Haaretz
The World Zionist youth movements came out this week claiming that a cut in the money they receive from the Jewish Agency is threatening their very existence, and that as a result "hundreds of thousands of Jewish youth will lose their only significant link to the State of Israel and to their Jewish identity."
The recession has hit hard in the movement world, and it has been suggested that this will directly lead to a fall in numbers making aliyah. However, a closer look seems to show that the problem lies deeper.[...]
The World Zionist youth movements came out this week claiming that a cut in the money they receive from the Jewish Agency is threatening their very existence, and that as a result "hundreds of thousands of Jewish youth will lose their only significant link to the State of Israel and to their Jewish identity."
The recession has hit hard in the movement world, and it has been suggested that this will directly lead to a fall in numbers making aliyah. However, a closer look seems to show that the problem lies deeper.[...]
Post Zionism - Seculars have more or less given up on Zionism, and they have given up on Eretz Yisrael - hence thier willingness to surrender Jerusalem to murderers.
ReplyDeleteYout groups - from Reform Judaism? Give me break, reform were the ones who alongisde Aguda, opposed the Zionist enterprise from the start - they only muscled in onthe idea because they want to get reform conversions recognized in Israel (i refer to their leaders, not their youth, who are Tinok SheNishba).
The implosion of Zionism that we are witnessing has long been predicted by the Gedolim zt"l.
ReplyDeleteZionism with frumkeit is increasing and taking over, subtract the frumkeit and all you got is an excitement for Galilee produce....
ReplyDeleteZionism as ideology is failing because the sonai Yisroel have managed to equate Zionism with something horrible.
ReplyDeleteThe kid today who wants an affinity with Israel is beat up and marginalized by popular media and 'progressive' Jews.
Also, a young person seeking out a Zionist affiliation is also seeking out his or her own Jewish identity. Needless to say, there are many conflicting messages out there, many of which actually discourage the person from further affiliation.
Historically, Zionism was a reaction to reform and enlightenment. So although it was born in secular minds, eg Herzl, it was the first step to teshuva. Interesting - that those who oppsoe Zionism also oppsoe that Teshuva. They realise that Eretz Yisrael has Kedusha. That Yehuda, Shomron has Dati settlers, who are reproducing B'H and may soon outnumber the secualr elites. They also study Torah. And the Soldiers swear allegiance to the Torah, and obey Governemnt only if it doesnt conflict with Torah. That is why there are post -zionsits , just like the old reform was anti zionist, for the same exact reasons.
ReplyDeleteEddie, I disagree. The purpose of Zionism was to allow Jews a place in reform and enlightenment. What bothered Theodore Herzl more than anything was that despite being a modern French solider, Alfred Dreyfuss was still victimized for being a Jew. The enlightenment and reform of Western society hadn't removed anti-Semitism. Thus his goal: to create an enlightened, Western secular state poopulated and run by enlightened, secular Jews.
ReplyDeleteThat the Ribono shel Olam used him towards a greater purpose is without doubt but secular Zionism's goal of creating a state that happens to be mostly Jewish instead of a Jewish state has come true and they have no follow-up plan.
Zionist youth "more interested" in fun than ideology? Or Zionist youth being denied/deprived of ideology by zionist organization/leaders who no longer believe in anything? Those "leaders" are the ones they polled, and it could very well be that the leaders see no value in ideology because they themselves were also denied it and hidden from it by those who came before them and did outreach to them in the first place too.
ReplyDeleteGarnel - there was a departure from the reform and intermarriage - herzl realised that we cannot escape our fate. now, there are many ways of interpreting history and the Divine plan. But secular /post zionists are afraid - very afraid, that G-d forbid jews might receive something from the Kedusha of the Land of Israel. awaken from their spiritual galut. This is why they want to derail the zionist enterprise. The left/post zionists are closest to Neturei Karta - they both wish to end Jewish sovereignity in Israel. Nk want it 1 go (like hamas.iran), secular want it slices, like PLO. This is what rav Goren said about Yeshayahu leibovitz - that he wants another Churban.
ReplyDeleteWADR TO THE PREVIOUS COMMENTATORS... Here is an article about the churban that is taking place in the Diaspora, and you all use it as a punching bag to beat up on Zionism, secular and left wing, left wingers bichlal and all your other favorite enemies. No hakaras hatov for those who fought and struggled to build the country. Zip.
ReplyDeleteThere are so few ways of keeping Jews from intermarrying, a story that Zionism is no longer even interesting is reason to cry, not gloat.
I'll tell you two simple facts...200,000 of the guys you just beat up on leave Israel and there goes the country.
2 million Jews have intermarried in America alone. You have no plan. Saying they should all become frum just like you, not much more and not much less, is a non starter. For each person brought into Orthodoxy as a result of kiruv many more have left and continue to leave.
After you see what a menuvel Tropper was, and how this kiruv work is so problematic, to then go back to a game of got ya is just very disappointing.
Here is the reality...we, Israel and the Diaspora, need 20-40 million Jews around the world minimum to have the power to fight the Muslims and the anti-Semites. If the Diaspora disappears, a world of 5 million frum and 2-3 million not Orthodox can maybe govern Monsey. Such a world cannot produce the GNP and power to fight our enemies. And we do have enemies, real ones who wish we disapeared.
My apologies for ranting.
ej
What's the chiddush here? That secular political zionism is a dead ideology?
ReplyDeleteto ej:
ReplyDeletere:"WADR TO THE PREVIOUS COMMENTATORS"
My comment at 10:08 pm does not fit with your accusations. I have much appreciation for those who engaged in self-sacrifice, idealism, and heroic deeds to defend the Jewish people in battle against savage enemies and to found a state for the Jewish people. I certainly applaud and appreciate those efforts. The great tragedy is that today's youth, especially secular youth within the "zionist" sector are being denied the idealistic vision and potentially nationalistically unifying ideology of some great writers and thinkers of the past, such as Jabotinsky, Begin and others. This is equally true of the religious - it is a tragedy the religious society does not celebrate jabotinsky, shabtai ben dov, etc but at least we have tradition and other great thinkers we do celebrate. Without zionist ideology, zionist youth have nightclubs and "fun." That's tragic. It means that zionism itself is dead. If I enjoyed that I would celebrate the article, but instead I pointed out that it's tragic.
That being said, I'm sure your criticism applies to other of the comments here.