Identity, Israel

Present Nationalism

In his article in the Jerusalem Post, Ariel Beery takes aim at the “New Jews.”

The bad news for the Jewish state and people is that this generation of American Jews have taken from their education that acting Jewish means doing justice without regard to nationality or peoplehood.
While it feels good to support all peoples and all victims, the nature of the world in which we live in – where Hizbullah amassed thousands of rockets and attacked Israel; where Iran edges towards nuclear weapons; and where over a third of Israel’s Jews, and, surprisingly, 20 percent of New York Jews live under or close to the poverty line – makes an ethics of universalism simply irresponsible at the moment[…]It is time for the Jewish community to realize that the next generation will be what we teach it, and that the emphasis on universalistic social justice, while appealing, is no more than junk-food Jewish education: It feels good, the kids love it, and it won’t hurt on occasion – but without the particularism of peoplehood the Jewish community will soon find itself undernourished and unable to survive.

Now while Ariel has made some important points here, he has only addressed the most recent manifestation of the continued recession of liberal Jewish commitment in the Diaspora.
Jewish nationalism in the Diaspora was always based on the Jewish religion.  When that changed, we began basing our nationalism on victimology, instead of just using victimology to enhance it.
As Jews are beginning to perceive themselves less as victims (no matter how many Museums of Death or ADL press releases to the contrary), this nationalism is slipping, as is support for Israel, which is so frequently defended by employing a similar victimology. 
If Ariel really wants to alleviate the problems affecting Jewish nationalism, he should address the root causes of the condition, and demand that instead of Jews supporting Holocaustism and liberalism (even liberal Zionism, Ariel), they should instead return to wrestling with Judaism.  Traditional Judaism, not Judaism through the filter of hilchos Newsweek.  And we should accept that Judaism is not always universal, and not always progressive.  But that it is never the less valuable, and why we bother.
For the alternatives are not only die-ins and fundraisers for those in Hezbollah-land, but ultimately widespread disinterest.
The “junk-food” education did not begin with universal social justice, but with the rejection of the Torah and a classical Jewish education.  
Everything else will prove an unsatisfying substitute in the end, as “junk-food” always is.  

16 thoughts on “Present Nationalism

  1. “f Ariel really wants to alleviate the problems affecting Jewish nationalism, he should address the root causes of the condition, and demand that instead of Jews supporting Holocaustism and liberalism (even liberal Zionism, Ariel), they should instead return to wrestling with Judaism. Traditional Judaism, not Judaism through the filter of hilchos Newsweek. ”
    ALthough I disagree with DAvid about liberalism, I do agree that our focus on nationalism (via ZIonism) and Holocaustism, is a big mess, and that returning to focus on a life of halachic commitment (altrhough David and I likely disagree about what that means inthe details) is the only way to clean up that mess, is something that I not only agree with, but have been saying, I kid you not, for years. Of course, the real question is what it would mean to do that.
    Not necessarily an easy answer, especialy since so much of our comunity’s moeny goes to nationalsim and holocaustism, and what’s leftover goes to large buildings with name plates on everything. IMO, how free day schools for every child, and community centers where there are mikvaot and cheap communal dinners that require only that the families stay to daven maariv?

  2. Free day schools for every child are a bad bad idea — this would lead to Judenrein public schools, non-Jewish children who have never met a Jew, and vice versa.
    Why not figure out ways to improve Jewish education without creating segregated enclaves?

  3. Ariel Beery writes:
    It is time for the Jewish community to realize that the next generation will be what we teach it, and that the emphasis on universalistic social justice, while appealing, is no more than junk-food Jewish education: It feels good, the kids love it, and it won’t hurt on occasion – but without the particularism of peoplehood the Jewish community will soon find itself undernourished and unable to survive.
    I would reverse this. The real “junk food” is the empty calories of focusing on Jewish survival without giving any thought to why the Jewish people should survive. Looking beyond ourselves to carry out the Torah’s ideals of social justice is what gives the Jewish people a reason for existence.

  4. If Beery had his way, the Jews would look out for our own, while Hezbollah takes responsibility for rebuilding Lebanon. This attitude strengthens Hezbollah immeasurably, because it allows Hezbollah to position itself as not only a terrorist organization but a humanitarian organization, and thereby gain legitimacy in the eyes of the Lebanese people and the world.

  5. Where does a jew go for wholesome nutritious food for their soul these days? do the pages of Jewschool awaken a spiritual chord that resonates deeper than hearing about hip out of the bourgoies elite jews? where do I get some substantial, forward looking soul reaching and stretching inner dimension to my judaism instead of articles addressing “the jew in terms of the culturalethnic paradigms of American culture struggles?
    where is real torah? why is Heeb afraid to publish serious divrei torah? why does protesting Israeli policies, or accusing the world press of anti-semitism dominate our literati in the month before the new year? Is ROsh hashana going to mean anything deeper to us than the fact that this is OUR new year? or are we being inspired by the shared thoughts of other jews pondering what it means to enter another year, another portal for renewal and fixing?
    WHy does table talk on shabbat not include relationship with Creator, why does the recent war not become clear to us as a personal message to each and every one of us? where are our spiritual leaders? who lead by example instead of pointing fingers? and thus…
    I just returned from a wedding in Jerusalem, an unregistered guerilla chuppa on a grassy olive grove facing the old city ( a view which the elite powers that be are working right now to throw a Cable car through see SPNI website for details) and in that amazing union of one to another, watched a close friend, who converted to our people, shed tears as his Norwegian born bride circled her way closer than ever to his soul, and we all sang and prayed and hoped and yearned… let these hills ring with joy…
    and they really did, as norwegians, israelis, muslims, christians religious and non, all sang under the lead of a couple who chose each other as the most important beautiful thing… A teaching of Teshuva… returning to that creation of Humanity that was once man and woman together- today only accessible through marriage and sacred sharing… thank the Amazing Creator for connecting the souls- which we learn is what occupies the Creators time these days… Mazal tov…

