KUMAH, which is Hebrew for ARISE, is an organization dedicated to encouraging and facilitating mass Aliyah to Israel by all Jews of the exile. KUMAH believes that the time is ripe for Neo-Zionism, a Biblical dream being realized today. Through an array of projects, KUMAH seeks to invigorate the Jews of the Diaspora - particularly young people - with a new vision of Israel and innovative plans for Aliyah. We at KUMAH believe that the G-dly destiny of the Jewish people is waiting to be fulfilled in Israel right now!
But what is Neo-Zionism? What’s new about it? How does it apply to me? Let’s take a look:
Zionism derives its strength from the clear mandate of history. Sixty years ago, the Nazis attempted to destroy any remnant of Judaism by executing a plot of murder and wholesale destruction against the Jewish people. This event was the culmination of two thousand years of Jewish exile and persecution. The 'Final Solution' was the Third Reich's inhuman answer to the 'Jewish Question.' Judaism seemed destined for total annihilation at the hands of the most evil and despicable force ever. But the will of evil men did not prevail, and their vision did not come to fruition. Instead, from the ashes of the Holocaust the miracle of Israel was born! The prophecy of redemption came true and the prayers of mercy were finally heard. Am Yisrael reestablished itself on the land of the forefathers and rebuilt its country in the Promised Land.
However, not all Jews were able or willing to immigrate to Israel after the Holocaust. The dispersed Jewish community found itself grouped in three main geographical camps. A large contingent of Jews did indeed make it to the fledgling Jewish State, while another group was trapped behind the Russian Iron Curtain, while still a third group came to America, the "goldene medineh." In the early Seventies another miracle occurred - imprisoned Russian Jews were finally allowed out of the Soviet Union. Upon release, millions of them immigrated to Israel.
Presently, two great camps have emerged in the Jewish world: American Jews and Israeli Jews. We American Jews have success, influence, and money, while Israeli Jews have inherited wars, a downtrodden economy, and control of the Jewish Soil. Up until now, both camps were dependant on one another - Israeli Jews needed Jewish American clout and money, while American Jews needed Israel's existence as assurance of their safety and legitimacy while in exile.
That relationship is over. We can no longer justify our self-imposed exile by claiming we support Israel from abroad. Our political power here has not stopped Israeli Jews from dying daily, and the events of September 11th have shown that we are no longer safe here in America. Now we must realize that the destiny of American and Israeli Jewry is one, and our glorious fate is to reunite on the Land which God has promised us. We are two halves of one whole. The return of the American Jews to Zion is the last leg of the Jewish people's long homeward journey towards reunification and redemption.
The new light of Zionism and Jewish reunification has begun to shine brightly. Now, we Jews are like infants born into a new world. Our charge is to open our eyes and see the light. As it is written in the blessings of the Shema: "May You shine a new light on Zion, and may we all speedily merit its light. Blessed are You, Hashem, Who creates the luminaries."
A new song must be sung by the house of Israel, and a new message delivered to all Jews. This is the song of union and forthrightness, of teamwork and positivism. Together, we must eradicate the weakness left by the cancers of assimilation, materialism, and cynicism, which have corrupted the hearts of Jews worldwide.
Neo-Zionism is therefore a direct attack on Post-Zionism. Post-Zionism is a decadent and subversive anti-ideology, asserting that the monumental project of building a Jewish country and unifying all Jews within its borders, has peaked and is now on the decline. This is a lie and it is hindering us from taking proactive measures to fight the current malaise. Our clear imperative is to continue the process of Zionism started by our grandparents' generation, and to complete it with the creation of a State housing all the Jews.
It is we, American Jewish youth, the high school and college students, recent graduates and young adults, who will be the fulcrum of Neo-Zionism. Unattached to responsibilities and full of romantic vision, we will be the pioneers of the transition and the leaders of the emigration. If we, American Jewish young people, get up and move to Israel, then the older generation, our parents, will follow.
Neo-Zionism is a latent energy in Jewish Americans. Once unleashed, its power will be unstoppable. It is the clarity of this dream and the certainty of fulfillment that lends strength to all those who embody its will and its vision. Our manifest destiny has been patient, but now its glory boils within us and moves us to song, as is written in the Sabbath liturgy: "The Temple will be rebuilt; the city of Zion will be filled. And there we will sing a new song, and we will arise in Joy."
Jews have been the catalysts of progress throughout all the ages. We are history-makers and now we are being called upon once again to innovate. Now we must translate the Zionist ideal into a practical vision and a plan of action. We can do this! This is our opportunity. We can move ourselves physically and spiritually back to Israel. We will bring to Israel our American know-how and ambition, vanquishing and destroying our enemies, strengthening the economy, and creating a "light unto the nations" society.
This is not a pipe dream; it has already begun. Many American Jews have already moved to Israel and are visible and vocal. They have established beautiful cities such as Efrat, Raanana, and Maalot Dafna. They are doing well, succeeding, and having a wonderful time. Soon, we too will rejoin our brethren and swim in the Mediterranean and bask in the Israeli sunshine.
The mission of American Jewry is clear. New Zionism is our historical calling to inherit the Land of the Covenant, the land of Abraham, our birthright, our home. There, G-d will embrace us and bless us, as it is written: "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to follow my statutes, and you shall keep my judgments, and do them. And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and you shall be my people, and I will be your G-d." (Ezekiel 36:26-28) A new heart will be given to us once we are reunited with our lovers - our brothers, our land, and our G-d.
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