Identifying Zionism, how was Israel able to divide the idea of religious identity and national identity: How religion and nationalism shaped and divide modern Zionism over the years from it’s early beginnings(Herzl), to the creation of the state of Israel, until this day.
The Israel-Palestine conflict has dominated a lot of political news and opinions in relation to Israel and its political policies. The great amount of indifference to change the situation has not made it any easier. Ethnic cleansing has become a daily occurrence, with a great number of Palestine persons have been killed and shamed in Israel. Moreover, various Jewish factions have been involved in violent protests and fights in relation to their religious views on the Torah and the West Wall, which is a hallmark in Judaism.
All through, the government and the authorities have not made a clear stand against the matter. In fact, they have done the exact opposite and through recent bills to be discussed in the Israeli parliament, have attempted to legitimize the religious divisions within the nation. The Basic Law Bill makes it clear that Israel is the nation of the Jewish people, thereby making it clear that the other ethnic and religious groups within the nation were in fact, illegitimate.
This essay is a strong attempt at analyzing Zionism, and look into how Israel as a nation has been able to separate the idea of national identity and religious identity within the nation. The essay shall rely heavily on journal articles and books on the matter. Also, it shall rely on documentaries and news articles to be able to properly place the events that are explained within and define the aspects of religious and national identity
Identity
In an ideal society, religious and national identity are to be separate entities. One’s religious identity describes their religious affiliations, while their national identity is expected to define which nation you are from. Ideally, one’s national identity reigns supreme even though they may subscribe to different religious beliefs from what the other members of the community do. The national identity is to reign supreme, and thereafter, one’s religious beliefs can come into play.
The Israeli political system is, however, structured in a different manner and would not be able to conform to the said ideals in relation to identity. As stated in the Basic Rule Bill, the Nation of Israel has its bases and ideas in Judaism. The Bill ultimately legitimizes the religious segregation that has been taking place within the nation for a great number of years. Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, the bill promotes the exclusion of non-Jewish Israelites in majority of the nation’s events and functions such as decision making.
Some critics have termed this bill, and rightfully so, as the legitimization of apartheid in Israel. Furthermore, it provides legitimacy to Israel to intervene and ‘assist’ other Jews who may not be within the confines of their state based on their religion. Furthermore, the Bill also attempts to get rid of Arabic as one of the nation’s official languages.
Other critics have also stated that the nation is making a bad move by placing it’s religious beliefs before the ideals of democracy. Every Israeli citizen is expected to be given a right to make decisions within the nation regardless of whether they are Jewish or not. Making Israel a Jewish state makes it clear that the minorities within the nation are not expected to hold opinions, and if they do have opinions, the said opinions do not matter at all.
Judging from previous events and History, the bill may not be able to pass. Previous Bills like the one being brought forward have been attempted but have not been able to meet the threshold to turn Israel into a purely Jewish State. However, the efforts to integrate Zionism into the core of the Israeli Nation have not relented. The promotion of racism through the inclusion of such bills into law are definitely not a highlight of what Judaism and the Israeli nation should be aiming towards.
The Ultra-Orthodox Movement and Mosaic Law
The moves to merge the national identity and the religious identity of Zionists can be said to be pushed by the Ultra-Orthodox movements within the nation. The Hareedi Jews have been well known for their strict adherence to the Traditional Zionist themes. Majority of ultra-orthodox Jews are skeptical about modernization and embracing the changes that have come due to globalization.
One of the main aims of the ultra-Orthodox Jews is to steer the leadership and nationalism within Israel towards a more religious direction. The movement is able to do this by pushing for continued funding to the religious causes and policies which the government would otherwise have dropped if it. In turn, their aims are clearly served by the Zionist Agenda to set up the nation of Israel as it was beforehand.
The numbers that the ultra-Orthodox movements have in the government have made it possible for them to push the government into accepting what they want or risk being crippled. The influence wielded by the Ultra-Orthodox movement can clearly be illustrated by the deals that the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was forced to broker in order to remain politically relevant and ensure that his government is able to continue to operate even though it might be quite difficult.
The use of the Western Wall has been a bone of contention between the Orthodox Jews and other Jewish factions. The Orthodox Jews believe that they have controlling rights over the Religious Wall, and therefore can decide who should have access and who should not. These factions have been involved in violent altercations, to the extent of some critics terming it as the birth of a civil war.
Therefore, the creation of the Egalitarian Prayer Space at the Western Wall seemed to be an attempt to undermine the strength and superiority of the ultra-Orthodox Jews. The negotiations had taken many years to be able to be agreed upon. However, at the last moment, Netanyahu announced that the government has put the plans to create the Prayer Space on hold due to reasons that he was not willing to disclose at the announcement.
