Its the diaspora

Submitted by Yuval Brandstetter MD (Israel), Dec 26, 2006 at 09:10

The Jews were uprooted from the land they inhabited for about 1500 years approximately 2000 years ago. This uprooting was expected by the thinkers of the ages who sought spiritual ways of preserving Jewish nationality, culture, language, justice, morals, to tide them through till they come home again. These measures were extremely successful qualitatively, which means that a core segment kept the faith despite all vicissitudes, and those who could not, assimilated and disappeared into the back-ground of their hosts. Both Islam and Chrisitanity were happy to accept converts, and a sizeable chunk did cast away this heavy Hebraic load. At some point the Diapora existence became the defining expereince of Jewish heritage, and acquired a spiritual permanence. Most American Jews are perfectly happy to live this Diapora life, and bequeath it to their children.

But at the core, the Diapora was always a temporary arrangement. Those Jews that truly believed in the remption of Zion, that re-establishment of a Hebraic sovereignty was a matter of time and opportunity, remained, and kept the flame alive. Finally, the opportunity came along. Severe persecution in Europe Russia and North Africa, a visionary (Herzl), a moribund empire, the land laid to waste by 2000 years of wars and neglect (read Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad), a resurgence of biblical yearning coupled with military victory (Britain, 1917-1922) put everything together. The Holocaust perptrated upon the Jewish nation was the utmost effort of the Nazi-Islamist Axis to nix a growing bud before it became a trunk. (this Isalmo-fascist collaboration is amply documented). On the periphery of that hard Jewish core that re-estabglished Jewish sovereignty there were always those Jews who doubted the effort, because Diaspora was for them a value unto itself.

What does Diaspora mean? It means the rejection of Sovereignty, of Statehood, of independence. That is, if there is a group of people who object to Jewish sovereignty, Diaspora dictates they must be right. Diaspora means that Jews act as subjects to the host power, likely to pander and wheedle, seek mercy and favour, while taking care not to offend the Host in any shape form or manner. Diaspora means the renouncement of power of arms, claiming the very use of Arms is un-jewish. Some of the Jews living in Israel are unable to shake off the powerful legacy of Diaspora, and are acting out as if they are still in the Diaspora though they reside in their own land, the Arabs fulfilling the role of the Host Nation.

Hebraic soceity in Israel is divided into three parts. Zionists, Diasporists, and those unable to choose. Obviously I am of the first-mentioned part, but as a Jew, I cannot reject those who do not agree with me. We are not Syria or Egypt or Jordan where a small powerful minority subjugates the rest to their whims and nepotism. Certainly we are not Iraq or Lebanon where sectarian bloodshed is the order of the centuries. We invented the rule "of the people for the people by the people", and so we tolerate and emprace even those who are doing their damndest to Diaporise the jewish State, hoping they see the error of their ways before the errors bring about the collapse of the Third House.

A good book to peruse is The Jewish Nation, by Yoram Hazony.

I hope this answers your excellent question

Y Brandstetter MD

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".