Readers of the Queens Jewish Link know that Shmuel Sackett is a good writer. Those who attended his Wednesday, June 21, talk at the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills (or who will view the video recording at a later date) also know that he is an excellent and humorous speaker. He began his talk, “What Every American Jew Needs to Know,” with some memories of Kew Gardens Hills and the Young Israel. He then made the shocking announcement that he wanted people to “close their pockets and open their minds” and would thus not be asking for or accepting any donations for his organization, the Am Yisrael Chai Foundation, that night.
Shmuel Sackett wants every American Jew to eventually make aliyah. He doesn’t expect each of them to leave for Israel tomorrow, as planning and a bureaucratic process are involved. (He related his story of trying to open his file at the Jewish Agency in 1989 and being assigned a shaliach who said he had more pressing things to attend to than a meeting with potential olim. A sit-down in the Jewish Agency offices in Manhattan by Shmuel and his wife quickly sped things along.)
After giving eight wrong reasons for making aliyah, including free tuition and Chol HaMoed off from work, he came to the right reason, which is that a Jew is not complete if he is not living in Israel. Quoting Rav Nachman Kahane that a Jew is spiritually incomplete outside of Israel, providing insights from Parshiyos Matos and Ki Savo into the concept of the Jewish nation, and offering the Rogatchover Rebbe’s thought that the reason why Al HaNisim on Chanukah includes the words “amcha Yisrael” (your nation Israel), while on Purim includes the words “kol HaYehudim” (all the Jews), is that Chanukah took place in Israel where the nation of Israel exists, while Purim took place outside of Israel where there is no Jewish nation.
In his strongest words, Sackett asked: If one were offered freedom from prison after a long incarceration, would one refuse to leave? With the founding of the State of Israel 75 years ago, Jews have been freed from exile and can go home to Israel. Why do we all not go?
He ended his talk with a practical thought for all those who do not like what is going on in Israel: By moving to Israel, you can be part of making change and have an opportunity to vote for the Israeli government you want.
By Rebecca Wittert