The announcement was considered to be a victory for the Ultra-Orthodox Jews, as they retain their power and control over the Wall. It also shows the amount of power that they wield over the government, and how much control they actually have over the persons in power, including the Prime Minister. However, this spells doom for the Pluralists, as with the number of efforts by the Zionist groups to attempt to retain their power over the nation, they can only sit, wait and watch as the Zionists attempt to make Israel their own again.
Legitimacy
The Zionist movements and believers believe that they have a right over Eretz Yisrael- The Land of Israel as has been the basis of whole idea of Zionism to begin with. The Zionists are quite devoting to the nation that they love, thereby putting their best foot forward to try and reclaim the promised land for themselves.
The Zionists’ devotion to their cause can clearly be illustrated by the various Aliyah – migrations, towards the Promised Land. In particular, the Second Aliyah was quite instrumental in the growth of the Zionist Movement. Majority of the Zionists emigrated from eastern Europe. The first wave of the migration began in the area of Kishinev Pogroms in 1903, with other areas following suit within the next four years.
Majority of the emigrants who took part in the Aliyah were quite young and fueled with socialist ideas that later played a large role in the development of Zionism in the years to come. The political and labor parties that were later formed were based off the socialist ideals that the migrants had been able to carry back from Eastern Europe, a good example being the Po’alei Zion and the Ha’poel HaZair. In particular, the Po’alei Zion was based on the philosophies of Ber Borochov, a well-known socialist of the eras.
Other institutions formed within the nation at the time were also heavily based on socialist ideals. The self-defense system that was formed, known as the HaShomer watchmen’s association, thrived on the idea of socialism and the fact that the Jews needed to “look out for each other”. The Second Aliyah also saw the birth of the First all-Jewish City, Tel Aviv.
One of the main misconceptions relating to the first and second Aliyah is that Zionism was one of the causes. This has been found to be false. Majority of the people who migrated during the said periods were moving away from Europe due to the economic hardships that they had been going through, as well as persecution. At the time, Israel and the areas of migration could not offer reprieve from either. However, the Zionist movement was able to gain traction due to the fact that the Aliyah united the Jews to work as a pack.
In this way, the Zionists were able to gain legitimacy among the Jews. A government that was able to protect the Jewish people would be of benefit to them in the long run. A Zionist government would also be able to protect the Jewish people from further humiliation and persecution as has been the trend for centuries. Finally, a Zionist regime would ensure that Israel remains a reserve to the Jews and not for other communities that may attempt to lay claim on the land.
Institution
The Yeshiva has been known as an institution to provide traditional Jewish education to the students within the Institution. In particular, the Yeshiva focuses on providing religious education based on the Torah and the Talmud. The Yeshiva is divided into two main form of education, the shiurim which comprises of lectures, and the havrutas, which comprises of peer-based reading and education.
The traditional education provided via the Yeshiva emphasizes on the fact that the traditional and biblical manner of government should continue to date. With the spread of the Yeshiva system came the spread of Zionism. As stated earlier, the ultra-Orthodox movements emphasize on the importance of the Jews being in control of Israel, as was intended within the Torah. The Yeshiva education is able to pass the message of superiority of the Jews to the rest of the communities around to the younger members of the community.
However, the use of the Yeshiva system has also been blamed for causing conflict between the orthodox factions and the pluralists. The pluralists try to preach cohesion between the different Jews and other communities, while the orthodox attempt to create a hierarchy whereby the Jews are at the top of the pack, while the other communities are at the bottom of the food chain.
Majority of Orthodox Yeshivas are also known to sexually discriminate among its attendees. In a great number of Orthodox Yeshivas, women and girls are not allowed to join or take part. Non-Orthodox Yeshivas accept women to take part in the classes however. This discrimination has been called out on several occasions, as it is a clear breach of rights. However, the ultra-Orthodox movement and a good number of the Zionists do not believe that there is anything wrong with this practice, as the women are viewed as persons who are expected to remain within the confines of their homes and take part in duties that have been designated upon them.
Security
One of the reasons Zionism has been able to thrive in the Nation is the fact that the Jews have been oppressed by other nations for a while. A good example of such oppression is the Holocaust, which saw the German Military under Hitler confine the Jews in Germany in camps where they were tortured and killed at will. A great number of Jews died during this period, and a lot more suffered inhumane treatment.
The Zionist agenda is said to be aimed to protect the Israelites from any form of harm that may come their way. The ability to reach out and help Jews in need is mandatory, whether via military action or relief aid. The extents that the Zionists are willing to go is where the problem lies. Attacks on Palestinians and other neighboring nations under the guise of security and protecting the people” is simply wrong and unjust.
Conclusion
It is clear that Zionism is taking root in Israel, and in the future, there will be a lot of pressure on the government to get rid of the distinction between the national identity and religious identity of the nation. The segregation that is taking place in Israel is disheartening. It is even more sad to find a government that actually wants to legitimize it.