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An Interesting Correlation between Recent U.S. Visa Restrictions and the 1924 American Immigration Restriction Act

5/1/2020

10 Comments

 
Hamodia's recent article, U.S. Toughens Visa Standards for Israelis, reminds me of a similar dynamic that occurred during Calvin Coolidge's administration.

Coolidge served as America's 30th President during the years 1923-1929.

Despite his strong stance in favor of creating a Jewish state in Eretz Yisrael, and despite that you cannot find one off remark regarding Jews (but can find only either neutral or positive statements with regard to both Jews & Judaism), Coolidge is the President who signed the 1924 Immigration Restriction Act, which is ultimately what blocked Jews from escaping Nazi Europe.

(You can read more about it here: How We Should Really be Responding to Our Politicians)

Because America suffered very real problems from the rampant & acceptable alcoholism prevalent among certain immigrant groups, and because petty crimes and violence associated with gangs and drinking took hold among certain immigrant groups, it's understandable how easy it was for Coolidge's administration to convince him to sign the bill. 

Eugenics was a popular and legitimate science among America's elites at that time. And even though Coolidge was the first president to try & mostly succeed in ridding the U.S. government of KKK members and the like (even if he couldn't completely oust all the people & ideologies embraced by previous administrations), he was still influenced by the elites and the popular science of his time.

But we all know the heart of the ruler is in Hashem's Hand. 

I don't know what this new and highly discriminatory restriction indicates, especially since I'd think that Jews would need to run away from America to Eretz Yisrael. So it's the seeming opposite of the effect in European Jewry's 1930s-40s.

Also, the 1924 Act really affected non-Jews from those countries, only becoming extremely discriminatory toward Jews when Jews desperately needed to escape on those visas.

This recent restriction is particularly Jewish (although there are a great many non-Jewish Israelis theoretically affected by it too).

However, it's impossible to deny the similarity of a an exclusively discriminatory law against Jews (although there are many non-Jewish Israelis too) under the rule of a pro-Israel, Jewishly sympathetic President.

At this point, I don't have any other thoughts or insights about it. Just noting a similarity that doesn't often occur.
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10 Comments
Neshama
5/1/2020 09:22:32

Rabbi Mizrachi said that he hoped they would NOT ease the visa standards for Israelis because if it became easier, thousands of Israelis would flee (desert) ISRAEL to live in America. I say, let the seculars IY”H leave enmasse, so the frum Jews can move in. I know, wishful thinking. But the Rabbi warned, if so, it might open the way for more pales to enter the govt. which might lead to an Arab ruling govt! And there is a (?) that says they will govern Israel for 9 mos. so, we in Israel are in a ‘vise’ right now and must ONLY depend on HKB”H (as always).
So, it might not be a bad move. Interestingly, he also said, the pales are revulted by the immorality of the Jews and the immodesty of the women.

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Myrtle Rising
5/1/2020 11:44:03

These are really interesting & pertinent points, Neshama.

BTW, regarding the 9-months takeover...I always heard that in regard to them taking over the entire world for 9 months (and not specifically Eretz Yisrael only), which they've been doing so via culture & by manipulating the values of Western cultures against themselves, rendering their new host countries helpless to protect themselves.

Not all, of course. There are some nice exceptions like the woman who stood up against harassment of Jews on the train. But in general, they're taking over Europe.

They've always had a certain power in prayer. But we could easily overcome with the power of our own prayers if we would really put our hearts into it. (And some of us do, but most of us need to invest more.)

Thank you for all this, Neshama.

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elisheva
5/1/2020 22:54:20

The merit they had to hold Eretz Yisrael (for their incomplete brit milah) came to an end in 1948. The nine month period refers to the whole world, which as you say may have already happened.

(I am rather surprised that you correlated these two very different situations in any way.)

A few years ago in a live broadcast English shiur Rav Ginzburg said that Moshiach was born in 1948, so Be"D he is nearly 72, and will soon rise to gedula.



Myrtle Rising
5/1/2020 23:48:36

B'ezrat Hashem, Mashiach will come already. Thanks for the information from Rav Ginzberg's shiur, as I had not heard that particular point.

And I truly hope that all Jews merit becoming fully shomer Torah & mitzvot wherever they are, as that is the main thing.

"Just one Shabbos and we'll all be free!"

Also, this is a little thing, but just to prevent any possible misunderstanding of my thinking: I don't think the takeover may have already happened, but rather the process is clearly in motion (and that it's mostly occurring through culture rather than a military, which is different than I expected) and I definitely believe there is more to go to reach the predicted point.

(Just for example: Their influence in America, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia is growing, but still nowhere near what it is in France or England – and England still isn't as influenced as France. Oh, and are places like Ireland or Scotland feeling it all? I haven't heard anything to indicate that, but I'm not up-to-date on those countries and am open to being corrected.)

Having said that, it's just my thinking and I don't know how exactly it was defined by Chazal.

Okay, thanks.

elisheva
5/1/2020 22:38:11

Your zero-sum game is miscalculated. No-one in Israel is stopping our frum brothers and sisters in exile from making aliya. We beg them to come, or at least to encourage others to do so, and even for this we are rebuked by them.

Every Jew has their nachala in Eretz Yisrael and wishing for Jews to remain in or to go to exile, means that you do not wish for the geula shleima. B"D there is a huge amount of tshuva taking place in Israel and most so-called secular Jews are hardly that (I'm not talking about the Ultra Left who are a small minority). Hashem wants them to come closer to Him, not further away, so no, not "IYH let them them leave". If we are going to invoke Hashem's name let it be to say that may Hashem bring all of Am Yisrael close to Him spiritually and physically (to the Land of Israel) and may everyone else leave en mass and post-haste.

