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Judaism:

Jewish People Unite

About Us

Welcome. This site was spurred into existence by the tragedy in Mumbai. The victims were chained together and tortured and then killed. Those who died were from two different chassidic sects, Israeli Jews, and American Jews - a full spectrum of observance. Tragedy in Mumbai

Jewish People Unite is one individual's efforts in cooperation with a project of www.aish.com. The goal is Jewish unity, for building bridges and bonds between Jews and between Jewish communities. Judaism: Aish.Com To understand how Jewish People Unite is designed to foster these bridges and bonds given so much diversity, please take the time to read Tragedy in Mumbai Every Jew is linked to another Jew. We are described as one body, with all of our differences the same as the differences between a strand of hair and a toenail. Spiritually, we are considered one people. In the way described in Tragedy in Mumbai, it is the soul of each individual that is connected together as our people. That is, in realizing that each of us has a part beyond our intelligence that accounts for our lives (which let's agree to call the soul), and in understanding that the soul of the Jewish People is One in the eyes of the Creator, the importance of removing baseless hatred comes to light. If we are attached in this mystical way, we understand that we cannot say something or do something to another Jew that we are not doing to ourselves.

Yet in our day, the differences between us are complicated by defending our differences with emotions and feelings that are harming us. This is due to the tremendous domain that the yetzer hara,the evil inclination, has in today's world. (Please see the page on Spirituality to find out more about the Yetzer Hara - the primary antidote to it is Torah learning.) On Yom Kippur, all of our confessions are "We". Collectively, we are One People. If I stub my toe and am in pain, I do not chop off my toe with my hand. It makes no sense to do that to myself. In the same way, the Jewish people are connected and division and baseless hatred amongst us is equally as futile because in the Creator's eyes, we are one.

Rabbi Mattisyahu Salomon, the Rosh HaYeshiva in Lakewood, in his Tisha B'Av lecture told us that to be redeemed we only have to repair the cause of the destruction of the Second Temple, which is baseless hatred. Not more. Just repair it.

Given all the different ways Jews hold in our day, how will we accomplish this? We may not come to an agreement on how we hold; however, we can come to an agreement on how to see each other and create from one Jew to another, friendship. How do we speak to each other?

In Gateway to Happiness, Rabbi Pliskin, in his chapter on friendship (page 141) says:

"Essential to getting along with other people is being able to see things from their point of view even if you disagree with them. When dealing with someone, try to see how he perceives the situation. For example, Rabbi Yisroel Salanter (cited in Michtav MeiEliyahu, Vol 1,. p.99P said taking away a broken box from a child is similar to sinking the boat of an adult. To a child, his box is his boat and in dealing with him you have an obligation to understand how he views things. Though difficult to mater, this skill is crucial to obtain. Realize that no two people view things exactly the same way. Being aware of how someone else perceives a matter will decrease the changes that you will quarrel with him even though you might disagree."

To understand human nature in disputes: Machlokes (Personal Disputes) Page at Jewish People Unite

The Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation posted Rabbi Wachsman’s speech “The Current Situation Affecting Klal Israel” given at a special Kinnus Hisorirus held after the Mumbai Massacre that eloquently makes the point about the need for achdus, Jewish unity: Rabbi Wachsman on Jewish Unity

The author is a Baales Teshuva, a returnee to observance. My journey began in 1981 with the loss of my father. My father was born in Berlin and came here just before the war after his Bar Mitvah. As soon as he was old enough, he enlisted in the army and went to fight in World War II. I was born shortly after the war ended.

I grew up in the Conservative movement and have proceeded since then to traditional observance.

My writings and opinions are from that perspective.

Interested in the one Jew to another Jew connection to move us toward Jewish unity? Please complete the form below:

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