Redefining Zionism
Redefining Zionism
1) Review the four classical Zionist
platforms and brainstorm what you agree / disagree
with.
2)
How does your group define
Zionism? Is Zionism still a relevant term? Is it an out of date
dinosaur?
3)
Is Israel still the center of the
modem day Jewish nation? Should it be?
4)
Is aliyah the ultimate fulfilment
of
a) Zionism?
b) Judaism?
c) A
modern day diaspora Jew?
5) Is
the need to use Israel as a base for Jewish identity (especially with youth)
outdated? Why / why not? Is the money
better spent on local Jewish education?
6)
If diaspora Jews send money to
support the State of Israel should they have a say in:
a)
How the money is spent?
b)
Israeli politics?
c)
Israel's attitude towards diaspora Jews?
d)
The “Who is a Jew” issue?
7)
Is it easier to be the Jew you
want to be in Israel or your own diaspora community?
8)
If Israel is truly the Jewish
homeland should all Jews have to serve in the Israeli military?
9)
Draw a diagram of how you see or
determine Israel/Diaspora relations.
Defining Zionism
OPENING
TRIGGERS—4
performers
PLATFORM ONE
Zionism...
the ingathering of the exiles... the return to the Jewish homeland... the
controller of our own destiny. Think—to be the majority, not the minority, to
create a country like all others but of Jewish people. The foundation has been
laid. The infrastructure is in place. The economy has grown. Now is the time to
make your move.
Don't
be a stranger in a strange land. Your ancestors are not Australian, they are
Jewish. Beyond Poland, Russia,. Hungary, Eastern Europe, even South Africa,
their homeland is that of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. King Saul, David and
So1omon, Judah Macabee, Rabbi Hillel and Bar Kochba. Come home and take control
of your destiny. Some say anti-Semitism is no longer an issue. It is no longer a reason to leave your
homes. Yet it was just a few months ago that a gunman went mad in a Jewish
Community Center in Los Angeles. Nor was it so long ago that an Israeli Embassy
was bombed, an airport threatened, or a neo nazi ring uncovered. Do not be
fooled. We may not have horns but we are different. But this is not your
concern. You have the power to turn the tables.
PLATFORM TWO
The
purpose of every Jew is to fulfill the Brit—the covenant made by Avraham and
G-d. To be more numerous than the grains of the sand in the land as promised to
our forefathers. Whilst one may wait for the Moshiach, most of us feel that it
was G-d's will in 1948 with the creation of the State of Israel. How can we
observant Jews not fulfill this mitzvah of living in the Holy Land—to be in
Eretz Yisrael for the Chagim, to hear the siren before Shabbos, to live a full
rhythm of Jewish life in the land of our heritage. Walk in the footsteps of our ancestors. We have at our fingertips
the mysticism of Safed, the holiness of Jerusalem, the frequent moments of
peace at the Kotel. Jewish identity is not an issue in the land of Israel.
Jewish choices are. But for those of us who want to live an observant lifestyle
it is a piece of cake... kosher of course. We can finally live a holistic
Jewish lifestyle in a Jewish country we can be at one with ourselves with our
faith and with our lifestyle in our own Jewish nation—there is no religious
reason why we should not be living in the modem state of Israel, yet there are
so many religious reasons why we should be living in Eretz Israel. DON'T SAY
NEXT YEAR TN JERUSALEM. SAY NOW, TODAY IN JERUSALEM.
PLATFORM THREE
Not
everyone has to live in Israel. It is just not realistic nor practical. Judaism
is a religion and culture that belongs to a people that have been scattered for
almost 2000 years. It does not make sense now, that after all this time, we
must regroup in one land. \\'hy? But we Jews as a people need a center—a focal
point. Israel should be this modem cultural center of Jewish activity and
thought. Advanced learning, the arts, Jewish creativity, spirituality, world
wide Jewish political stances should all emanate from the center of the Jewish
world, Israel. Youth group world offices, Jewish educational materials, social
values and ethics should come from the leadership of the Israeli Jew who will
be able to properly and objectively guide the worldwide diaspora Jews.
Continued visits to Israel will allow diaspora Jews to feel revitalized as Jews
and will provide them with enough energy to continue their Jewish identity in a
non Jewish environment.
