By the Grace of G-d 9th of Teveth, 5738 Brooklyn, N.Y.

Greeting and Blessing:

This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter requesting an interview in connection with your writing a book on the problem of “assimilation.”

In keeping with a long established policy - for obvious reasons - of not granting interviews, I regret that no exception can be made, since it would be unfair to many others whose similar requests must be turned down.

However, inasmuch as everything is by hashgacha pratit (particular Divine Providence), I will avail myself of the opportunity to convey to you some thoughts on the subject.

As you rightly note in your letter, the root of the problem faced by many of the younger generation is their having been brought up without the benefit of Jewish education, often in complete ignorance of the eternal values of the Torah and mitzvos and Jewish way of life. Hence, the only way to combat assimilation is to help these disadvantaged young people rediscover their true Jewish identity through personal commitment to Torah and mitzvos in the everyday life, while strengthening the cause of Torah-true Jewish education in general.

The key to rediscovering Jewish identity is - to begin with actual performance of mitzvos, concurrent with Jewish knowledge. It should be emphasized that the performance of mitzvos must not be predicated on prior knowledge of their inner profound significance, for in Judaism, particularly, the “essential thing is the deed.” Besides, to reverse this order would be a long and tedious road, and it would simply be a pity to lose all that time.

The success of the said approach has also been amply verified by the numbers of young Jewish men and women who have been helped to rediscover themselves in this way. It has also confirmed the truth of the rule that no Jew should ever be given up as lost, G-d forbid.

Moreover, everyone who is conscious of this problem, and of the plight of the many young Jews who are aimlessly seeking some meaning in life, can do much to help them by guiding them to their true essence as Jews, for no Jew can be truly happy if his or her daily life does not accord with their essence.

Needless to say, since the Torah and mitzvos have been given by G-d for each and every Jew at all times and in all places, G-d has also provided everyone with the strength and capacity to order one’s life in accordance with His will; it would be illogical to assume otherwise. Hence, whatever one’s background and life-style has been in the past, a human being in general, and a Jew in particular, has the capacity to start a new life, even if it entails radical change. Thus, in the final analysis, it is mainly a matter of one’s own will and determination.

Some well-meaning people mistakenly think that if a person who is far removed from actual Jewish experience be told the full implications of Torah-true Judaism, such person may be frightened to attempt a comeback. Consequently they think that by “lightening the burden” through offering a compromised or watered down Judaism they will attract more young people to the fold. The truth of the matter is just the opposite. Aside from the fact that the truth of Toras Emes cannot be compromised - for any compromise of truth is no truth at all, the very misrepresentation will sooner or later, and much sooner than later, turn off the victims of such misrepresentation. Plain honesty dictates that the candidate for a return to Judaism be told what Torah-Yiddishkeit expects of him and her. If the candidate cannot as yet find the strength to observe all the 613 mitzvos, or circumstances make it difficult for him or her to observe certain mitzvos, he or she should be encouraged to begin observing what they can as a step to ultimate total commitment. And, as our Rabbis assure us, “One mitzvah leads to another,” so that steady progress in the right direction is assured. All the more so when the proper environment is found wherein one can observe the mitzvos in the fullest measure.

As mentioned, experience has shown that where the approach has been honest and sincere it found a ready response, especially among the younger generation, particularly in the present day and age, when young people are constantly showing that they are not afraid of a challenge as long as they are convinced that what they are offered is the authentic truth, and the full truth.

Much more can be said on the above points and guidelines, but I trust it is sufficient for the wise.

With blessing,