to talk about the subject.
When I got older and I began to comprehend the horrific magnitude of the loss of a third of the Jewish nation in the Holocaust, this memory became the mainstay of my identification as a Jew and as an Israeli – the son of a nation that rose from the ashes and established a national home for the Jewish nation in the State of Israel.
The Eichmann trial only deepened my internalization of this painful experience, which later motivated me - as mayor of Raanana – to broaden the March of the Living enterprise and to enable every student to travel to Poland - in order to learn up close and to experience the memory of the Holocaust and the rise of the Jewish nation during the 20th century.
As someone who participated in the March of the Living and who watched thousands of students participate in these journeys to Poland, I know that this is an inspiring experience for all Jewish youth in Israel and abroad.
It is an experience which strengthens their identification as members of the Jewish nation and intensifies their awareness, obligations and connections to the Land of Israel, as the State of the Jewish nation and the center of the Jewish world.
Which Biblical figure would you like to meet?
The Book of Books is filled with wonderful, unique and complex characters. The one who tops them all, in my opinion, is Moses, about whom it is said that he was “heavy of mouth and heavy of speech.”
And, specifically, the man - who tried to use all sorts of pretexts in order to avoid accepting the yoke of leadership - was assigned the historical role of leading the nation from slavery to freedom and of transforming a tribe of desert nomads into a nation that – at the dawn of history – embraced a belief in one God and values which became the “inalienable goods” of human society.
It is rare, in our times, to find a leader – such as Moses – who runs from power and honor. And it is appropriate for all of us – those who have been elected by the public – to view Moses’ image as a symbol and a beacon for our chosen paths, our actions, and the weighty responsibilities which have been bestowed upon us.
I often think about Moses’ last days – when he didn’t merit entering the Land of Israel – and I would be happy to fill him in on the rebirth of the State of Israel in the modern era and on its accomplishments, as well as all the accomplishments of the Jewish people during this time.
How do you spend Yom Kippur?
In my eyes, Yom Kippur symbolizes the sweep of Jewish history. It’s a day that is holy for every Jew wherever he finds himself. It’s a day of personal and national soul-searching as well as frank discussions between man and God and between man and himself. It’s a day of opportunity for rectification and forgiveness between one another.
On Yom Kippur, I fast, as do my wife and children. The experience of togetherness in the synagogue – where I meet many friends and acquaintances and where there is a holy atmosphere in the air – fills my heart with emotion and inner speculation about my path as a man and a Jew.
What is your favorite mitzvah (religious commandment)?
The Ten Commandments is the legal and ideological codex, which is entrenched into the foundation of the Torah of Israel and is the basis for the actions and way of life for every Jewish person wherever he may be.
They are all precious to me, but there’s a special place in my heart for the mitzvah of honoring one’s parents. Over the past few years, my mother and father - of blessed memory - passed away, and their loss is very difficult for me.
Both of them were the most special people to me. They were the ones whose love, support and belief in me provided me with the basic values and shaped my path as a child, as a teenager, and as an adult.
They instilled in me my trust in the good, love of the nation and the homeland, adherence to the straight and narrow path, and family values.
Which religious figure or rabbi do you particularly admire?
Throughout history, the Jewish people had many rabbis who were great in Torah, but, in my opinion, the Rambam (Maimonides) – Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon – rose above them all. As it is said, “From Moses until Moses, there was none like Moses.”
The Rambam was one of the Jewish people’s greatest Halachic arbiters and spiritual men, a man of science, a researcher, and a doctor. For me, he is a guide, and I follow his lead and worldview as a man and as an elected official.
How do you feel about brit milah (ritual circumcision)?
Brit milah - a symbol of the covenant between the Jewish nation and the Holy One, Blessed Be He – is amazing and unique, in my eyes, specifically because it has never been enacted into law. Perhaps, that is the reason why the vast majority of the Jewish people choose to circumcise their sons and, through this act, to renew the historical and ideological covenant – on a personal level – between man and the Lord and to thus establish one’s affiliation with the Jewish nation.
What is Jewish culture, in your opinion?
Jewish culture is a vast ocean, a fathomless pit which never loses a drop and which is built layer upon layer - on the Bible, the Mishna, the Gemara, the books of contemplation and spirit, the Halachic commentaries, the words of our Sages, the literature and poetry throughout the millennia of Jewish existence, and those from our own time that are being recorded in Israel and throughout the Diaspora.
In modern times, theater, music, dance and the plastic arts – which were not endemic to Jewish culture in ancient times – have been added as well.
A request from God
Next to the Prayer for Peace, it says: “I will provide peace in the land, and you will lie down with none to cause fright; I will eliminate evil beasts from the land, and the sword shall not pass through your land.” (Leviticus 26)
I hope that the vision of the prophets concerning the Ingathering of the Exiles will be fulfilled and also that the captives will be quickly returned to their families.
As it says, “Thus said God: "Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears; for there is reward for your accomplishment, declared God, and they will return from the enemy's land. There is hope for your future, declared God, and your children will return to their border." (Jeremiah 31)