  6. But it goes deeper. Judaism is actually a viable and real alternative of existence that does not neccesarily jibe with Zionism. Jews do not need a country to survive, and if their effort and life goes only into making the country which they do not neccesarily need, then why bother?
    Israel has become an end unto itself by now, which is nice for the Israelis (myself included) but not for the Jews. So the time has come for the Jews to decide if they want to be American Jews or Israeli Jews, but Jews first – nationalities afterwards.

  7. Yes, the life of Jews in Iran has, is and always will be wonderful. Hooray for Dhimmitude! Uhhh. When did the Neutri Karta start posting on Jewschool?

  8. “The real “junk food” is the empty calories of focusing on Jewish survival without giving any thought to why the Jewish people should survive. ”
    Why is survival of one’s own peopel and culture not enough for the Jewish people? No other people in the world asks WHY they should survive, they just focus on their survival as an end in and of itself. Other people’s say, “We should survive because we are a great people.” Why can’t Jews say that about themselves?
    Many of the Jewish people’s problems could be solved with a simple beliefe in their own cause for its own sake.

  9. As a survival tactic, Jews in the diaspora have been trying to convince their hosts that Judaism is a religion instead of a nation, and have started to believe in this myth themselves.
    Now that we have control over -part of- our land back, we don’t need this myth anymore, we can be a nation again.
    I don’t see why this should conflict with our ideals of social justice; our goal is to be a “holy NATION and a light unto OTHER NATIONS”. There’s no contradiction, we can -and shoul- be BOTH.

  10. Israel “rebuilding” Lebanon while Hezbollah still has power and arms is insane. Who is the rebuilding going to benefit? That’s like the EU and the UN giving money to succesions of palestinian leaders “for alleiviating poverty” , then thugs put it in their own Swiss bank accounts and buy arms. Meanwhile Nasrallah is trying to bribe southern Lebanon, and they are pissed at him anyway for drawing down Israeli fire upon them. He’s not going to get his power back by throwing US dollars around.
    Speaking of being a light unto the nations, Israel is always there with help at any natural disaster anywhere: the tsunami, Katrina, earthquakes….. while it simultaneously has to spend money on that stupid fence just so civilians don’t get murdered while grocery shopping. Israel does tzedakah on an international scale all out of proportion to its size and wealth. Lebanon harbored Hezballah in spite of being mandated to stop, the UN did nothing, the UN is now mobilizing aid to Lebanon….. and with all that Israel is not being socially just enough if it doesn’t give money too?
    Our sages would call this meshuggenah.

  11. “No other people in the world asks WHY they should survive, they just focus on their survival as an end in and of itself.”
    Exactly. And, well, no other people in the world was chosen by God to observe the Torah and its mitzvot. Nu?
    “Like all the nations….” – the sin of Zionism is the same sin as the sin of the people asking Samuel for a king.

  12. Shaul, have a look at this if you read Hebrew:
    http://www.mizrach.org.il/bin/en.jsp?enPage=HomePage
    In English (not sure if this is working right now):
    http://www.mizrach.org.il/bin/en.jsp?enPage=HomePage_E
    The organization is Memizrach Shemesh the “Jewish Social Leadership Center” in Yerushalayim. They connect Jewish text study to social justice work.
    GOALS
    Emphasize the social values of Judaism and promote social justice based on Jewish sources; Promote a moderate, traditional Jewish identity; and Include the heritage of Mizrahi Judaism in the general Jewish discourse. The organization’s main strategies are: Cultivating leadership; Running learning communities; Developing study materials and running programs in schools; and Organizing conferences and seminars. The organization’s main target population consists of young Mizrahim (mainly traditional, though some are Orthodox). The organization is located in Jerusalem, which is where most of its activities are conducted. However, participants in the programs also come from peripheral areas and some programs are run in the periphery (in Dimona for example). It should be noted that alongside the organization’s main activities (which focus on the aforementioned strategies and target populations), the organization also runs a large-scale project aimed at establishing a network of traditional schools. Mimizrach Shemesh is not registered as an independent nonprofit association (amuta) and it operates, formally, as a project of the Alliance Israelite Universelle (KIAH)—a veteran association in the field of education. Mimizrach Shemesh was established with the support of AVI CHAI and KIAH, which continue to provide most of its funding. Mimizrach Shemesh cooperates with many organizations in the area of social justice and pluralism (including Mahapach, Wellspring for Democratic Education, Collot in the Negev, and Kehilla—all of which are NIF grantees).
    I know some of the people who are working with the Kedma school in Katamonin.
    http://www.newisraelfund.org/content.cfm?id=2028&currBody=1

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