The chapter neatly captures the fundamental tension running throughout all the accomplishments of the Shivat Tzion community. While the people’s achievements are remarkable, it is always a struggle, achieved against the backdrop of the significant challenges plaguing the community.
The Jewish return to Zion seventy years after the destruction is nothing short of miraculous. Still, fewer than 50,000 people in total returned, most of whom were lacking in means, leaving the community undermanned and lacking in resources to fend for itself.
The glaring gaps in the community’s genealogical records speak directly to some of the key challenges facing the community: intermarriage, mass ignorance, and the concomitant need to establish religious bona fides.
