America vs Israel: The Debate Every Jew Needs to Hear.
Meaningful People
Meaningful Minute
4.8 • 1.9K Ratings
🗓️ 6 December 2025
⏱️ 75 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this powerful and eye-opening episode, we sit down with Rabbi Elchanan Shoff (Los Angeles, USA) and Rabbi Michal Weichbrod (Yehuda, Israel) for a rare, honest, and passionate conversation about one of the most charged topics in the Jewish world today:
Do Jews belong in America—or is it time to move to Eretz Yisrael?
Together, they dive into:
🇺🇸 The spiritual role of Jews in America
🇮🇱 The mitzvah and meaning of living in Israel
🧠 How to make decisions based on Torah, not fear
👨👩👧👦 Raising children, chinuch, army service, and communal responsibility
📜 What Chazal, Rishonim, and Gedolim really say about Aliyah
🔥 The tension between idealism and practical reality
This is not a political debate. It's a deep, thoughtful exploration of Hashem's ratzon, Jewish destiny, and how to live a life of purpose in today's world.
If you care about Klal Yisrael, if you've ever wondered about Aliyah, or if you just want to hear two sincere, passionate voices hash out a big question—this episode is for you.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Living anywhere outside of Eritzsorel is a punishment. Nobody should want to stay in that punishment zone. |
| 0:05.0 | Hashem is helping the Jews in America right now by raising the levels of anti-Semitism to be able to help escort the Jews out. You believe that every Jew living in America should be living in Israel. Somebody who lives outside of Eritzisr al-Israel, it's as if he serves a Vida Zair. How do you explain the lobavitraed in motion, fine, seeing, and the soccer? |
| 0:22.1 | Can you explain it? |
| 0:23.6 | Do you have to Labaratry? I'm going to Moshefyanse and the Sādra. |
| 0:21.5 | Um, the Sartre... |
| 0:22.8 | Can you explain to her? |
| 0:23.6 | Do you have to say, I disagree with them? |
| 0:25.4 | They made a mistake. |
| 0:26.0 | Were they all just wrong? Hashem made it clear to us that the right place for the Jewish people to live is in Eritu Seraal. Meet Mikhail Weikbad, born in Brooklyn now living in the West Bank. |
| 0:35.2 | He believes that living outside of Eritzeral is nothing less than a spiritual crisis for the Jewish people. |
| 0:40.4 | And meet Rabbi Al-Qadhan Shah. in Brooklyn are now living in the West Bank. He believes that living outside of Erit-Saharl is nothing less than a spiritual crisis for the Jewish people. |
| 0:40.3 | And meet Rabbi al-Han Shah, a rabbi in Los Angeles and a community leader who believes that serving Hashem means facing real-world responsibility, not ideology alone. |
| 0:49.3 | One says Jews must leave America now. |
| 0:51.3 | The other says faith must account for children, health, stability, and real life. This is not a debate about politics. This is a debate about obligation, |
| 0:58.8 | sacrifice, and where a Jew truly belongs. For Americans who move to Israel, there is no pattern |
| 1:05.6 | that I can find that explains, here's how you join this world. It becomes extremely challenging for an American to find their place. |
| 1:12.6 | People who uproot their children midway have very disastrous consequences. |
| 1:16.6 | We are living with such a gullas mentality. |
| 1:18.6 | This very, very weak, fragile mentality. |
| 1:21.6 | Many of them have sons who are 15, 16 years old. |
| 1:24.6 | It's very likely that they move there and their boys will be drafted into the army. |
| 1:28.7 | Would you still tell them, nevertheless, make Aliyah? If you want to yes or no, I would say yes, make Alia. Even if he goes there, make Alia and make it work. Quickly right before we get this episode, I know this might bother you. This episode might bother you depending on what you believe, but that's okay. hard discussions is kind of what we want to bring out here and say you might disagree with each other |
... |
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