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Billionaire philanthropist Michael Steinhardt delivered a bold speech indicting Jewish leadership for not doing enough on Monday. The speech came at an event touting a study claiming Birthright Israel, which was founded in part by Steinhardt, has done quite achieved quite a lot to combat intermarriage. More on the study is in this week’s newscast.
Here’s a video we thought the Frum Satire audience in particular might enjoy, from this week’s newscast.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
well I went on birthrite and it didn’t work for me.
What I did do on birthrite was get drunk for the first time, witness someone smoking pot for the first time, and got my first non-ear piercing. good times!
Birthright is the answer to assimilation? Ha!
First of all, I suggest this clown and his audience put on some kippahs if they are going to criticize assimilation, that’s obviously a “no brainer”.
Next, I suggest that birthright removes silly parts of their curriculum such as visiting bedouins. I has nothing to do with Judaism or Israel. They can replace them with visitng places like Kever Rachel and Mearat hamachpela instead, of course their to wimpy to do that lest they anger our crazy cousins (at least last time I visited in 2003, smack during the middle of the intifada).
If this rich dude is seriously concerned about assimilation, he’s better off funding yeshivas and outreach groups like Chabad, Aish, etc.
Agreed! mostly
I’ll agree with much of the above, but Birthright also makes non-affiliated Jews proud to be Jewish for a change. It sends guys and girls to Israel for free, when they’d otherwise have minimal means of connecting to their heritage. Jewish kids who are used to hiding their identity are free to be among their own for a while, and they realize that Judaism is nothing to hide from. Overall, I don’t think we should suggest it’s a bad program.
I wasn’t trying to knock birthright, I think it’s a great idea. But when this guy starts touting it as the answer to assimilation, I think he’s completely off.
Even Jews in Israel are assimilated, doesn’t help when Birthright prioritizes visiting bedouins to drink tea and smoke nargilas over visiting our holy places.
WHY MEN ARE THE WAY THEY ARE