Fw: Jerusalem Post: Fragmented beyond repair? Gershon Baskin

 
 
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From: Gershon Baskin
Date: 07/25/05 22:14:21
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Subject: Jerusalem Post: Fragmented beyond repair? Gershon Baskin
 
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Fragmented beyond repair?



GERSHON BASKIN, THE JERUSALEM POST Jul. 25, 2005




I made aliya 27 years ago from New York after being very active for 10 years
in the Zionist youth movement's Young Judea. I grew up with a pluralistic
attitude toward Jewish life in Israel. While I am not religious, I was
taught and I taught others to have respect for religious beliefs and for
religious people. 
During the past years a gulf has opened up between Orthodox and
non-religious people in this state. Until recently I thought we could find
an accommodation of peaceful coexistence. I am not so sure about that today.

I always believed that the true fulfillment of the Zionist dream required
Israel to find the way to live with its neighbors. The Zionist dream was to
create a safe haven for Jews from all over. This, by definition, means that
Israel must provide shelter and security for Jews. 
Political Zionism always found a way to advance the cause by being practical
 But Zionism got sidetracked by the Arab-Israeli conflict. 
Zionism was not about conflict with our neighbors. It was about creating a
just, progressive and humane society based on "Jewish values" for Jews to
live and prosper, both in spirit and in substance. Real Zionism accepted the
reality that non-Jews would always live within our midst. This was expressed
with both eloquence and finesse in Israel's Declaration of Independence.
That Declaration has always served, for me, as a kind of statement of intent
and of the values upon which this state and this society rests, or should
rest. 
ZIONISM is not about occupying the West Bank and Gaza. The continuation of
the settlement enterprise is an act of suicide for the Zionist dream. It is
not only about demographics. It is perhaps even more so about values,
morality and lessons that we, as Jews, should understand better than anyone
else. 
The disengagement from Gaza is a Zionist act. Ending our occupation and
domination over Gaza and its people is an action aimed at saving Zionism
from those who have tainted the noble aspects of its cause since 1967. The
Zionist dream is still in danger and the Zionist enterprise is at risk as
long as we continue our occupation and domination over the West Bank and its
people. The march out of the occupied territories must continue. We must
return to ourselves and build Israel from within. 
The future appears ominous. Over the past months I have watched the streets
of Israel and, in particular Jerusalem, turn orange. As the streets, the
trees and the fashion has adopted this new symbol I have found myself
confronted with the very strong visual image of a people I do not recognize.

How could these people – with their messianic vision and value system that
justifies treating the "other" as less equal than Jews – and I be part of
the same nation? We have the same roots, we share a common heritage, we come
from the same places, yet there has been a split; for some time they and
their kind have been very different from me and my kind. 
I received a bumper sticker in my email this week. It was two Israeli flags,
one in orange and white and the other in blue and white. It said beneath the
flags: "Israel – two states for two peoples." 
That is a pretty good expression of my feelings toward the settlers and
their supporters. We do not share values. We do not share a common view on
the nature of this country or what it has to do to save itself. 
Their ideology says "Jews don't expel Jews," implying that Jews may expel
non-Jews. They believe they can subjugate the Palestinians and that the
Palestinians will thank them for providing them with bread and water. Their
sense of superiority disgusts me and raises questions about how we can live
together.
I recognize that they are not all the same; that even within the orange
world there are many shades. But the world view, conduct and ethics of the
settlers are different from mine. We both claim our behavior is based on
Jewish values, but our interpretation of what these values are as different
as night and day. 
THE DISENGAGEMENT from Gaza is a victory for me and my kind. It is not yet a
done deal, though. There may be those in the orange camp willing to use
violence or provoke acts that could freeze the disengagement. Blowing up the
mosques on the Temple Mount or a terrorist attack against Palestinians could
provoke a new wave of Islamic terror that could lead to halting the
withdrawal from Gaza. 
As their desperation grows, the chances of a cataclysmic type of event
taking place increases. There are those whose motivations are so irrational
that taking human lives for their cause is as easy as killing a mosquito.
The toxic mixture of messianic lunatics aligned with political fanatics is
explosive. If they represent Zionism and Zionist values then I am not a
Zionist, and my dream is not the Zionist dream. 
But what I believe and want for Israel and the Jewish people is the
fulfillment of the vision of the Declaration of Independence. 
I want to be a free people in my nation living in peace with my neighbors
both within and along our borders. I cherish diversity and appreciate the
wealth of cultural pluralism that we can experience in this land and in this
region. I don't want to rule over another nation and don't want their land.
If important parts of my heritage and history are on the other side beyond
our borders, I may want to visit them. But I don't know have to be in
possession of those places or rule over others in order to control them. 
Many of those holy places are also holy for others who live in this land and
who have other beliefs. Judaism teaches us to sanctify life, not places. The
Zionist dream is a political expression of the sanctification of life. If we
are worthy of living in this land we must respect all its peoples. We must
recognize that our own security and prosperity is dependent on the security
and prosperity of both peoples of this land. If we want dignity and respect
for ourselves and our dreams, we must give dignity and respect to the others
 
One day, I hope, the Israeli-Arab conflict will end. The struggle to reach
that end will heighten and deepen the feeling of alienation between the two
Jewish peoples of this state. We will then have to confront how we live
together in peace and mutual respect. 
Right now it seems like an impossible dream; right now it feels like a
nightmare. 
This article can also be read at http://www.jpost
com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1122259871530&p=1
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