Followup: Obsession, Aish, Clarion Fund

The Inside Scoop

by Joachim Martillo (ThorsProvoni@aol.com)

 

While I have some knowledge of the early days of Aish haTorah in the USA, my informant became familiar with the organization in Israel.

 

He knew the organization during the 80s when the Israel government gave it two large buildings facing the Haram al-Sharif. Aish fairly quickly expanded its complex to block the view of the Haram from many Jerusalem homes.

 

While the Aish staff at first did not have a particularly Zionist orientation, Aish haTorah as an organization was from the beginning "small z-zionist" (i.e., Zionism-accommodating) because its students were generally raised culturally albeit rarely ideologically Zionist. Such students could not easily be drawn away from Zionist thinking, and the attempt would have driven them away from the Yeshiva. 

 

Thus unlike other Baale Tshuvah (returnee) yeshivas (like Brovenders, Ohr Someah, and Devar Yerushalayim back then), Aish was rather more Zionistic without the full religious nationalism of yeshivas associated with the Mafdal political party or the Benei Akiva movement. 

 

As Aish ha-Torah began serious outreach and fundraising in the USA during the eighties and nineties, its Zionism became more explicit, but it still did not move into the Mafdal camp. It created the model for Birthright Israel with Jerusalem Fellowships targeting non-observant Americans. The program brought a group of Jewish kids to Israel, set up meetings for them with machers in the government and the military, and introduced them to the yeshiva. In order to prevent any challenge or confusion about the message, which is dumbed-down and fundamentalist, the program managers rejected any intelligent Modern Orthodox applicants for the fellowships.

 

Because of founder Noah Weinberg's inclusive philosophy, Aish ha-Torah has some resemblance to Chabad (Lubavitch) outreach.

 

Both organizations are willing to work with Jews on their own terms as long as their enthusiasm about Judaism is sincere.

 

Aish ha-Torah outreach rabbis differ from Chabad שליחים/שלוחים (shlichim/shluchim) by wearing modern non-hasidic garb.

 

Thus the Aish organization seems in many ways close to Mormon and evangelical oureach organizations.

 

To put it nicely, Aish literature and programs are not particularly intellectually challenging. The Aish yeshiva cannot point to any alumnus, who has achieved the status of noteworthy talmid hacham (scholar). Aish likes rich Jewish ignoramuses, and one should not be particularly surprised that the organization was badly hurt when the hi-tech bubble burst -- at least according to one fund-raiser.

 

Aish has long tentacles. It has taken over United Synagogue in Manchester, UK.

 

Support for Israel is a key factor in Aish's outreach and identity as an organization. From the Aish standpoint pro-Israel feeling is part of Jewishness and serves as the means by which Aish rabbis and staff can relate and connect to non-Orthodox Jews. Hasbarah (Zionist propaganda) has become a tool of Aish outreach since the Second Intifada, but there is still some political ambiguity in the organization because of the logic by which it defines genuine Jewishness. When the Union of Progressive Zionists sponsored Breaking the Silence, Aish initially supported this organizations right to remain part of the Israel on Campus Coalition but later back-pedaled because of internal pressure.

 

Note that Aish is not a particularly exceptional phenomenon in Modern Orthodox Judaism. Nowadays the older baale teshuva yeshivas serve modern orthodox Jewish youth as much as they do non-Orthodox Jewish young people. Today, every movement or trend within Orthodoxy has yeshivas targeting Jews with little Jewish education probably because most modern orthodox kids and even haredi kids in the US have deficient Jewish education.

 

Aish haTorah has gotten into trouble because it is the only pro-Israel orthodox movement with centers all over the world. Aish-LA is very big, but the organization is not always successful in its growth efforts. It failed to establish any important presence at Maryland colleges and basically abandoned the state.

 

In the past Aish has avoided controversy because it hurts their image of universal Jewish hospitality.  Also in the past their leaders, organizers and staff evinced no evidence of cynicism. They were simply true-believers, who could not understand how their behavior might upset others. Yet, the right-wing political bent of the current Aish is not surprising especially because the organization seems to have developed so many Christian fundamentalist friends.

 

In general Israel haredim including the leadership has been trending to the right. Once upon a time, Rav Shach forbade his followers to buy over the green line, but such behavior effectively belongs to an almost forgotten "ancient" pre-historical period. 

 

For a Muslim discussion of Aish, click True Talk 09/19/08. The initial segment interviews Alison Weir. At 29'40'' the topic turns to Aish.

 

 

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