The border has moved
If in the past, there was a need for separation between Judaism and Zionism in order to fashion a real identity and a content of equal import between two aspects of Jewish identity, today we require altogether different arguments in the real debate that is being held all around us on the issue of modern Jewish identity.
By Avraham BurgWhen A. B. Yehoshua wrote his book "In Favor of Normality" a few decades ago, he maintained the Ben-Gurionesque convention of negating the significance of the Diaspora. It was vital for the old-school Zionists to find in themselves a distinctive quality that set them apart, to isolate themselves from everything that had gone before, to build a new world out of the repulsive and dying shtetl. A struggle that began as a bitter ideological battle between the Zionist rejuvenator-rebels and the withered, inflexible, over-protective Judaism in the towns and villages of Eastern Europe, subsequently evolved, following the establishment of Israel's statehood, into a battle against the temptations that lay in wait just beyond the Statue of Liberty in North America. At the time, Yehoshua took the position of the Israeli isolationist, the Zionist fundamentalist, and differentiated between Israeliness and Judaism.
Much time has passed. Judaism is no longer the same Judaism, and the same can be said for Zionism. Only the very particular and very eloquent A.B. Yehoshua remains the same Yehoshua. What was a breakthrough in social and ethical values over a century ago has reached the end of the line. That Zionism no longer exists. And anyone who is still mired in those days of yore will, willingly or not, become out of date and anachronistic. If in the past, there was a need for separation between Judaism and Zionism in order to fashion a real identity and a content of equal import between two aspects of Jewish identity, today we require altogether different arguments in the real debate that is being held all around us on the issue of modern Jewish identity.
The old ultra-Orthodoxy, which seemed so threatening to the founders of Zionism, no longer holds out any genuine alternative to the life of the modern Jew. So what if a few hundred or thousand, or tens of thousands choose to huddle inside their own armor and close themselves into a voluntary ghetto? So what if photos of the dead Lubavitcher Rebbe are still flying gaily wherever you go in Israel? The reality is that he is dead, and that ultra-Orthodoxy is no more significant than any other isolationist, socially indifferent cult in the world.
Good luck to them. The emphasis shifted when hordes of religious-nationalist fanatics declared their de facto and de jure secession from the "State of Israel" and established the "State of Judea." At that point, everyone understood that the struggle for modern Jewish identity had taken on a new form. It is not a physical struggle between a geographical place - Israel - and farflung Diaspora communities. The struggle now raging across the world is a quarrel over the borderlines and the limits of peace, with one side contending that these lines and boundaries derive from values, not physical limits, that these limits pertain to human conception and approach, not to language and national origin. On the contrary - some of the best and most willing partners in the struggle over my sanity and identity are not to be found here. And the truth is that several of the closest members of my family, who may live only a few kilometers from my home, happen to be my most bitter adversaries, even enemies.
A war of words is now raging between democratic civilization and theocratic civilization. Citizens of the democratic expanse believe the individual, the you and the I, is the source of authority in our lives. We decide for ourselves - decide who we are, what life we will lead, what is most important and what is preferable. On the other side is theocratic civilization, with all its intense rage, arguing that the individual will never be subordinate to another because all of us are subordinate to the supreme source of authority: to God in heaven, who is eternal and immutable.
This is not a theoretical argument. It is a struggle that claims human victims everywhere; in pizzerias that blow up in Jerusalem, in Hebron, where Arabs are massacred by a Jewish fanatic, in the lofty skyscrapers of New York and in the sad neighborhoods of Baghdad. It is an argument for life and death. No - it is not a confrontation between Islam and the Judeo-Christian world. Such evidence of the world and its division is superficial and dangerous. It has already led the presidency of the United States to its lowest-ever levels of prestige. There is a gaping chasm in Judaism between nationalist fundamentalists and the ultra-Orthodox, and advocates of democracy. It is happening within Christianity, and particularly in the heart of North America, between religious zealots who wish to hasten the messianic redemption, and the determined patriots of human and civil rights. And it is also happening within Islam.
