faran haynt veynik yidishe bleter, opgeshvakhte. un fort --- azoy vi a noyte-lemus vert nisht ge|mishp|et farn beys-din-shel-mayle mit keyn farminerter shtrengkayt, punkt af azelkhn um|peshores|dikn oyfn darf men monen bay undzere tsaytshriftn gezunte kep un seykhl|dike meynungen.
me darf zikh bekheyn opshteln af gor a fardrislekhn toes, vos khazer|t zikh iber ober un vider a mol af di shpaltn fun undzere farblibene tribunes.
s'geyt in der ongeyendiker kontroversye in yisroyl iber di gier-gezetsn, un b|klal der ongeveytikter shayle, "ver iz a yid?" s'iz do in dem prat a meynung a vayt-farshpreyte, a falshe, un a far|#eynfakhndike: az nor der ortodoksisher makhne gehert di batseykhenung "frumkayt," un az di konservativer un reform-yidn meg men beydn farmishn vi kashe mit borsht.
s'iz gring tsu farshteyn, far vos di redaktorn fun a tsol yidishe tsaytshrifn zoln azoy farkukn di khilukem tsvishn di farsheydene bavegungen. ershtns iz poshet|er azoy: eyn tsad, di frume; der tsad-shekeneged, di fraye. m'iz fray nor me darf hobn derekh-erets tsu di frume. un azoy vayter---dermit ken men poter vern fun der gantser farplonterter diskusye, vos iz say vi a yisroyl-inyen. vehasheynes, aza meynung ken men gringer tsupasn tsu a veltbanem, vos iz oysformirt gevorn in mizrekh-eyrope---un in vemens gerem es hobn di hayntike bavegungen-ampernishn a gants modne ponem. fun aza kukvinkl iz eygntlekh shver tsu banemen, far vos di "veltelkhe" (eygntlekh di konservativer un reform-yidn) viln zikh farmestn mit di "frume" (der falsher taytsh fun "ortodoksn") afn feld fun giyurem, khasenes, un andere halokhe|she inyonem. oyb m'iz fray, iz men fray, un shoyn. me ken zikh amol lozn funandergeyn mit di "frume" iber filosofishe gemore-makhloykes|n, nor vegn der togteglekher halokhe iz nishto keyn reyd vegn khiluke-deyes|n oyb me rekhnt zikh shoyn tsvishn di frume.
ober aza tsugang, vi shoyn gezogt, iz durkhoys a falsher. frume yidn---vos heyst? di, vos me fleg onrufn erlekhe yidn, vos firn zikh loyt di tsvey ikorem fun halokhe un khesed---gefinen zikh in ale hoypt-shites fun yidishkayt, tsvishn reformer, konservativer, moderne ortodoksn, agude-yidn, khsidem, misnagdem. keyn eyde gehert nisht keyn monopolye af frumkayt. un azoy mit filosofishe korektkayt: bay yeder hoypt-shite iz do a gut antviklte barekhtinung fun ire firungen. di ortodoksn haltn merstns mit a shtrengern tsugang tsu der halokhe eyder di konservativer oder di reformer --- emes. dos iz ober nor an e~r~sh~t~e~r tsugang tsu a genugndiker bashraybung fun di dray shites, vayl di untersheydn zaynen tif, tif, un zaynen zikh soymekh af lang-doyerndike filosofishe traditsyes fun yidishkayt. ver s'vil farshteyn (un bashraybn in artiklen) di dortike lage, muz zikh funanderklaybn in azelkhe untersheydn, on zikh tsu farlozn af di bloyze propagandirerayen fun di rekhte un linke.
di mayse in yisroyl iz ober azoy: eyne a bavegung, di khareyd|ishe, hot zikh derloybt (oder me hot zi b|kivn derloybt nokh baym vigl fun medines-yisroyl) tsu nemen di akhize iber ale halokhe|she inyonem, eygntlekh iber ale religyeze inyonem. zey viln farshrayen zeyer kegner, un dermit aynredn der velt az di halokhe|she yidishkayt ken zayn --- darf zayn --- an eynfakhe, eyn-dimensyedike zakh.
vos zhe dringt ober aroys fun dem emes, vos keyn bavegung tor zikh nisht batseykhenen far der "emes|er yidishkayt"? tsum veynikstns tsvey zakhn. ershtns, darf men oyffirn an efntlekhe diskusye vegn aza filfakhiker yidishkayt, dos heyst in klal-yisroyl, tsvishn ale amerikaner, yisroyl|dike, eyropeishe, un "umetumike" yidn. historiker darfn moydiye vemakhriz zayn, az der yidisher pluralizm iz bay undz a shtendiker fenomen. politiker un yisroyl|im darfn zikh moyde zayn, az di politishe monopolye fun di khareyd|im iz nisht keyn simen fun keyn monopolye in hilkhes yidishkayt --- dos firt oykh tsum umbakvemlekhn fakt, az afile khilonem torn lemanashem nisht poter vern fun der doziker diskusye vegn yidishkayt, oyb zey viln farzikhern an orntlekhe medine-ekzistents. mir in land, d"h amerikaner, darfn derklern yisroyl|im di hoypt-untersheydn tsvishn di hayntike shites yidishkayt.
un der|iker: mir amerikaner yidn darfn zikh oykh umkukn un nemen komunikirn: khsidem un misnagdem, reformer un ortodoksn muzn ale nokhgeyn di trit fun azelkhe mutike firer vi h|rav yits grinberg un zayn klal-fundatsye.
baym antkegnshteln zikh akegn undzer sonem---avade darfn mir akhdes. ober bay zikh in der heym darf men nisht benkn nokh akhdes --- d~o~s iz eygntlekh a falsher tsil vos pretendirt tsu tseshmirn di grenetsn tsvishn glaykh-barekhtikte ideologyes. iz af vos fara fundament bazirt zikh der klal, oyb s'iz nishto keyn monopolye afn emes? oyfn kegnzaytikn derekh-erets, afn ongenumener toyre, afn vayterdikn khiev vider arumtsuredn undzer goyrl als folk un land. keyn shum grupe, keyn shum rov, rabay, oder kahal-tuer hot nisht keyn monopolye af d~e~|m feld.