Don't give up on the Diaspora

In these contentious days, fraught with disputes over prayers at the Western Wall and guidelines governing conversion to Judaism, relations between Israel and U.S. Jewry are in the throes of deep crisis, unlike anything in recent memory.

This is not a crisis that can be ignored. The bond between the Jews in Zion and the Jews in the Diaspora, which began even before the establishment of the State of Israel, and Diaspora Jews' unwavering support, are at the foundation of the state and its continued existence over the years.

Without taking into account last week's events, this bond has withstood difficult challenges over the past decades. U.S. Jewry is gradually assimilating into America. More than half of American Jews marry someone who is not Jewish, and an ever-decreasing number of Jews visit Israel regularly. It is no coincidence that programs such as Taglit-Birthright Israel and Masa have been established. These programs are designed to perpetuate the link to Israel among young Diaspora Jews. They are founded on the realization that unless we take responsibility, these things won't happen on their own.

During my time as chairman of the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization, I became aware of the great importance of the Diaspora community and its support of Israeli policy as well as the exceptional efforts made by the pro-Israel U.S. lobby AIPAC. The Diaspora Jewish community promotes many initiatives and projects in Israel. These initiatives would never come to be without the Jewish community's generosity and without its affection for the state. This is a bond that we cannot afford to lose.

If the Jewish people want to survive, we cannot turn our backs on a third of ourselves over some internal dispute, as important as it may be. Anyone who thinks I may be exaggerating is welcome to view the excellent series produced by journalist Yoav Limor recently, which emphasizes the difficulties in maintaining the bond between U.S. Jews and Israel, even before the current crisis.

The State of Israel, through its leaders and representatives, must speak with leaders in the American Jewish community. The Western Wall issue and the conversion issue are important problems for every Jew, whether he or she is in Israel or abroad. These are not the usual internal issues that are only relevant for residents of Israel. The State of Israel, more than just another sovereign state, is above all the home of every Jewish son or daughter, wherever he or she may live. We must therefore sit around the debate table in a respectful manner and resolve this crisis gently and with sensitivity.

I remind the heads of the ultra-Orthodox factions in the Knesset that internal disputes are what caused a rift among the Jewish people and led to the destruction of the Second Temple 2,000 years ago. Currently, the best thing to do is to allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to try to control the damage that has already been done and protect the unity of the Jewish people, who, after thousands of years of exile, established the State of Israel together as a Jewish and democratic state.

Zeev Bielski is the mayor of Raanana and was the head of the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization from 2005 to 2009.