Therefore, at this stage, the partnership is between me and the Jews of the world, no matter what language they speak, and no matter where they live. Us against all the others: the Christian, Muslim and even Jewish zealots of religion and God. The border has moved, Mr. Yehoshua, to another front, and you haven't even noticed. You are fighting the war of yesterday and inadvertently losing the partners of tomorrow, the strongest elements of Diaspora Judaism, most of whom now represent the universalism and humanitarianism of Judaism much better than does most of Israeli society, including its principal representatives, spokesmen and thinkers.
Furthermore, in the early days of Jewish history and the chronicles of Zionism, we were, as usual, practically the only nation on earth that had no homeland and whose sons and daughters were scattered throughout the entire world. Times have changed, and millions of Chinese, Japanese and Italians, along with Irish immigrants and Argentinean emigres have robbed us of our unique status. We were the first and the only, and now the model of a state that has diaspora communities is quite prevalent. China is not alienated from its emigre children, Korea seeks every possible way to build bonds between the motherland and its far-flung emigrant communities. Only here do the Zionist spiritual navigators try to break the bonds between all the Jewish molecules that make our material so interesting and unique.
Generals are censured if they fight yesterday's wars. Yet we welcome thinkers and authors who think yesterday's thoughts. Firstly, because of the fact that, as opposed to many others among us, they think. Secondly, because their thoughts, be they correct or be they mistaken, make us think. And in a time of a thinning out of the spirit, and a decline in thought, it is simply wonderful.
Therefore, thank you, Mr. Yehoshua, for your provocative contribution. Because of it, it becomes clear that so many of us think differently from you. And that is itself very fortunate.
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I ask myself,why is Yeoshoua say that thing ? Is he from our country or rather not Juish man ? I really sorry reading his books . I am 15 years old and I dont belive what he say .
If Democracy and personal freeodm is Avraham Burg's only concern then for what did we ever need a Jewish state. What does Israel offer uniquely to the world in this regard that was not already accomplished by the United States and other free countries. What all of these writers just don't seem to get is that Zionism is fundamentally a religious concept. You cannot explain the Jewish people's attachment to the land Israel over thousands of years of exile in any other way. By the same token the obsessive concern with maintaining Jewish identity can only be explained in religious terms. If we are the same as everyone else then what difference does it make if we assimilate or not and why did the world have to go out if its way to give us a seperate state? It only makes sense because deep down we believe there is something special about the Jewish people and something special about our connection to the land of Israel. Not only do we believe it but deep down the world believes it as well.
I feel confirmed. Daoud's message should be on all billboards in Israel. It will create peace in a second. You are a winner. It proofs what I know and Olmert and many Israelis want to deny: The Decent Arab People are the majority in the Arab world. Only very very oppressed. They deserve the liberation, the USA could not deliver to Iraq.
The Ultra Orthodox Jews, Muslims and Christians and Atheists have produced too many reckless leaders. These leaders encourage their followers to hate and hate and eventually call on them to start wars. The decent people of all shades are pretty leaderless. Burg's allies are all over the world, and he will find openminded decent partners among Jews, Christians, Muslims and Atheists. I am wondering when the decent people living in the opposite camps will break down the artificial borders created by the past tyrants.
I just adore Avraham Burg he is such a wonderful thinker! I couldn't agree more with his sense of borders-the ones to the 21st century and Judaism and all the isms are really going to be out there. It seems to me it is all part of the the global age and global economy and the letting go of nationalism which marked the 20th century. Surely, this message was already inherent in Henry Ford's assembly line-mass producing and the American model of the United States -- fifty states in one but independent. Amazing when one thinks about it -- while the world was adapting to the mechanism of the 20th century -- it was already defining the 21st century. I have heard people say that's just the American model too. Always evolving. But surely one could argue that's just how man is too--always adapting to his environment and being shaped by it as he shapes it too. Like the potter and the clay. Thus what Avraham Burg is saying shouldn't come as any surprise. It's all natural consequence of how we are. Thanks again, Dutch
Try pressing Caps Lock, you're shouting again.
