Understanding the complexities of the Jewish divide - a brief synopsis of my view
by Ilan Solomons on Wednesday, June 17, 2009 at 11:34am
I've been meaning to do this for a long time but I feel that in light of Mr. Bibi Netanyahu’s "peace" plan that I must say that it is not something a believe that is going to help the peace process but the issue lies at the need for a more equitable solution.... Which lies at a proposal of Jewry to look inwardly to assess their divide is a major cause of the turmoil in the Holy land !!!
I have never really been a fan of the one state solution as I feel it can not exist in the realm of reality due to the deep political and social differences that exist between the Jews and Arabs (mostly the Muslim ones as the Christians unfortunately are becoming less and less of a figure in the middle east in general due to a variety of reason including persecution by both the Islamic and Jewish communities of the region). In a perfect world all people should live together, I mean why shouldn't Muslims live inIsrael if they choose and why shouldn't Jews and Christians live in Saudi Arabia - especially Mecca and Medina
The struggle for the Jews to regain their historic homeland has been one that has culminated in centuries of unsuccessful and often deadly missions to return toIsrael Temple
Herein we see the complex nature of the schismatic Jewish nation.... its battle; for modernity and at the same time its continuation of Jewish nationhood! The issue that amongst the Jewish community is what it means to be a Jew and whether it solely refers to ones religious observance or not....
The founding of the State of Israel, was seen by Jews as the beginning of the re-unification not just of the Jewish national homeland but also of the Jews as a whole! The reality of the matter that even Moses would have struggled to unite the Jews after more than two millennia divided amongst the various cultures and countries of the world!
Many of the leaders in the Ultra-Orthodox community were greatly unhappy when the state became a reality, they were not the leaders and the vast majority of Jews did not want them to lead a modern Jewish state based on laws that were seemingly out of touch with the social realities on the ground.... this resulted in many of the so called "Religious" community being vigorously opposed to the members of the Secular Zionist community, these actions were inevitable as the modern Jew often felt that the ultra orthodox community was largely unable or unwilling to unite the Jews to fight the slaughter of the Nazi’s which as we all know martyred around 6million of our people....
The modern Jew wanted to shed the image of weak and mild creature that could be seen so easily slaughtered without first fighting to the death...The reality of the matter was the major resistance fighters against the Nazi's came from the Zionist community, although there were exceptions, this narrative is largely seen as the truth!
As the criticism of the modern secular state of Israel by the ultra-orthodox community became more intense the more, intense than the hatred of the 'old world Jewry' came from the modern Israeli Jews and in the Diaspora similar sentiments were starting to be echoed. What angered the so called new age Jews more was that it was largely them who fought for the realization of the Jewish state and it was the religious community - with notable exception like Mizrachi - that were the ones that were the critics but the first ones to take the secular governments social grants and to escape the persecution and blood stained history of anti-Semitism of Europe.
At the same time the religious community was worried that the modern Jewish community would lead to untold assimilation and the ultimate destruction of the Jewish community as peoples and as an ancient faith! To a large extent they weren’t wrong the leftist Zionist elements have been one of the greatest sources of assimilation of Jews, movements like Habonim and Hashomer Hatzair in the years gone by were breading grounds for communists and other Jewish assimilationists! Although these movements have added these groups have produced great Jewish activists they also have also caused Jews to become less affiliated to traditional Jewish values!
It is my belief that as long as we as Jews remain so polarized and lack any sense of true unity, the peace process in the middle east will remain a continuous non-starter, and at a more localized level more Jews will become Buddhist and Hindu and only relate to being Jewish as a racial grouping which is already happening especially in the Americas and Europe, largely as a result that they feel that they can not find a place for themselves in the increasingly polarized Jewish world!!!
It is incumbent upon each and every Jewish person to put a side their personal farribbels and own ultraistic beliefs to unite in as the Rambam would put it - find the middle way!!!
Am Yisrael Chai!!!
I have never really been a fan of the one state solution as I feel it can not exist in the realm of reality due to the deep political and social differences that exist between the Jews and Arabs (mostly the Muslim ones as the Christians unfortunately are becoming less and less of a figure in the middle east in general due to a variety of reason including persecution by both the Islamic and Jewish communities of the region). In a perfect world all people should live together, I mean why shouldn't Muslims live in
The struggle for the Jews to regain their historic homeland has been one that has culminated in centuries of unsuccessful and often deadly missions to return to
Herein we see the complex nature of the schismatic Jewish nation.... its battle; for modernity and at the same time its continuation of Jewish nationhood! The issue that amongst the Jewish community is what it means to be a Jew and whether it solely refers to ones religious observance or not....
The founding of the State of Israel, was seen by Jews as the beginning of the re-unification not just of the Jewish national homeland but also of the Jews as a whole! The reality of the matter that even Moses would have struggled to unite the Jews after more than two millennia divided amongst the various cultures and countries of the world!
Many of the leaders in the Ultra-Orthodox community were greatly unhappy when the state became a reality, they were not the leaders and the vast majority of Jews did not want them to lead a modern Jewish state based on laws that were seemingly out of touch with the social realities on the ground.... this resulted in many of the so called "Religious" community being vigorously opposed to the members of the Secular Zionist community, these actions were inevitable as the modern Jew often felt that the ultra orthodox community was largely unable or unwilling to unite the Jews to fight the slaughter of the Nazi’s which as we all know martyred around 6million of our people....
The modern Jew wanted to shed the image of weak and mild creature that could be seen so easily slaughtered without first fighting to the death...The reality of the matter was the major resistance fighters against the Nazi's came from the Zionist community, although there were exceptions, this narrative is largely seen as the truth!
As the criticism of the modern secular state of Israel by the ultra-orthodox community became more intense the more, intense than the hatred of the 'old world Jewry' came from the modern Israeli Jews and in the Diaspora similar sentiments were starting to be echoed. What angered the so called new age Jews more was that it was largely them who fought for the realization of the Jewish state and it was the religious community - with notable exception like Mizrachi - that were the ones that were the critics but the first ones to take the secular governments social grants and to escape the persecution and blood stained history of anti-Semitism of Europe.
At the same time the religious community was worried that the modern Jewish community would lead to untold assimilation and the ultimate destruction of the Jewish community as peoples and as an ancient faith! To a large extent they weren’t wrong the leftist Zionist elements have been one of the greatest sources of assimilation of Jews, movements like Habonim and Hashomer Hatzair in the years gone by were breading grounds for communists and other Jewish assimilationists! Although these movements have added these groups have produced great Jewish activists they also have also caused Jews to become less affiliated to traditional Jewish values!
It is my belief that as long as we as Jews remain so polarized and lack any sense of true unity, the peace process in the middle east will remain a continuous non-starter, and at a more localized level more Jews will become Buddhist and Hindu and only relate to being Jewish as a racial grouping which is already happening especially in the Americas and Europe, largely as a result that they feel that they can not find a place for themselves in the increasingly polarized Jewish world!!!
It is incumbent upon each and every Jewish person to put a side their personal farribbels and own ultraistic beliefs to unite in as the Rambam would put it - find the middle way!!!
Am Yisrael Chai!!!
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