RELIG 210: Lecture 14 (February 25, 2009)

Strong connection to Land of Israel Religious yearning to return Historical connection Jews living in Palestine

No precedent for large scale return Jews in religious AND political exile Return to Land of Israel linked to messianic redemption Judaism designed for diaspora

“There are four oaths here: that they not rebel against the kingdoms; that they not force the End; that they not reveal their mystery to the nations of the world; and that they not ascend as a wall from the Exile.” (Midrash, Song of Songs Rab. 2:7)

Failure of Emancipation Rise of antisemitism across Europe 1881 Russian pogroms

Jewish acculturation Rise of nineteenth-century nationalist

movements Italy, Germany, Bulgarians, Rumanians,etc Identity through territory and sovereignty

1862 Moses Hess,Rome and Jerusalem 1882 Leon Pinsker, “Autoemancipation” Theodore Herzl (1860-1904)

The Jewish State, 1896 First Zionist Congress, 1897 “Zionism aspires to the securing of a

national home for the Jewish people in Palestine, guaranteed by public law.”

The First Zionist Congress, 1897

Clear reason for antisemitism Jews have no homeland Alien people Economic factors No future for Jews in Diaspora

What is the solution?

1882 First Wave of Immigration 1909 Tel Aviv founded 1917 British in Palestine; Balfour

Declaration 1947 U.N. Votes to Partition Palestine 1948 State of Israel declared/War of

Independence

Post-War Refugees

Political Zionism-Theodore Herzl Saving the Jews

Cultural Zionism-Achad Ha-am Preserving Judaism

Religious Zionism-Rabbi Kook The Flowering of Redemption

Peoplehood/Diaspora Zionism Mordecai Kaplan, Judaism as a Civilization

What is the significance of the Land of IsraelWhat is the purpose of Zionism?

What is the vision for Jewish life in the Land?

What is the future of Jews in the diaspora?

Multiple visions of Zionism still exist Visions have different views on internal

politics, role of religion, meaning of territory, funding priorities

Knesset debate: Rambam vs. John Locke

What Is a Jewish State?

Halachah? Civil Religion Division of Church and State? Minority Religions?

Calendar Holidays Education National Narratives

All Jews under jurisdiction of chief rabbinate for personal status issues

Public observance of Jewish Law No transporation on the Sabbath All government institutions have Kosher

food

Law of Return: “a grandchild of a Jew, the spouse of a Jew, the spouse of a child of a Jew and the spouse of grandchild of a Jew, except a person who has been a Jew and has voluntarily changed his religion.”

Halachah: Matrilineal Descent or Orthodox Conversion

"Certainly there is religious freedom for Moslems and Christians, but for Jews only the Orthodox way of religious observance is allowed"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-xjZWX5rlE

Funding for Ministry of Religion Tolerance/Support for Minority Religions

5.4 million Jews 1.2 million Muslims 149,00 Christians 117,000 Druze

Any government leader must prescribe for himself priorities, must decide on first things first...(W)here there was agreement on what was urgent to me, I was prepared to make concessions on what was urgent to others...When I wanted to introduce national service conscription, the religious parties said they would of course support it but they insisted that all army kitchens be kosher. Kosher kitchens to them were of paramount importance; to me they were of subsidiary interest. It was a price I was prepared to pay for their full-fledged support on a vital defense measure...In the same way I agreed not to change the status quo on religious authority for matters of personal status. I know it was hard on some individuals. But I felt, again in the national interest, that it was wise to...pay the comparatively small price of religious status quo."

Secular (Hiloni) Religious (Dati)

Haredi/Ultra Orthodox Zionist Anti-Zionist

Orthodox Zionists Mizrahi “Traditional”

New identity based upon citizenship and secular Hebrew culture

Is Israeli identity Jewish? What links Israelis with Jews in the

diaspora?

American Jews initial hesitation toward Zionism/Israel (1897-1940s)

Close ties between American Jews/America and Israel (1948-1980’s) Philanthropy Jewish Continuity

Fragmentation in American Jewry’s attitude toward Israel Dwindling sense of Jewish peoplehood Tension between universal values and perception of Israel