Upon reading Mitchell Bard’s adamant opinion in the Jerusalem Post, I can’t help but wonder: other than the above advertising campaign, is there really a sure-fire way to ensure that Jewish kids grow up loving Israel? While Bard’s ideas are strong and convincing, he ignores several crucial truths. In modern America, it is so difficult to define what constitutes a Jew that his proposal of giving every Jewish child an Israel toolkit is implausible at best. His plan would work well for children who are already enrolled in Jewish day schools, however, it seems as though these are he people for whom an emotional connection with Israel is most likely to already be instilled and for whom a tool kit is thus superfluous – at least, presuming the child attends a school with a favorable view of Israel and hails from a family with the same. In addition, day schools and Jewish summer camps, another institution Bard hails as one that will further inspire a love of Israel, are usually costly operations. Parents who can afford one, or both, of these experiences for their children would also probably be more likely to have the money to finance a trip to Israel on their own, once again bringing the necessity of these operations into question. The majority of Bard’s argument, however, is logically sound yet financially implausible. He brings up a number of ways in which the American Jewish community could instill a love of Israel in its youth – outreach to public schools, teachers, and extending Birthright trips to high school students, all of which would require tremendous funds and resources that the American Jewish community may or may not possess or want to utilize in this fashion. And even if all these steps were implemented, there is no way to guarantee that every, or even the majority of Jewish youth would respond. There are parents whom, for one reason or another, do not wish to include Israel in their children’s education. Are we to deny them the right of bringing up their children in which ever way they so choose because we believe in putting Israel first?
Israel is an incredible place and the significance it holds, in Jewish culture both past and present is tremendous. Is it enough for every Jew to cross their fingers and hope that the next generation cares as much as we do? Probably not. But a connection with Israel is an experience that every individual should come to of their own volition.
