Diaspora Zionism should move beyond sentiment to responsibility, showing the next generation how to wield influence, defend survival, and act with moral clarity.
The diaspora has dangerously allowed itself to be cushioned by some years of comfort and achievement that was overlooked by the far right and progressive left as long as it didn’t clash with their political and religious sensibilities. While being insular isn’t the answer, being strong and loud and unyielding in the face of hate is. We need to be doctors and lawyers, police and politicians, athletes and teachers - and all be prepared to defend each other and ourselves. Complacency and hope won’t help us. We must learn to defend ourselves physically - and mentally. Being a great doctor won’t help you when someone wants to harm you. Realty can be dangerous, we must be equally as so.
‘The Diaspora does not face Israel’s security dilemmas’ you write. This is wrong because we do now. Nazis have taken over parts of the Security Services here in the United Kingdom and have been attacking Jews on behalf of The State for many years now. The Hard Right, much of it AntiSemitic is about to take power. The niceties of Loyalty debates now give way to the facts of survival.
Adulthood, or maturity, as I prefer to call it, requires objectivity. There is nothing in the world wrong with acknowledging that you might not agree with every single thing about a movement, but that you support it nonetheless. Very few people seem able or willing to this today, especially when Zionism is the issue.
By way of analogy, the Diaspora is like the Jewish parents from another generation to Israel, a younger, stronger, and more aggressive young person taking the world on without fear. The parents think they have the wisdom to judge and/or invalidate the young person, simply because they are older, but they often are naive in matters where their child is very experienced. The Diaspora, despite having preceded Israel in time, and suffered their own scars and losses, is far better served by respecting Israel, and not by piling on the criticism so that their social circles will accept them better.
As a lover of Israel, and a pr professional, I have seen Israel go from having articulate, moral incredible responses to wars and challenges to an IDF that won't talk to reporters, or isn't available when it matters. Or be so combative that I as a supporter i am left frustrated that an opportunity to shape that narrative is lost.
As global antisemitism is growing from the left and right, articulating our vision and values to our communities and the world is vital. Dialogue is wonderful. We help shape the narrative that is told about us. We have allies to keep close.
Israelis understandably do not trust the western media which has never given Israel a fair shake. In fact, it has been downright unrelentingly hostile and accusatory. They won't talk to reporters because whatever the IDF says will be spun or dismissed. Meanwhile the same media takes at face value whatever is fed to them by hamas.
Pardon the length of the comment, but the essay merits such are response.
"Zionism was born in the Diaspora as a response to Jewish powerlessness, not as an Israeli identity project."
One wonders, which aspect of Zionism is being referred to here. The acknowledgment of Political Zionism implies a recognition that.there may be many forms. The author noted everal, such as Cultural Zionism, Labour Zionism, and Revisionist Zionism, but there is more, much more.
Consider the following imperfect and incomplete additional faces of Zionism
Religious Zionism: going back over 3,000 years, beginning with Abraham's longing for the Land God promised him and his descendants. This Zionism embodies the Jewish yearning for our Promised Land, a yearning which has continued unbroken throughout Jewish history both within and outside our ancestral homeland;
National Zionism: reclaiming from multiple colonial / settler / apartheid conquerors, unceded Jewish territory;
the aforementioned Political Zionism: the drive to create a nation state in the Jews’ historical, ancestral homeland and then fight over how executive, legislative and judicial powers are to divided, the polity it should assume: Socialist, Communist, Liberal Democracy à la Europe and America, Other?), the Electoral Structure it should take, such as One Party, Two Party, multi-party rule, first-past-the-post, ranked-choice, voting proportional representation, and so on;
Economic Zionism: the economy run on laissez fair-ism, mixed private and state ownership of socialism, state controlled production of communist principles, or modified state control through tariffs and rules governing production, marketing, labour practices, etc.
"Diaspora Jews built the institutions that made Zionism real" is an oversimplification too many Diasporic and Israeli Jews as well subscribe to, something our enemies gleefully exploit by attacking it as merely a "project," something that can be abandoned, and even more egregiously, as an illegitimate project, something that needs to be dismantled ASAP."
