“The geopolitical safety of the state of Israel cannot be provided by the Orthodox segment.“
The Interviewee – Joannie Friedman, Producer. I live in Baltimore, Maryland. I’m working on bringing JOSEPHINE to the great white way…a musical based on a period of time in life of Josephine Baker.
In your opinion, what importance, if any, does the existence of a Jewish state have to you personally and to Jewish people in general?
“It is incredibly important to have a JEWISH state because the Jewish intellect has to have a home base.”
Do you feel committed in some way to defend the future existence of Israel?
“Absolutely!”
Do you affiliate yourself with a specific denomination in Judaism? What is your view regarding the dominance of the Orthodox denomination in Israel religious establishment?
“The geopolitical safety of the state of Israel cannot be provided by the Orthodox segment.“
Do you feel morally responsible for Israel’s actions (such as its management of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict)?
“No.”
In your opinion, what is the main thing Israelis fail to understand about the reality of being Jewish outside of Israel?
“We have not had to deal with the terrorism at the same level!”
In your opinion, does Israel have an obligation to defend and help Jewish communities in need?
“Yes.“
Have you ever been to Israel? if you have, can you summarize your impressions from Israel?
“No.“
Can you tell us a bit about the Jewish community in your hometown?
“We have a strong knit JEWISH community even if everyone does not have an affiliation with a synagogue.”
If you could ask the Israeli readers of this project a question, what would it be?
“How can we help?”
