Israel at a Crossroads

Secular pragmatism or messianic nationalism: the choice that will shape Israel’s future

People frequently ask me what’s going on in Israel. Here is my take.

Israel’s right to exist is not the question

First, I have no doubt about Israel’s right to exist as a state. Most countries were built through conflict and the transfer of control over land from one group to another, and that was the case in Israel too. Furthermore, for people who really care about such things, Israel is one example of an indigenous population that was exiled and returned to its own country — a story many people should cheer.

At the same time, the big issue today is not Israel’s right to exist, but Israel’s behavior. Here I think there is a real problem, and it has serious political implications.

Why secular Zionism worked

I am a secular Zionist. Zionism was a national movement that started in Eastern Europe and aimed to bring Jews to the Land of Israel. But Herzl and the other leaders of Zionism saw the Jewish state as a democratic state — a country that is inclusive of Arabs in principle, and one that would obtain land through legitimate means.

Indeed, when the UN decided, at the end of the British Mandate, to partition Palestine, the Arabs opposed it, and after Israel was declared on the basis of that resolution, the War of Independence began. Still, Israel’s leadership built a system that aimed to be democratic. Arab citizens were obviously discriminated against, but they have many rights that are probably better than what exists in other countries in the region: they are represented in parliament, they serve as judges, and so on. The secularization of Israel is a work in progress and will be determined democratically. I am for separation of church and state but I’m sure that Jewish character of the state will be preserved (Jewish Holidays will be part of the calendar), and religious education will be supported partially by the state and by donation.

To me, secular Zionism has been a success — aiming for coexistence and for agreements with the rest of the Middle East that would allow us to have a democratic Jewish state.

The rise of messianic Judaism

What frightens me now is that secular Zionism is losing ground to messianic Judaism. The Netanyahu government has significant support from Orthodox Jews, some of whom don’t accept democracy, and many of whom use the Bible as a guide for life.

I think there are many great ideas in the Bible, but some of them are misguided. One example is the idea that, when they conquered Canaan, the Israelites had the right to eliminate the nations who lived there before them — an idea that actually inspired some of the pioneers in America to eliminate native populations. Others concern equality between the genders and homosexuality. When people who hold these views gain more weight in the political system, the net effect is behavior that is resented and criticized by the rest of the world and by many Jews — including myself and my children.

Two visions of Zionism: the pragmatic, democratic project of Herzl and Ben-Gurion versus the religious nationalism now shaping Israeli policy.

The election that will decide

Israel is now in a tough situation, and the next elections are key to its future. Either we choose the more liberal, secular coalition that is emerging — a coalition that will control the behavior of the settlements, prevent violence by settlers in the West Bank, make sure there are no excesses in Gaza, work with the international community to try to solve the problem, and seek a solution, including a two-state solution — or we choose a messianic government that will try to follow the rules of the Torah. I believe the latter, in the end, puts Israel in peril.

What Jewish history teaches

Jewish history is not a great history of political success. We are a nation more than 3,000 years old, and we were independent for at most 500 of those years. Much of our history was shaped by religious fanaticism rather than pragmatism.

The recent Netanyahu government legitimized the religious zealots and developed an attitude that ignores global standards of behavior, human rights and dignity, assuming that “God is on our side.” Continuing to assume that God is on our side may bring us to the same tragic results we experienced in the past.

Moreover, Jews have contributed enormously to humanity. The success of Jews in science, art, literature and the humanities over the last few generations is the result of a secular approach, despite antisemitism and other challenges. The building of Israel, as I said, replaced religious dogma with rational thinking and secularism.

Pragmatism or peril

The success of secular Zionism — of Ben-Gurion, and to some extent even Begin — was that its leaders were opportunistic and pragmatic. They reached for peace, they wanted a democracy, they wanted equal rights, they respected the rights of Arabs, and they truly wanted Israel to be a country respected among the nations. If we take this approach, we will succeed. Israel is, in many ways, an extremely successful country.

But if we decide that we are a chosen nation that operates on the assumption that “God is on our side,” I am afraid that God will disappoint us, as He has disappointed us in the past.

More than 3,000 years of Jewish history, but fewer than 500 years of political sovereignty.