this awakening you are talking about should be, first of all, about the beauty of the country itself, the quality of life you can have with some little dough and things not exploding and jews basically being mediterranean folks with some extra features. i have thought over my possibilities: where can i spend the rest of my life having the most fun? florida no, california no, portugal yes, it's having waves on the atlantic, but otherwise boring. so what's left? hhmmm Israel is the option nr. 1. with the wall being finished and attacks reduced to a minimum, economy growing (7% this year), jobs to be gotten and the religious loosing power, the secular young diaspora would consider alyiah if the sohnut would do a better job. many did so in the 90s. as far as secular zionism in IL is concerned: it is weak right now but let the youngsters make their experiences abroad, many i know found out IL actually is cool - and that you cannot rely on gentiles too much.
you are not..Stick to anti semitism as philosophy aint yr forte`..
I hate to say it, but Burg is wrong, even though I wish he was right. I hate religious fanaticism--Jewish, Muslim, and Christian. The religious settlers and settlements are a disaster for Israel, BUT--As a secular Israeli who has lived in the USA, I can attest to the fact that secular Jews in the U.S. don't give a DAMN about Israel. It's the Orthodox Jews who feel connected and care about the Jewish state, and they are the only Jews who make aliyah from North America. And of course the Christian Zionists, who give much more support to Israel today than American Jews do. In Israel too, secular Zionism is dying. We need a cultural, spiritual awakening among secular Jews--not a return to Torah but to the strong Jewish identity, values, and pride of the early Zionists. They didn't believe in God, but they believed in the Jewish people and they felt love and pride for Eretz Israel.
...don't want anything to do with Israel. Nothing to do with the settlements, occupation, separation fence, etc., either. On the more basic level of concept, having our own country cannot be reconciled with being 'humanistic' and 'unversalistic.' Marx and Lenin said that. Why don't Zionists get it?
well folks i did not really understand what avi burg was trying to say here and what's the outcome of al this bla bla. but i do know that he speaks german and appeared in a german telly show during 2nd intifada. he was such an embarassment, for himself and for Israel, i litterally turned red and stopped watching. he was saying stuff like: "no one has the capacity to attacking Israel, not even the americans" and then some incoherent nonsense. no one took him seriously anymore and he got always interrupted thereafter. couple of days later, i see him walking down alte schönhauser strasse in berlin with friends, having best of times. i in his place would have fled to china for 5 years out of shame. this is a scary thing about Israel: how do mongos like him happen to be MP and write for haaretz? i am not scared of arabs or european antisemites but how many idiots like karon and burg are actually having a status of importance and appear in public discussions? how did they get there?
The front page of a Canadian mainstream newspaper today informs that in Iran a law is being passed whereby all Jews will have to wear a yellow strip to identify them as Jews, Christians will have to wear a red strip.This means all left wing and right wing fanatics get to wear the same strips. This is where fanaticsm takes us. Moderate your views or we'll all going to live in the same hell.
VOICE of MOSHIACH, Your assessment is insane. In your world where there are no questions, only firm answers, Schneerson's death was redemption, Sharon's illness is punishment, and it's that way because people like you say so. Your entire reality is based on wishful thinking, you live in a cartoon. And it's scary as hell that people with your worldview have any say whatsoever in the lives of other Jews. So, the Rebbe's alive huh? Really? Where's he hanging out? Is he keeping a low profile, hitting the little coffee joints in Tel Aviv in secular garb, waiting for his return to the world scene? I'll tell you what... you Lubavitchers that believe the Rebbe was/is Mashiach keep that fire burning, and the rest of us will work for a real peaceful, just society for Jews in Israel and the Diaspora, and for our Arab neighbors.
The problem is getting enough of those of Godfaith, to accept human dominion in this world and recognise God authority is over life and death/our mortality (not our mortal life existence free will). I do see an alliance between a post border constitutional Israel and a secular (as in ethical dominion in this world) values orientated Judaism. The question is getting Zionist Israel to this point. National security can so easily become linked to religious identity status and an intolerance grows on this base.