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elisheva
6/1/2020 15:52:45

"... fully shomer Torah & mitzvot wherever they are, as that is the main thing."

Fully keeping the Torah means that Be"D we will return to our former spiritual greatness as individuals and as a united nation in our own land, not am mfuzar umefurad. I've recently started listening to Rav Arik Neve, who talks about how we have lost so much of our spiritual tradition, that all we are left with today is lamdanut (and I would add and thus are not really in touch with what spiritual greatness means.)

Living in EY is not an optional extra but the only place in the world where we can truly keep the Torah both as individuals and as a nation. Jews all over the world opening their hearts to Hashem is a wonderful start, but not the end. Every day we pray to Hashem to bring all the Jews home, so how can we be indifferent to leaving them in their exile?

elisheva
6/1/2020 16:04:21

The "takeover" does not necessarily mean political and military control in the traditional sense, but in the way you describe: France, a country in which one can kill Jews with legal impunity, and which has hundreds of "zones urbaines sensibles" aka no-go areas for French Police is a Moslem controlled country. The UK in which Muslim gangs have for decades been treating young white girls as kafir women to put it delicately and whose authorities refused to intervene to protect these girls, but did get tough, very tough, on anyone reporting on the issue is a Muslim country. Less au fait with Scotland or Ireland, but know that they are both infected with Israel hatred, so probably similar.

Myrtle Rising
6/1/2020 17:23:08

Hi, Elisheva,

While I personally was influenced to fully embrace Torah by a visit to Eretz Yisrael, and particularly the Kotel, I cannot help noticing that this has not had the same impact on a great many other Jews.

Yes, many people have come to embrace full Torah observance because of Eretz Yisrael, but it clearly has not had that effect on the majority. And some people even drop observance after coming to Eretz Yisrael.

We're really defined by our Shabbat observance, rather than where we live.

Just to emphasize that point: People who start keeping Shabbat do not drop other mitzvot. I don't think I've ever heard of a shomer kashurt dropping kashrut when they started observing Shabbat, for example. On the contrary, I think we've seen that those who take on Shabbat often increase their overall mitzvah-observance.

This is not automatically the case with those who settle in Eretz Yisrael.

Also, we know that until Mashiach comes, Eretz Yisrael is still within Exile. The Shechinah is in Exile, albeit you are closer to her within Eretz Yisrael, and especially the Kotel, than anywhere else as far as I understand.

If Jews all over the world would truly open their hearts to Torah, THAT would bring Mashiach, end the Exile, and cause the real and complete Ingathering.
______

Anyway, the mitzvah observance is of great concern to me because this Land vomits out her inhabitants when those inhabitants don't toe the line.

Transgressions within Eretz Yisrael have caused ousting from our Land before and can do so again, chas v'shalom. It certainly causes terror.

The Pele Yoetz stated that it's even more vital to keep mitzvot in Eretz Yisrael.

Because of this, I don't see a secular aliyah as ideal (unless, of course, it leads to teshuvah).

I realize that some people disagree with me about this point, but those are the reasons for my opinion.

In fact, intermarriage within Eretz Yisrael has become a problem (likely you already know, but just for the point of discussion & for whoever else is reading this...) because you have Hebrew-speaking Russian & Ethiopian non-Jews familiar and comfortable with the basics of Jewish observance, and I've seen how this blurs the boundaries for many Jews in Israel – including the more tepid among the dati Israelis.

Referring to the post following this one (http://www.myrtlerising.com/blog/the-major-lessons-we-can-learn-from-the-story-including-the-agenda-driven-portrayal-of-the-story-of-jack-oskar-the-identical-twins-raised-apart-in-vastly-different-circumstances):

It's an interesting question whether the Jewish American girl on the kibbutz would have married a non-Jew (Jack Yufe) had she remained in the US. She obviously cared about Jewish identity & commitment. At that time in the US, non-Jews did not identify as or behave like Jews. American intermarriage was less common in the Fifties.

I realize this is hypothetical and who can know for sure? But the indications are there.
_____

I don't deny that the current ingathering is part of the Geula process, and the way the actual Land is thriving under religious Jewish growth, plus the fact that it is easier to live here than ever before (both religiously and practically) – this all indicates to me ratzon Hashem & a part of the Geula process.

However, what I get from Chazal and our modern-day talmidei chachamim is the urgent need to warm up our Jewish hearts, to increase and deepen our mitzvah-observance, and to disconnect from all aspects of non-Jewish culture wherever we are.

Thanks for the opportunity to discuss this.

I do want to add that your passion for living a Torah life in Eretz Yisrael really resonates with me, and I appreciate your dedication as it adds to all our merits.

elisheva
7/1/2020 01:04:43

HI MR, even in a state of exile, it is still Eretz HaKodesh. Ezrah and Nechemiah had to deal with a "secular" aliya, business on shabbat, intermarriage etc. There are many challenges, but I would prefer Jews, all Jews to make aliya, and be safe in Israel, than remain in chul where they will be exposed to the increasing dangers. It just seems to be very obvious that Hashem is ending the exile and bringing the Shechina home to Eretz Yisrael. This is why increasingly EY will be the safe place and the exile will be dangerous.Yet most Jews, including the frum ones, seem to be oblivious. Obviously keeping Torah and Mitzvot is very important but it is not enough. The 80% who stayed in Mitzrayim were tsadikim "enslaved to the material". (the literal language of the pasuk, not a perush.

It's late now, I need to read what you wrote again another time.

Reply
Myrtle Rising
7/1/2020 12:22:01

That's fine, Elisheva; no problem.

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    I'm a middle-aged housewife and mother in Eretz Yisrael who likes to read and write a lot.


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