In Whippany visit, Israeli military students get primer on American Jewish life

by Robert Wiener
NJJN Staff Writer

Thirty high-ranking officers of the Israel Defense Forces and Israel’s intelligence services toured the Alex Aidekman Family Jewish Community Campus in Whippany as part of a nine-day field trip to the United States.

The visitors, students and staff at Israel’s National Defense College, were briefed on the work of the United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ and its network of social service and educational agencies. Following a luncheon at MetroWest, the group headed to New Brunswick for a meeting with members of the Rutgers University Hillel chapter.

The goal of the visit was to introduce the future military and political leadership of Israel to American Jewish life, according to Rabbi Noam Marans, associate national director of American Jewish Committee’s Contemporary Jewish Life Department, which sponsored the Israelis’ visit.

The visit has “a basic premise,” said Marans. “If you believe the future of Israel’s security depends in part upon American largesse and American influence and if you believe that American Jews are a very important part of that influence, then you should believe that Israel needs to understand American Jewry better.”

“We are dedicated to getting to know Jewish life in the States,” said Brigadier General Joseph Ben-Ari, a member of the faculty. “We surely consider Judaism all around the world an important basis for the Israel national situation. Our national security involves the understanding of what is the Jewish community abroad and especially in the United States.”

Also on the visitors’ itinerary were visits to the AJC’s annual meeting in Washington and a seminar with American State and Defense Department officials.

“We will discuss issues very relevant today like the Iraqi issue and Iran and North Korea, the future disengagement and people in the States getting to know the workings of the Israelis,” said Ben-Ari.

“I would say the North Korea issue is a challenge for the United States but I don’t see Israel getting involved in any way,” he told NJ Jewish News. “Israel is very upset about Iran achieving nuclear military capabilities. It looks as though they are very determined to do so, and it looks like neither the U.S. nor the world community is able to push them to the corner in a way that would stop it. So, this is an ongoing business.”

Robert Wiener can be reached at rwiener@njjewishnews.com.