Shalom Avraham: Yes, you are indeed correct "the border has moved," UNFORTUNATELY in a place we've as yet recognized this fact, namely in our mind. Your impressive definitions of the problem(s) cannot change the fact that Israel's Zionism, that was its "local reality," has COLLAPSED and this is what both you and A. B. Yehoshua have missed and the significance of this is the Diaspora as well as all Eretz Israel have as well missed this fact. ONLY as we awaken and sustain the DECONSTRUCTION efforts of Zionism's "ground zero" will begin to attain the essential now much needed DEPROGRAMMING of exile. And here too your correct that the dense matrix of Jewish Tradionalists have as well missed this fact as well. In a few words what comes after political Zionism is King David's Zionism, by name 'Humanomics' in general and its 'Receiving, to give" and the "Integration of Labor(sm)" in particular. My regards to our friend Dan Tichon who introduced us in the Knesset many years ago. YY
We just all have interpretations. I am a dialysis Jew.I am out here on the machine of democracy,civil rights,rationality,reason,Tottenham,Hollywood,pluralism,chinese food... Is it so bad? Of course it isnt but there are many Jews and many interpretations of what good is ..Right wingers can call it moral relativism if they will but we are struggling with the ideas and how it all works within the world. We are all Jews.All of us. Israeli,Diaspora,Moon children whatever.
dear Avrum, Count me and millions of other Arabs and Muslims on the side of sanity, seeking individual freedoms and fighting against autocracies. Please keep up the good work and help awaken many others like you so that we can have a sane alliance between those seeking real freedom and life rather than the unholy alliances between fanatics, theocrats, army and military radicals as well as religious fundemantalists from all sides
This is the problem: intolerance, people whom we don't know anything but their hatred tell us freely what we should be. They wish we disappeared, so if we follow them, some day their advice will be collective suicide. Why the hell do you think Mr Franzen you have the right to tell others what to do? Do you know Sweden ambigous role in WWII? It sucks.
that jews of the world will be gathered from all courners of the earth to the holy land before the coming of the messiah.
AND CONTINUES TO FIGHT AGAINST OSLO, SHARON AND YOU TOO. BURG, POITICALLY YOU ARE DEAD. BUT LOOK HOW MANY MORE LUBAVITCHERS FOLLOW THE REVERRED REBBE'S MOSHICH TEACHINGS
Burg will have to look for his partners among the shadows and ghosts. His partners don't exist, and if they do, they are marginal and fringe players. Burg made his own bed and now he must sleep in it - he has few friends precisely because of his past actions.
I like that, because all the fanatics are indeed stuck in the past, what ever religion they claim to be, and how ever one looks upon it 'The Future' is in the future and not in the past. Bad habits shouldn't be called traditions and cheerished, but should be seen as something to learn from and then MOVE ON. If God is indeed this 'dictator', that the fundies believe, how come that so much evil is done in his name? Is it an 'evil dictator' that is their God? A ruthless God? An uncaring God? Then 'Halleluja' have taken on a whole different meaning, amen. The Modern Muslim/Jew/Christian have all moved on into a world of reality and at the same time created this reality. "Adopt, adapt, improve" needs the "Church & State" seperation. The more God is being involved through the Gov't into our lives, the less free we are. Free Palestine!
So Abe has given up on Israel, saying that it is dominated by elements that don't represent what he arrogantly defines as "humanist" and "universalist" which he thinks is embodied in the diaspora. He claims A B Yehoshua should ally himself with them and forget fundamentalist Zionism which is especially represented by the National Religious camp which is also leading the settlement of Judea/Samaria. Only there are two problems with Abe's suggestion (1) Israel is under constant threat of annihilation from the Arab/Muslim world..this is not "classical Jewish Paranoia", this is what Iran, HAMAS and even "moderates" in the Arab/Muslim world threaten every day. And who is it that mans the army which protects us Israelis from this threat...the same National Religious youth and other "right-wing fundamentalists" whom Burg despises (2)These "humanist-universalist" Jews in the US cant help Burg because of low birth rate, intermarry and don't make aliyah. THEY are history, not the Zionists