Orthodox Conundrum
Orthodox Conundrum

Why Good Intentions About Aliyah Often Backfire, with Rabbi Efrem Goldberg (289)

May 4, 2026

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5 min read

Why Good Intentions About Aliyah Often Backfire

Rabbi Efrem Goldberg, senior rabbi of the largest Orthodox synagogue in the southeastern United States, has a confession: he thinks about aliyah daily, has siblings and children living in Israel, and leads a community that celebrates families making the move. Yet he wrote an article arguing that many who promote aliyah are pushing people away instead of drawing them closer. The problem is not their sincerity, he insists, but their methodology. And the distinction matters far beyond the question of moving to Israel.

The Difference Between Inspiring and Weaponizing

Goldberg identifies a pattern that extends well beyond aliyah. When people adopt something valuable—healthy eating, greater religious observance, a political commitment—some share their experience in a way that inspires others to join them. Others weaponize it. They cannot understand why everyone does not do what they do, when they do it, how they do it. They criticize, call names, and push people out rather than drawing them in.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:00) **Intro & the Core Problem** - Rabbi Goldberg opens with a stark contrast: shaming people about Aliyah vs. inviting them to experience it, and which approach actually gets results.
  • 2 (01:10) **Episode Framing & Guest Introduction** - Scott Kahn introduces Rabbi Efrem Goldberg and the core question of the conversation.
  • 3 (04:49) **The Weaponization of Virtue** - Rabbi Goldberg explains the broader phenomenon behind his article, using Aliyah as a key example of a universal problem.
  • 4 (08:03) **Inherent Flaw vs. Ineffective Method** - The host asks if the problem is the condescending attitude itself or simply that it doesn't work.
  • 5 (12:14) **The "Ship is Sinking" Argument Debunked** - The host plays devil's advocate, comparing the urgency to the pre-Nazi era, and Rabbi Goldberg dismantles the safety argument.
  • 6 (15:20) **The Pain Behind the Condescension** - The host suggests that the harsh attitude may stem from the deep pain and sacrifice of those who have already made Aliyah.
  • 7 (18:57) **Listening as a Tool for Connection** - The host shares a story about an open house where he listened to why people weren't visiting Israel, discovering practical reasons like high prices.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Scott Kahn

Show Notes

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Why do some of our most deeply held truths end up pushing people away instead of drawing them closer?

It's a question that comes up in all areas of religious life, but it becomes especially charged when we talk about aliyah. Few topics generate as much passion, and sometimes as much frustration, as the question of whether Jews living outside of Israel should move, and how people who sincerely believe that the answer is yes, should convey that message.

Rabbi Efrem Goldberg argues that we need to carefully consider what we promote, and the way that we promote it. Even when we are right, we can still be ineffective, and sometimes even counterproductive.

In this candid conversation, we examine how aliyah is often promoted, why certain approaches can alienate rather than inspire, and how some of Chazal's tough statements about those who do not make aliya should be interpreted today. We also ask whether there are legitimate reasons not to make aliyah, and what it really means to struggle seriously with that question, and whether someone's Judaism is lacking if he or she fails to consider aliya at all.

From there, we widen the lens to explore a growing disconnect between Israeli and American Jews. We talk about questions of sacrifice, gratitude, and misunderstanding, and how the events of the past two and a half years have reshaped the conversation in ways that many of us are still trying to process.

At its core, this episode asks a simple but difficult question. Do we want to be right, or do we want to be effective?

To read Rabbi Goldberg's article, "Are you trying to inspire... but pushing people away?" click here.

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