Regional Relations Matter

By Rob Lattin

Almost immediately following the release of Gilad Shalit rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza resumed.  Over the last couple of weeks, it has begun to feel like a major scuffle between Israel, Hamas, and the Islamic Jihad is on the horizon.  Sunday night at the Jewish General Assembly in Denver, Colorado, I had the opportunity to briefly discuss with Haaretz editor-in-chief, Aluf Benn, his thoughts on a possible Israeli invasion of Gaza.  Like all Israeli reporters, he feels that anything can happen at anytime.  I also asked him to what extent regional influences currently play a part in Israel’s decision-making process in engaging Hamas and its break-off cronies in a full on conflict.  To my surprise, he said that it did not.  To paraphrase, he stated that Israel does what it wants, and its behavior and relationship with Hamas is void of foreign influence.

I agree that in the end Israel will do what it feels is in its best interest, however, believing that Israel disregards regional relations in its major policy decisions is just naïve.  It would be outright poor policy planning on the behalf of the Israeli government if it did not allow its Gaza policies to be even remotely influenced by what is going on in the area.  Are relations between Israel, Turkey, and Egypt strained?  Absolutely.  Are they dead?  Not by a long shot.  As long as the alliances have a pulse, Israel will be sensitive to their counterpart’s feelings, within reason.  This is blatantly obvious seeing that Israel has not breached Egyptian sovereignty to combat the anarchic Bedouin of the Sinai, who are creating direct and serious security issues for Israel.  Further, Israel has been very calm in the wake of Turkish threats to use warships to escort flotillas to Gaza.  Mr. Benn, regional influences matter, and it is definitely showing its impact.

Zionism at the GA

The General Assembly of Jewish Federations of North America is one of the largest annual gatherings of Jews in the Diaspora. It brings together Jews from all points on the spectrums of political affiliation, religious observance, and opinions on Israel. There are many issues that are emphasized at the GA, with specialty tracks focusing on Jewish leadership, the Middle East and Israel, community building, and new and innovative tactics, among others. The diversity of the GA participants marks the tones of the various sessions, with conversations taking place on all of the issues facing the Jewish community, ranging from intermarriage to engaging the younger generation.

With so many issues on the table for the North American Jewish community to deal with and discuss, it is interesting to note the prevalence of Israel in the conference. Israel is an issue that is central to Jewish identity and the Jewish people, and it is heartening to see it being treated as such. In GA sessions, it has been noted that lately, Israel and Zionism are often treated as separate from the rest of Jewish communal life, but at this conference, the centrality of Israel is represented in the number of discussions and speakers that have focused on it.

Zionism, and the relationship that the Jewish people have with the Jewish national movement, has been a pivotal part of Jewish identity for generations. The connection that generations past had with Israel came from religious affinity and national identity. Today, the connection that Jewish communities around the world have with Israel is different than it has ever been before. The younger generations have never lived in a world without the State of Israel. Having grown up with the security that a sovereign Jewish State provides, they are able to take for granted the success of the Zionist movement without keeping in mind that Zionism is still alive today, and did not end in 1948 with the formal establishment of the modern State of Israel.

Sessions at the GA regarding Israel have ranged from conversations about the Assault on Israel’s Legitimacy to The Negev from Now to 2020 to Turning Israel Program Alumni into Advocates and Activists. These sessions touched on issues relating to Israel, but while focusing on the issues of Israel advocacy and legitimacy, neglected to truly address Zionism. Zionism, Jewish nationalism, is a word and a concept that has come under assault in recent years, one of the main targets of the movement to delegitimize Israel. While many participants have talked about their personal connections with Israel and their pro-Israel leanings, often identifying as a Zionist isn’t heard.

It is imperative that the Jewish community addresses this glaring omission. To identify as a Zionist is to identify with a movement that is as diverse as the Jewish community itself, with numerous ideologies and forms of expression. It is to voice affiliation with the belief that the Jewish people have a right to self-determination in their historic national homeland, the place that has been at the core of Jewish identity through generations of exile and dispersion.

As the North American Jewish community continues to explore its strengths and weaknesses at the GA, hopefully Zionism will come into question, in the various Israel discussions and in the collective conversation as well.

