Why Apologize?

Is Rav Yitzhak Yosef’s statement that thousands of non-Jewish immigrants from the FSU are hostile to Judaism really a reason for moral outrage?

Sephardic chief rabbi Rav Yitzhak Yosef’s statement last week about immigration from the former Soviet Union caused a predictable uproar. Calls for his resignation and demands that he retract his words and apologize came fast and furious. But he was right.

What triggered the outrage? The Rishon Letzion dared to mention the fact that among the million immigrants to Israel from the former Soviet Union are a significant number of non-Jews whose entry was facilitated by the secular establishment and its highly liberal interpretation of the Law of Return. (Under the current law, having one Jewish grandfather is a satisfactory condition for a non-Jew to become an automatic citizen with full aliyah benefits, and many thousands of non-Jews from the FSU have come to Israel under that clause.) Rav Yosef cited this fact as an important contributing cause of assimilation within the State of Israel.

Unsurprisingly, attacks from the anti-religious left and the mainstream media swiftly followed: How dare he talk that way about a great wave of aliyah? About a huge influx of immigrants who bound their fate with Zionism and the people of Israel, pay taxes and serve in the army? About loyal citizens who have brought great benefit to the country? He ought to step down! We demand an apology!