Like black Americans in the United States, Jews have been colonized for so long that we no longer have a singular Jewish culture – not even in Israel. We have lost a lot, despite our unique survival as an ancient indigenous ethno-religious people. While it is true that Jews did what we had to do as a people to survive – to include, specifically, reclaiming sovereignty on a portion of our ancestral land in Judea-Samaria – it is equally true that many of us Jews lament the borrowed Western ways that have permeated the landscape and society of modern Israel. And, this is especially true for Mizrahi and Sephardi Jews, the non-European Jews, that live within Israel.
Even the original political Zionists from the Enlightenment era who envisioned a modern Israeli nation were astutely aware of the need to recreate a common Jewish culture within this future Israel. Though they may have been terrible religious Jews, halachically speaking, even these Western influenced Jews were fundamentally and profoundly aware of what Jews around this world and what Middle Easterners, in general, would have difficulty with in regards to our present day Israel.
Seriously, am I wrong here? There really would be less tension to stir antisemitic extremism, if Israeli Jews modified the present govermental structure, economic structure, and architectural structures to a more Jewish-specific form. I’m not asking, rather pointing out that this needs to happen.
Now, I’m not suggesting that we try to recreate the ancient ANE approach to governing Israel, nor even to adopt an approach of basing our modern laws on un-evolved canonized precedents. But, within Israel, we should be recreating an authentic Jewish culture among all citizens that does not rely on politically pressured outside influence.
Meaning, the first official Torah scroll for our people as a nation was D’varim, and D’varim demands the following:
An emphasis upon social justice for all citizens. One law for Jew and non-Jew that are citizens. And, that Israelis be an example for all the nations of the world to follow. We will never achieve this mandate clinging to the Western ways of living and doing things! For it’s not Jewish, but borrowed into some Jewish – full stop. … Now, you might be wondering how I view Israel as a Jewish nation. Yes? No?
Israel of today needs to be a bridge between the past and the future. For the sake of world legitimacy, very much so! This means structuring our democratic govermental ways within the ancestral govermental ways. For example, we should have a King as head of our nation – HERE ME OUT. But, this King is the elected version of the Western Prime Minister, who is chosen from the entire Jewish citizenship (yes, Jewish citizens!). This King only serves for seven years, and a new King is elected by the people from within the entire Israeli Jewish citizenry.
Let’s explore further. Shall we? Because D’varim demands that all Jews are to be priests, thus equal in status, then all Jews must vote and all non-Jews who are citizens must be fully allowed to vote in every single election. One law for both Jew and non-Jew, right? Western style politics be damned! Further, as Jews, we desperately need to recreate our own ethnic cultural approach to architecture, literature, and so forth. If Kuwaitis can be modern and yet clearly Arabic in design, it is time for us Jews to recover our ‘colonized out of us’ uniquely Jewish forms of design. We do this in art and writings already, limitedly, but we do not presently do this in our architecture and our economy. It’s hideously Western!
Another issue to be addressed, the present Israeli commitment to the evil(1) of Western Capitalism and the myth of Exceptionalism, which is heartless and empty at the individual level (just like established Communism). This not thinking outside the colonized box and within Jewish tradition brings hatred upon our Jewish people from two-thirds of the world! Only the Christians are supporting this way of life for us Jews, so there *must* be a better way to approaching societal life! What is it?
Seriously! Why do we not have within Israel a Jewish ritual Sanhedrin, comprised of seven religious and seven secular scholars who are elected by the Jewish people every three years to their posts, to critically and cautiously determine a uniquely modern Jewish cultural approach to rituals that is actually rooted in the land, rather than keeping many different divisive approaches found in present Diaspora Rabbinic laws? And, why do we not have in Israel a Beit ha’Mikdash that is built around the Muslim Al-Aqsa to serve the purpose of a national Jewish synagogue to pray and/or study in, and that also serves as a national Beit Midrash for the critical religious and secular study of Jewish ancestral literatures?
Folks, we Jews need to decolonize! How else are we going to teach our children to think indigenously Jewish again from the ancestral homeland perspective? Nevermind me! I’m just wondering tonight, as my mind is ever doing, as to why we humans can’t find ways to bring peace, even within an ethno-religious people such as ours?
(1) Why do I call Capitalism an evil upon this earth?
Capitalism benefits the humans that “have” at the expense of the humans that “have not,” rather than lifting up the humans that “have not.” Though Jews are rightfully the indigenous people of what is called by many as historic Palestine, Jews have indeed imported the European Colonizer’s way of life upon the land. And I fully believe that we Jews need to transform our Israeli society, economically and architecturally, into something more Jewish.
What is more Jewish? Moving away from the heartless Capitalist/Communist models, and towards a D’varim style democratic socialist model for Jewish society. This model demands a Jewish relationship with the land, and demands our uplifting and respecting the “have nots” within Jewish nationalism, while rewarding to a point the “haves,” as well.
I’m not arguing here for a Jewish return to the past, but to uniquely reinvent a common Jewish culture for the future, based upon the ethical requirements outlined in the past. Elsewise, by acceptance of the Colonizer models for society, Arab Islam and European Christianity, we in turn prove to ourselves to still be a colonized Jewish people – even within our ancestral homeland.
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