This Day in Zionist History: The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin

“For Israel, there is no path that is without pain. But the path of peace is preferable to the path of war. I say this to you as one who was a military man, someone who is today Minister of Defense and sees the pain of the families of the IDF soldiers. For them, for our children, in my case for our grandchildren, I want this Government to exhaust every opening, every possibility, to promote and achieve a comprehensive peace.”

Yitzhak Rabin spoke these words sixteen years ago. On November 4, 1995 (12 Cheshvan), Rabin, who was then the Prime Minister of Israel, was at a rally for peace in Tel Aviv. It seemed as though, thanks to his brave and bold moves towards peace and the advent of direct negotiations, peace would finally be achieved between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Then, as he stepped down from the podium, Yigal Amir, an Orthodox Jew who opposed Rabin’s actions towards peace and the Oslo Accords shot Rabin. In one moment, the face of Israel, the face of the peace process, and the future of the Middle East changed.

The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin marked an all-time low point in the relationship between the left and the right in Israel. It also marked a schism in the peace process that in some ways still hasn’t fully healed, nearly two decades later. In 1995, Rabin, who had recently won the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat, seemed to be the innovative leader who was capable of finally bringing the Israeli people the peace that they had been longing for since the founding of the state in 1948. After his untimely, premature death, the peace process stalled, and for the past sixteen years, it has started and stopped. New tactics have been tried, and new partners for peace have been sought. But today, the Israeli people are still waiting for Rabin’s dream of peace between the Israelis and their Arab neighbors to be fulfilled.

Yitzhak Rabin embodied the dream of Zionist renewal. He was the first native-born Prime Minister of Israel. He was a man whose life may seem like a contradiction: a lifelong soldier and military man who dreamed of peace, whose early goal was to be a water engineer. But in actuality, it made sense. Rabin was committed to the advancement and development of the Jewish State. He served Israel in the Palmach, in the Israel Defense Forces, as a diplomat and statesmen, and eventually as the Prime Minister. His commitment to Israel led him to his willingness to make concessions in order to achieve a true and lasting peace for the state and its people. For the good of Israel, he was willing to make sacrifices, and ultimately sacrificed his life.

Today, sixteen years later, Rabin’s dream of peace remains unfulfilled. It is up to his generation of Zionist activists and leaders to be strong enough to make hard choices and bold decisions as well, so as to ensure that future generations can enjoy peace and security in their homeland.

“Here, in the land of Israel, we returned and built a nation. Here, in the land of Israel, we established a state. The land of the prophets, which bequeathed to the world the values of morality, law and justice, was, after two thousand years, restored to its lawful owners — the members of the Jewish people. On its land, we have built an exceptional national home and state.”

ViZions of Zionism

Zionism. It’s a word that evokes strong emotions, passion, and for many, confusion. It can take many different forms, and for people around the world, both Jews and non-Jews, it can be interpreted to mean different things. At its core, Zionism is Jewish nationalism. It is the belief that the Jewish people have a shared history, religious heritage, and language. Zionists, those who identify with the Jewish national movement, recognize Israel as the Jewish State, as an independent, sovereign nation which allows the Jewish people the right to self-determination.

Beyond these lofty shared principles, one finds a great deal of diversity within the Zionist movement. Individuals who identify themselves as Zionists span the spectrum of political leanings, religious affiliation, and personal background. They connect with Zionism in a variety of ways, either as a political movement or a cultural one that allows people around the world to identify with the language, culture, music, and discourse of the Jewish people. Zionism manifests itself in many ways, from the physical (those who choose to make aliyah and live in Israel), to the vocal (those who speak out about Zionism, educating others about the movement), to personal and subtle ways, which include speaking Hebrew, buying Israeli-made products, and taking a personal interest in the well-being of the State of Israel and the Israeli people.

Expressing views of Zionism and feelings about Israel through writing is a way for us to convey our diverse opinions about Zionism to a broad audience. ViZions of Zionism is exemplary of both the breadth and the depth of Zionism, with contributors from all points on the spectrum of Zionist thought. You can expect to see posts that espouse seemingly divergent opinions about Zionism. This is not a contradiction, but rather another example of the wide range of Zionist opinions and beliefs.

The various forms that Zionism takes when expressed in ViZions of Zionism mirror the conversation about Zionism worldwide. They differ in their approaches, and sometimes even in their conclusions, but ultimately unite under the banner of Zionism, of pride in Jewish nationalism, and of affirmation of the connection that the Jewish people have to Israel.

ViZions of Zionism is a project of the American Zionist Movement.