"[Existential imperative] after October 7th does not begin with questioning Jewish legitimacy, nor does it end with pretending that power carries no cost. It begins with naming enemies honestly, defending Jewish survival without apology, and refusing to allow Jewish ethics to be rewritten by those who deny Jewish peoplehood altogether. That goes for non-Jews and Jews alike."
Excellent summation of reality pertaining one people that no others need to confront.
"In today’s Diaspora environment, critique is often rewarded."
Critique is one thing: criticism is another. What is being rewarded is not critique but criticism.
"Diaspora Zionism . . . . was always a set of competing moral and political traditions, each offering different answers to the problem of Jewish power."
To address the latter point first, "Jewish power," the issue is not Jewish power but Jewish survival, something that is never questioned for other peoples under existential threat, like Ukrainians about Ukraine. Deflecting the focus to so-called Jewish power gives ammunition to those attempting to demonize Jews as wielders of power bent of destroying the Innocent.
To the fore=mer point, since '48, Diaspora Jews either are keenly aware or keep safely tucked away at the back of their minds, that if worst came to worst ('30s on fast redial), they have a place to go that would protect their skinny little heinies.
I think I would agree if I could understand what you are saying (writing). I guess I need another reader to restate the intentions of the author. My brain hurts from trying to achieve clarity of many of the sentences here.
Zionism is the movement for the Jewish People’s national self-determination in their ancestral homeland.
Zionism stands as a remarkable example of decolonization, in which an oppressed and exiled people returned to their ancestral homeland, revived their ancient language, and built a vibrant democracy.
Abraham, our Patriarch, was a Zionist
Genesis makes it clear that Zionism is central to Abraham’s new religious mission.
Abraham becomes a Jew and a Zionist at the same time. The first command he receives is “Go from your country [lech lecha], your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” Abraham’s religious journey begins with a pilgrimage to Israel. Israel is an ever-present theme in the text; when Abraham and Sarah abandon Israel in search of food, it is seen by some, such as the Ramban, as a “major sin.” Their entire lives focus on the dream of building a nation in the land. When Sarah dies, the Bible depicts the intense effort Abraham makes to bury her in Israel. As Ibn Ezra notes, the purchase of a burial plot for her marks the beginning of the future Jewish state.
Genesis makes it clear that Zionism is central to Abraham’s new religious mission.
Generations of Jews would follow in Abraham’s footsteps. Instead of offering hairsplitting arguments about “the spiritual essence of Judaism,” they turned their hearts toward Zion. Israel was a part of their prayers, part of their Tanakh, part of their studies and stories. At the Seder, they sang “l’shanah haba’ah b’yerushalayim,” “next year in Jerusalem,” with all of their hearts.
They simply couldn’t imagine a Judaism without Zionism.
Jews who knew little else still heard the call of “lech lecha,” and from the furthest reaches of exile would find their way home, just as Abraham and Sarah did so many generations before.
And they never let go of the dream of Israel, even in the worst of times.
"The Jewish people never really left the Holy Land. Certainly, many were killed or expelled at the time of Masada and later, but many Jews continued to live in “Palestine” (the name given by the Romans after the Bar Kochba revolt, 132-135 CE) for a considerable time afterward.
The evidence is clear from the extensive archeological sites visible today, such as those at Beit Alpha, Beit She’arim, Tzippori (Sepphoris), Baram, and many others. Jews formed a majority of the population of Palestine until at least the fifth century CE, and an autonomous Roman-recognized Jewish patriarchate in Palestine existed until 429 CE.
Archeological ruins point to the establishment of more than 80 synagogues, particularly in the Galilee, during the six centuries after the destruction of the Temple. After Masada, the Jewish population was substantial enough for three serious revolts against Roman or Byzantine rule to occur; the last one, against the Emperor Heraclius, was in the seventh century."
