Diaspora Jews are not traitors for staying where they are. History shows they move when the world shifts; and Israel must be ready when that moment comes.

Hearing the Call in a Changing World

Haggai Segal’s recent argument in Makor Rishon; labeling American Jews who have not made Aliyah as “traitors” struck a nerve across the Jewish world. His frustration is understandable: Israel is the national home of the Jewish people, and the desire to see more Jews return is rooted in love, not hostility. But framing Diaspora Jews as disloyal misses the deeper historical pattern, the spiritual dimension of Jewish return, and the lived reality of communities abroad.

This is not a rebuttal to Segal. It is another way of seeing the moment we are in; one grounded in Jewish history, in the themes I explored in A Call to Readiness and Before the Storm, and in the recognition that while Jews are indeed being called home, that call must be heard, not forced.

Across the Jewish world, something is shifting. You can feel it in conversations, in synagogues, on campuses, and in community meetings. There is a growing sense that the world is entering a period of volatility that will test Jewish communities everywhere. This is the “call to readiness.” It is not a call to panic. It is not a call to flee. It is a call to awareness, a spiritual and historical awakening.

A Return That Unfolds in Its Own Time

The Bible speaks of such moments: I will bring you back from the lands to which I have scattered you – (Jeremiah 29:14). You will return to the Lord your God… and He will gather you from all the nations – (Deuteronomy 30:2–3). These verses are not ultimatums. They are promises. They describe a process, not a command; a return that unfolds in its own time, shaped by history, circumstance, and the quiet awakening of a people.

Aliyah has always been a deeply personal decision. To demand that millions uproot their lives on a fixed ideological schedule is to misunderstand human nature, and Jewish destiny. Jews do not move because they are scolded. They move because the world shifts beneath them.

The Rhythm of Jewish History

Jewish history does not unfold in straight lines; it moves in cycles. A community settles in a new land, contributes, thrives, and becomes woven........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)