Fresh from Frank: When you Disagree, Engage More

I am writing this Fresh from Frank from Israel. I am fortunate to go to Israel and recruit staff for our mishlachat (Israeli Delegation). Now that I have set up the backdrop for the article, let me digress to share a trend I have seen in America. I see people disengaging when opinions are different. That, to me, is a symptom of the recent phenomenon of “cancel culture.” 

In my job, I try my best to stay out of politics. Young Judaea has always been non-partisan. That is hard to do with Israel and especially now. I hear and understand the huge concerns about the Israeli government’s plan for changes facing the Israeli Supreme Court. As Americans, we love Democracy, and many take this freedom for granted. It would be easy to turn our backs on Israel over disappointment or stop caring. I hope that we can love Israel and still have disagreements. The more we disagree, the more we need to engage and remind each other of the work that still needs to be done.

Once this quick trip is over, I will hopefully have hired 10-12 mischlachat members who are ready and excited to come to CYJ. They will bring their Israel to share with our chanichim (campers) to help them grow their love of the Jewish homeland. They will be saying, “this June in Wimberley!”