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Israeli Ambassador: Unity of the Jewish People a Primary Concern

(Times of Israel) Michael Oren - Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren told the Jewish Council for Public Affairs plenum in Detroit on Sunday that the unity of the Jewish people should be a primary concern for all Jews. "Israel is our state, a work in progress in which every Jew can play a part. Of course, sovereignty is messy, and Jews can and will disagree about Israeli policies without necessarily loving Israel any less. Still, people often ask me, 'how do you define pro-Israel?' I have some elementary answers." A pro-Israel person "recalls what Jewish life was like without a Jewish state and works to ensure that there always will be a Jewish state." A pro-Israel person is also "grateful every day that he or she lives in a time in Jewish history when there is a proud and independent Jewish state." "The pro-Israel person also asks, 'how can I contribute to Israel, how can I enrich it and be enriched by it?'" Oren said a pro-Israel person is aware that Israel is a tiny country living under a massive threat. A pro-Israel person knows that making peace with the Palestinians constitutes a very real risk that the West Bank will devolve into a terror haven, just as Gaza did. The secret to the Jewish people's success, Oren stressed, is the unity of the Jewish people. That means that the Jewish State of Israel and the far-flung tribe that is the Jewish people must work together. "The great task of our generation is to preserve our unity."
2012-05-08 00:00:00
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