Rahm Emanuel, possibly the most important Jew of this generation, smiled at us this past week. In a speech delivered at the conference of the Jewish Federations of North America, Emanuel portrayed himself as a great Israeli patriot.
A significant part of his address focused on spirited denial of the claims that he is the driving force behind the Obama Administration’s hostile acts vis-à-vis Israel. Emanuel also denied that there is any hostility to begin with. For a moment, it appeared as though President Obama is the current day version of Zionist forefather Theodor Herzl.
In the framework of his persuasion efforts in the face of a suspicious audience, the White House chief of staff declared that at the end of May 2010 he will be arriving in Israel with his family in order to celebrate the Bar Mitzvah of his eldest son, Zach.
We were told that one of the possibilities being looked into is holding the ceremony at the Western Wall. Jerusalem’s photographers and the Western Wall beggars are already preparing for the occasion.
Once upon a time, Jews would arrive in Israel in order to be buried here; today, they drop by for a visit in order to celebrate a bar mitzvah. This lovely yet problematic custom is particularly prevalent among wealthy Jews from the United States who can afford to live there and celebrate here.
When their sons reach the age of 13, they head to Jerusalem to celebrate in an effort to remind their children where their roots lie. Immediately after the bar mitzvah, however, the family returns home, to the Diaspora.
In the eyes of the young child, who barely understands a few words from the Haftarah he reads, Israel is a banquet hall, rather than a place to live in. In his parents’ view, Israel is an insurance policy, in case of some kind of future trouble. When he gets married, the son’s chuppah will be held by the Hudson River.
By the time he turns 40 or 50, he will become a Woody Allan or a Bernard Madoff, or possibly a senior presidential aide on the issue of the settlements. His son too will be flown to Israel for his bar mitzvah, and so on and so forth.
Should Jerusalem be divided meantime, in line with the Emanuel-Obama plan, the ceremony will be held near the miniature Western Wall model at the Mini-Israel amusement park near Jerusalem.
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