The diaspora has dangerously allowed itself to be cushioned by some years of comfort and achievement that was overlooked by the far right and progressive left as long as it didn’t clash with their political and religious sensibilities. While being insular isn’t the answer, being strong and loud and unyielding in the face of hate is. We need to be doctors and lawyers, police and politicians, athletes and teachers - and all be prepared to defend each other and ourselves. Complacency and hope won’t help us. We must learn to defend ourselves physically - and mentally. Being a great doctor won’t help you when someone wants to harm you. Realty can be dangerous, we must be equally as so.
‘The Diaspora does not face Israel’s security dilemmas’ you write. This is wrong because we do now. Nazis have taken over parts of the Security Services here in the United Kingdom and have been attacking Jews on behalf of The State for many years now. The Hard Right, much of it AntiSemitic is about to take power. The niceties of Loyalty debates now give way to the facts of survival.
This is beautifully written.
Adulthood, or maturity, as I prefer to call it, requires objectivity. There is nothing in the world wrong with acknowledging that you might not agree with every single thing about a movement, but that you support it nonetheless. Very few people seem able or willing to this today, especially when Zionism is the issue.
By way of analogy, the Diaspora is like the Jewish parents from another generation to Israel, a younger, stronger, and more aggressive young person taking the world on without fear. The parents think they have the wisdom to judge and/or invalidate the young person, simply because they are older, but they often are naive in matters where their child is very experienced. The Diaspora, despite having preceded Israel in time, and suffered their own scars and losses, is far better served by respecting Israel, and not by piling on the criticism so that their social circles will accept them better.
As a lover of Israel, and a pr professional, I have seen Israel go from having articulate, moral incredible responses to wars and challenges to an IDF that won't talk to reporters, or isn't available when it matters. Or be so combative that I as a supporter i am left frustrated that an opportunity to shape that narrative is lost.
As global antisemitism is growing from the left and right, articulating our vision and values to our communities and the world is vital. Dialogue is wonderful. We help shape the narrative that is told about us. We have allies to keep close.
Israelis understandably do not trust the western media which has never given Israel a fair shake. In fact, it has been downright unrelentingly hostile and accusatory. They won't talk to reporters because whatever the IDF says will be spun or dismissed. Meanwhile the same media takes at face value whatever is fed to them by hamas.
Pardon the length of the comment, but the essay merits such are response.
"Zionism was born in the Diaspora as a response to Jewish powerlessness, not as an Israeli identity project."
One wonders, which aspect of Zionism is being referred to here. The acknowledgment of Political Zionism implies a recognition that.there may be many forms. The author noted everal, such as Cultural Zionism, Labour Zionism, and Revisionist Zionism, but there is more, much more.
Consider the following imperfect and incomplete additional faces of Zionism
Religious Zionism: going back over 3,000 years, beginning with Abraham's longing for the Land God promised him and his descendants. This Zionism embodies the Jewish yearning for our Promised Land, a yearning which has continued unbroken throughout Jewish history both within and outside our ancestral homeland;
National Zionism: reclaiming from multiple colonial / settler / apartheid conquerors, unceded Jewish territory;
the aforementioned Political Zionism: the drive to create a nation state in the Jews’ historical, ancestral homeland and then fight over how executive, legislative and judicial powers are to divided, the polity it should assume: Socialist, Communist, Liberal Democracy à la Europe and America, Other?), the Electoral Structure it should take, such as One Party, Two Party, multi-party rule, first-past-the-post, ranked-choice, voting proportional representation, and so on;
Economic Zionism: the economy run on laissez fair-ism, mixed private and state ownership of socialism, state controlled production of communist principles, or modified state control through tariffs and rules governing production, marketing, labour practices, etc.
"Diaspora Jews built the institutions that made Zionism real" is an oversimplification too many Diasporic and Israeli Jews as well subscribe to, something our enemies gleefully exploit by attacking it as merely a "project," something that can be abandoned, and even more egregiously, as an illegitimate project, something that needs to be dismantled ASAP."
