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The Israeli secular community does not really know what to make of the new trend, but Baruch Hashem, many kibbutzim and other secular communities around Israel are requesting a shul and mikve, the very same communities that have lived for decades without the holy structures.
Many of the secular kibbutzim have been ideologically opposed to the construction of the buildings, working with tenacity to remove any trace of Yiddishkeit from their communities.
This year, dozens of shuls and mikvas have been constructed in secular communities and it appears the trend is gaining momentum. 50% of requests given to the Ministry of Religious Services have come from secular kibbutzim and moshavim. Permits were given to construct 37 new mikvas, and in some cases, in totally secular areas including Kinneret Rotem, Kfar Vardim, Tzur Yitzchak, Tal El and N’vei Ziv.
The ministry permitted the construction of shuls in 79 communities, 80% in totally secular communities including Kibbutz Ashdod Yaakov Ichud, Gan Ner, Kibbutz Gezer, Kfar HaNaggid, and Karmei Yosef.
Minister of Religious Services (Shas) stated, “Undoubtedly, there is a new trend in Israel. A growing number of Israelis are more open and more in need of religious services. This is a record-breaking number of requests from the staunch secular community.”
Ronny Kenan, the general manager of Kibbutz Ashdod Yaakov Ichud explains they never had a real synagogue and there are a growing number of residents wishing a formal building for prayer.
The leaders of the national kibbutz movement confirm the number in the report, adding the overwhelming number of kibbutz residents are indeed secular. They add today, there is more pluralism today and less homogeny. They confirm there appears to be a growing interest in returning to “traditionalism” and prayer.
A study conducted by the Shitim Institute reveals that 50% of the population fasts on Yom Kippur and 60% of the kibbutzim do have some type of community activity on Kol Nidrei night.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
if theres anyone out there with daastorah on the subject, id b very interested to know if this is a good development or not, personally i never thought that fasting on yom kippur, celebrating kol nidrei night, or eating latkes on chanuka has any value if it doesnt come from the belief in the torah, yidishkeit is a religion not a tradition - on the contrary it falsifies what yidishkeit is about, promotes the impression that u can b a yid by eating a latke rather than giving your life for torah and mitzvos - lets hope that the interest in building shuls and mikvaos is a true yearning of yidishe neshamos to return to their heritage - VEHAISHIV LEIV AVOS AL BANIM, VELEV BANIM AL AVOSAM
Comment by daasbaalhabayis — July 30, 2008 @ 11:02 pm
Awesome! Moshiach is around the corner!! Let us get ready to be amongst those that go with him (only 600,000 Yidden will go according to many sources)
Comment by boruchhashem — July 30, 2008 @ 11:13 pm
Daasbaalhabayis, we say (based on Chazal) that people who keep mitzvot for the wrong reasons will eventually come to keep mitzvot for the right reasons. I can’t see how this can be bad.
Comment by charliehall — July 31, 2008 @ 12:52 am
Baruch Hashem.
(and, thanks for the good reminder in post number 3 above, charliehall.)
Comment by zusia — July 31, 2008 @ 1:27 am
Mazel tov
THE YESHIVA WORLD NEWS has been quoted on arutz7
Comment by Thinking — July 31, 2008 @ 1:58 am
#1daas
where did u pick up the idea of eating latkes or even bagels, when the article wrote about fasting and davening? Of course its a good trend, and it’s growing and increasing in Israel, while decreasing in all other parts of the world. The percentages are quite low, in other surveys it has been noted that 80% fast, and majority of Jews in Israel are traditional.
Comment by cityofgold — July 31, 2008 @ 2:14 am
#1 daasbaalhabayis: Mitoch sheloh lishmo, bo lishmo. Doing mitzvos with ulterior motives, will eventually be done with pure intent.
And by the way, while fasting on Yom Kippur like not eating chometz on Pesach are mitvos of the Torah, there’s no mitzvah whatsoever to eat latkess on Chanukah and “celebrating” Kol Nidrei night.
Comment by Bar26 — July 31, 2008 @ 5:11 am
Daasbaalhabayis
Fasting on Yom Kippur is a mitzvah d’oraisa. The other two are minhagim, at best. The road to tshuva starts by keeping one more mitzvah than you did before. In light of that, I would say this is a VERY GOOD thing.
