Is the Left Dead in Israel?
Gideon Levy wrote what must be one of many hand wringing articles that fall in the category of: woe to the left, for it have failed. As he notes, the failure begain in 2000 but received a formal death certificate last Tuesday. He pinpoints the ideological weak spot: the dividing line between Zionist and non-Zionist. This is a reference to the ghetto that the Zionist left sought to confine Hadash, Gush Shalom and other parts of the radical peace camp. For years Meretz leaders would say things like 'don't vote for Hadash, they aren't Zionist, not legitimate, and therefore can't really effect change.'
Now that ghetto can feel pretty good about itself, if not the direction of the country. Hadash grew from three to four seats. Balad got three seats. Together, the mainstream of Arab society and the left wing fringes of Jewish society can tell those who voted for Meretz: don't do it again - they are irrelevant. Join us.
It is permissible not to be a Zionist, as commonly defined today. It is permissible to believe in the Jews' right to a state and yet come out against the Zionism that engages in occupation. It is permissible to believe that what happened in 1948 should be put on the agenda, to apologize for the injustice and act to rehabilitate the victims. It is permissible to oppose an unnecessary war from its very first day. It is permissible to think that the Arabs of Israel deserve the same rights - culturally, socially and nationally - as Jews. It is permissible to raise disturbing questions about the image of the Israel Defense Forces as an army of occupation, and it is even permissible to want to talk to Hamas.
If you prefer, this is Zionism, and if you prefer, this is anti-Zionism. In any case, it is legitimate and essential for those who do not want to see Israel fall victim to the insanities of the right for many more years. Anyone who wants an Israeli left must say "enough" to Zionism, the Zionism of which the right has taken complete control.
In other words, the fetishization of Zionism is a losing game for the left (= peace camp) in Israel. it has become a tool of the right wing, no matter how many Peace Now blue shirts run around saying that the occupation is not Zionism. Or maybe... it would have mattered if there were more of them, but since Ehud Barak and Amos Oz killed the left in 2000, there is no one to blame but the Zionist left's own leadership.
That said, I'm really liking what Justin of Jewschool had to say:
Through Gideon Levy’s words, my Zionist life flashed before my eyes. Until reading this, I think I desired a resurrection of that life. It feels now that I can peacefully lay it to rest. My love for Zion is real and it is strong, but that does not make me a Zionist. My love for the land of Israel as the root and wellspring of the Jewish people and the glory of the Most High is real and it is strong, but that does not make me a friend of the State of Israel.
And you know what? That’s ok. It doesn’t make me an enemy to the Jewish people. It doesn’t make me an anti-Semite. It doesn’t make me a self-hating Jew (whatever that means, and can someone tell me? I really don’t get it). It doesn’t even make me anti-Israel or anti-Zionist. I know I’m not alone. And I also know that many of us feel like we’re better off not saying it publicly. I say, enough is enough.
My own experiences confirm that Justin's feelings are quite common among American Jews, at least within a certain section. They include young rabbis and seminarians, cultural workers, writers, bloggers, and leaders of independent congregations. Zionism has come full circle. Where it was once dragged out of the liturgy and placed on the nationalist flag, now it is being divorced from supporting the actual state of Israel and its leaders, and being returned. Call it spiritual or cultural Zionism, call it Echad Ha'am's revenge, call it whatever you want.
It doesn't matter anymore.
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