"[Existential imperative] after October 7th does not begin with questioning Jewish legitimacy, nor does it end with pretending that power carries no cost. It begins with naming enemies honestly, defending Jewish survival without apology, and refusing to allow Jewish ethics to be rewritten by those who deny Jewish peoplehood altogether. That goes for non-Jews and Jews alike."
Excellent summation of reality pertaining one people that no others need to confront.
"In today’s Diaspora environment, critique is often rewarded."
Critique is one thing: criticism is another. What is being rewarded is not critique but criticism.
"Diaspora Zionism . . . . was always a set of competing moral and political traditions, each offering different answers to the problem of Jewish power."
To address the latter point first, "Jewish power," the issue is not Jewish power but Jewish survival, something that is never questioned for other peoples under existential threat, like Ukrainians about Ukraine. Deflecting the focus to so-called Jewish power gives ammunition to those attempting to demonize Jews as wielders of power bent of destroying the Innocent.
To the fore=mer point, since '48, Diaspora Jews either are keenly aware or keep safely tucked away at the back of their minds, that if worst came to worst ('30s on fast redial), they have a place to go that would protect their skinny little heinies.
I think I would agree if I could understand what you are saying (writing). I guess I need another reader to restate the intentions of the author. My brain hurts from trying to achieve clarity of many of the sentences here.
Lessons from the Diaspora:
https://youtu.be/7_Deikrr2vU?si=doRWKESvPmm3Q_lQ
Zionism is the movement for the Jewish People’s national self-determination in their ancestral homeland.
Zionism stands as a remarkable example of decolonization, in which an oppressed and exiled people returned to their ancestral homeland, revived their ancient language, and built a vibrant democracy.
Abraham, our Patriarch, was a Zionist
Genesis makes it clear that Zionism is central to Abraham’s new religious mission.
Abraham becomes a Jew and a Zionist at the same time. The first command he receives is “Go from your country [lech lecha], your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” Abraham’s religious journey begins with a pilgrimage to Israel. Israel is an ever-present theme in the text; when Abraham and Sarah abandon Israel in search of food, it is seen by some, such as the Ramban, as a “major sin.” Their entire lives focus on the dream of building a nation in the land. When Sarah dies, the Bible depicts the intense effort Abraham makes to bury her in Israel. As Ibn Ezra notes, the purchase of a burial plot for her marks the beginning of the future Jewish state.
Genesis makes it clear that Zionism is central to Abraham’s new religious mission.
Generations of Jews would follow in Abraham’s footsteps. Instead of offering hairsplitting arguments about “the spiritual essence of Judaism,” they turned their hearts toward Zion. Israel was a part of their prayers, part of their Tanakh, part of their studies and stories. At the Seder, they sang “l’shanah haba’ah b’yerushalayim,” “next year in Jerusalem,” with all of their hearts.
They simply couldn’t imagine a Judaism without Zionism.
Jews who knew little else still heard the call of “lech lecha,” and from the furthest reaches of exile would find their way home, just as Abraham and Sarah did so many generations before.
And they never let go of the dream of Israel, even in the worst of times.
"The Jewish people never really left the Holy Land. Certainly, many were killed or expelled at the time of Masada and later, but many Jews continued to live in “Palestine” (the name given by the Romans after the Bar Kochba revolt, 132-135 CE) for a considerable time afterward.
The evidence is clear from the extensive archeological sites visible today, such as those at Beit Alpha, Beit She’arim, Tzippori (Sepphoris), Baram, and many others. Jews formed a majority of the population of Palestine until at least the fifth century CE, and an autonomous Roman-recognized Jewish patriarchate in Palestine existed until 429 CE.
Archeological ruins point to the establishment of more than 80 synagogues, particularly in the Galilee, during the six centuries after the destruction of the Temple. After Masada, the Jewish population was substantial enough for three serious revolts against Roman or Byzantine rule to occur; the last one, against the Emperor Heraclius, was in the seventh century."
An Inconvenient Truth,
The Jewish People Never Left the Land of Israel
https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/10/24/an-inconvenient-truth-the-jewish-people-never-left-the-land-of-israel/