Comment by rebshalom — July 31, 2008 @ 6:53 am
#1, I think fasting on Yom Kippur etc. DOES have a value. (And can we always say that our mitzvah performance is always accompanied by the deepest kavana?) But beyond that, mikva is a much greater, and difficult, investment than fasting 25 hours. So wipe off your rose colored glasses; they’ve been sitting in the attic too long.
Comment by tzippi — July 31, 2008 @ 7:52 am
To # 1) Hamseh hu haikar.
To # 2) I think you are confusing yetzias mitzrayim. When Moshiach comes we are ALL going.
Lets continue learning, davening and doing mitzvois and bring Moshiach now!
Comment by yochi — July 31, 2008 @ 8:22 am
It’s nice to hear, but I’m not sure how this ties to Moshiach.
I would rather suggest that perhaps the kiddush hashem, a result of proper behavior, and the impression our children make when walking down the street, is what may do it. Our Teffilos and kiruv organizations should also be given a good deal of credit….
Comment by theyenta — July 31, 2008 @ 8:27 am
charliehall - i hope ure right that theyre doing it in the context of mitzvos my point was in reference to people who dont beleive in hashem, are mechalel shabbos, kofrim etc. of what value is their “mitzvos” theyre strictly doing a cultural thing - i think chazal arent refering to that situation
Comment by daasbaalhabayis — July 31, 2008 @ 8:49 am
boruchhashem - hes been around the corner for so long - we need to get him to turn the corner!!
Comment by daasbaalhabayis — July 31, 2008 @ 8:50 am
yochi,
there are shitas that make a hekesh from yetzias mitzrayim to yetzias hagalus but i think the hekesh is 1/5 of yidden (not 600,000)
Comment by mbachur — July 31, 2008 @ 9:58 am
An invatation with a smile goes a long way! Chabad has of course figured this out which is why so many of their rabbis have done such a wonderful job. I would not be frum myself it it was not for Chabad.
In truth many of the so called “secular” israelis have a great deal of respect for religion. There is a firehouse in Jerusalem that has its own Shul, built by the firemen who are all “secular” and I put that in quotes as they seem to be frum enough to want to have a shul and to be proud of that fact. Lets treat our fellow Jews no matter where on the spectrum they may be with kindness and respect. It may just make Israel a nicer place to live.
Comment by ZachKessin — July 31, 2008 @ 10:07 am
The article is very heart-warming and encouraging. And it’s not only the secular community. Even within the frum community there’s a resurgence in Torah. Every cycle of Daf Yomi witnesses more and more people joining the ranks, there’s a new awareness in many communities about the importance of tznius and more and more day schools are opening up each year.
Comment by NeveAliza — July 31, 2008 @ 10:20 am
yenta — the time before Mosiach is when the Jewish children return to their father in heaven, that is what this is all about.
Comment by sayitlikeitis — July 31, 2008 @ 10:30 am
עמוס ח יא
הנה ימים באים נאם ה’ אלוקים והשלחתי רעב בארץ לא רעב ללחם ולא צמא למים כי אם לשמע את דברי ה’
Comment by gast — July 31, 2008 @ 10:33 am
We just never know who is closer to religion than he/she appears. remember this article when you talk to secular Israelis, welcome them, make the road home easier!
Comment by maitiv — July 31, 2008 @ 2:14 pm
#1, a yid that eats a latka is better than one that does not, providing the yid is not going downhill, heaven forbid. A little light removes a lot of darkness. It is my understanding that no jews are written off and that even the irretrievable ones will be gathered in at the time of Moshiach. Such a jew, again, my understanding, is to be one not as an ahpie kores, but as one who has been kidnapped from his true destiny. It is wonderful that you are a talmid chochum. And it is with deep sincerity I want to thank you, as you are supporting our world spiritually. Not all jews are on such a level and not all talmidei chochomim were originally raised on the correct path. Let Hashem decide the details as there are no two jews the same, yet they are still jews.
Comment by veryinteresting — July 31, 2008 @ 3:12 pm