ZioNation - Progressive Zionism and Israel Web Log

How not to popularize Israel and Zionism

Suppose that you are a Jew, and that you were asked to view a movie in support the national cause of some Eastern or Central European state, newly freed from Russian domination. Suppose the movie greeted you with this accusatory harangue:

Dear Jews, we are going to keep our independence and our Christian religion despite your opposition. Your bigotry killed our Lord and savior. Your greed caused you to come here as tax collectors sent to exploit our people by kings. Your capitalism robbed our poor. Your power lust brought you here as officials of your Communist government to carry out purges, but you cannot take our country away from us now.

Would such a hypothetical appeal move you to support the independence of Belarus, Poland, or the Ukraine? Not very likely. It would probably make you feel you are an enemy of whoever wrote that text. Those who want to solicit the support of Jews and other outsiders usually have the sense not to reason in that way.

Continued...

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Ami Isseroff on 05.31.08 @ 06:07 PM CST [link]

Hezbollah and Lebanon: Hope against hope.

Hope is an admirable quality and a vital ingredient in human life. The Zionist movement recognized the importance of hope when they made Hatikva - the "hope," their song, a song that was later adopted by the state of Israel as its anthem. In the depths of concentration camp despair, our people sang "Do not say this is your last trek, that daylight has been overcome by the clouds for the day that we have yearned for will arise and come..." and "Ani Ma'amin" - I believe. Soldiers fighting the desperate battles of 1948 sang "Believe me, a day will will come when it will be good - I promise you" - the promise of a big brother to his sister.

Eventually, for many, it really was good - but not all stories have a happy ending, and wishful thinking is not what made it good. The need to maintain hope should never be confused with, or subservient to, the need for a realistic understanding of every situation.

Continued...

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Ami Isseroff on 05.31.08 @ 04:54 PM CST [link]