Land In Jewish Thought
Wednesday Class with Dr. Deborah Weissman
Israel is a relatively young country. It is a country still very much concerned with securing its land and its borders. One of the discussions that has yet to take root involves sorting out and perhaps separating the idea of 1) homeland, and 2) statehood.
The Old Testament book of Genesis in chapter 12 establishes a covenant with Abram (later renamed Abraham). The covenant comprises three promises: a people (nation, numerous descendants), a land called Canaan, and a faith (blessing, a relationship with God). Jews believe that the beginning of Jewish history starts here with the call of Abram and the covenant with these promises.
Throughout world history there have been many occasions where Jews have been sought out because they were Jews and they were annihilated or discriminated against. While they have not been the only people who have suffered greatly throughout world history it has been a consistent experience for the Jewish people. Today Jews recognize that they have an unbroken family chain going back to Abram/Abraham. And of course, many Christians and Muslims also see themselves as children of Abraham. You might say we are cousins in the family of God.
Christian belief places no emphasis on location, i.e. Christian are not tied to a particular land, rather we see ourselves as people of many ethnic backgrounds, cultures, and lands. Our spiritual home is wherever we make it. Jews have remained very connected with the land promised in Genesis. Today in Jewish weddings a small part of the ceremony remembers Israel the land and the destroyed Temple.
The Jewish people have spent a great deal of time dispersed around the globe due to varying world forces and the conquering of military might. There is a longing to have a land where a Jew from anywhere can come and be at home when no one else will receive him/her. This notion is not shared by all Jews, but it remains a significant policy of the Israeli government and is generally supported and recognized as a right by western countries today. Even throughout the times of "diaspora" or living abroad and scattered there has remained a Jewish presence in the Holy Land albeit a small presence by times.
19th century modernity ushered in the age of enlightenment, the thrust for democracy, independent thought, and emancipation. Modernity also brought with it assimilation. Many cultures revolted against assimilation including Italy and the Balkans. Nationalism was given birth by modernity. It also allowed the holocaust to occur. The age was ripe for the bringing together the ingredients of the "land" and "modernity" to produce what we call Zionism. Zionism is tofhe desire among religious and secular Jews to take destiny into their own hands knowing no one else will accomplish it for them, and to begin the process of rebuilding a homeland.
The problem today is that there are two peoples who claim the land: the Jews, and the Palestinian people. Today’s average Jew has little or no contact with the average Palestinian. The reverse is also true. The average Palestinian sees the Israeli or Jew as the occupying force which breaks into their homes in the night and disrupts every aspect of life. The average Jew or Israeli sees a terrorist in every Palestinian who wants him/her dead. Interfaith talks happen only among the elite of both societies. The truth for both sides is this.... there are angels and devils among both. Each are victim and victimizer. It seems to me that ways need to be found to bring average people together to share stories of pain and frustration as well as stories of hope and promise. In short, people must find ways to cross the harsh boundaries that define the two separate cultures presently. With the debilitating stroke of Ariel Sharon who had begun to take some amazingly positive steps toward peace and the election win of Hamas which has yet to renounce violence and its commitment to the State of Israel, hope for a solution now seems further away than it did just two months ago.
There are those in Israeli society who hope and long for an Israeli state that matures into a distinctively Jewish society where there is room for many cultures, in which rights, peace, and security is available for everyone.
It seems to me that this land is in need of many heros, a hero being one who turns an "enemy" into a "friend."
Israel is a relatively young country. It is a country still very much concerned with securing its land and its borders. One of the discussions that has yet to take root involves sorting out and perhaps separating the idea of 1) homeland, and 2) statehood.
The Old Testament book of Genesis in chapter 12 establishes a covenant with Abram (later renamed Abraham). The covenant comprises three promises: a people (nation, numerous descendants), a land called Canaan, and a faith (blessing, a relationship with God). Jews believe that the beginning of Jewish history starts here with the call of Abram and the covenant with these promises.
Throughout world history there have been many occasions where Jews have been sought out because they were Jews and they were annihilated or discriminated against. While they have not been the only people who have suffered greatly throughout world history it has been a consistent experience for the Jewish people. Today Jews recognize that they have an unbroken family chain going back to Abram/Abraham. And of course, many Christians and Muslims also see themselves as children of Abraham. You might say we are cousins in the family of God.
Christian belief places no emphasis on location, i.e. Christian are not tied to a particular land, rather we see ourselves as people of many ethnic backgrounds, cultures, and lands. Our spiritual home is wherever we make it. Jews have remained very connected with the land promised in Genesis. Today in Jewish weddings a small part of the ceremony remembers Israel the land and the destroyed Temple.
The Jewish people have spent a great deal of time dispersed around the globe due to varying world forces and the conquering of military might. There is a longing to have a land where a Jew from anywhere can come and be at home when no one else will receive him/her. This notion is not shared by all Jews, but it remains a significant policy of the Israeli government and is generally supported and recognized as a right by western countries today. Even throughout the times of "diaspora" or living abroad and scattered there has remained a Jewish presence in the Holy Land albeit a small presence by times.
19th century modernity ushered in the age of enlightenment, the thrust for democracy, independent thought, and emancipation. Modernity also brought with it assimilation. Many cultures revolted against assimilation including Italy and the Balkans. Nationalism was given birth by modernity. It also allowed the holocaust to occur. The age was ripe for the bringing together the ingredients of the "land" and "modernity" to produce what we call Zionism. Zionism is tofhe desire among religious and secular Jews to take destiny into their own hands knowing no one else will accomplish it for them, and to begin the process of rebuilding a homeland.
The problem today is that there are two peoples who claim the land: the Jews, and the Palestinian people. Today’s average Jew has little or no contact with the average Palestinian. The reverse is also true. The average Palestinian sees the Israeli or Jew as the occupying force which breaks into their homes in the night and disrupts every aspect of life. The average Jew or Israeli sees a terrorist in every Palestinian who wants him/her dead. Interfaith talks happen only among the elite of both societies. The truth for both sides is this.... there are angels and devils among both. Each are victim and victimizer. It seems to me that ways need to be found to bring average people together to share stories of pain and frustration as well as stories of hope and promise. In short, people must find ways to cross the harsh boundaries that define the two separate cultures presently. With the debilitating stroke of Ariel Sharon who had begun to take some amazingly positive steps toward peace and the election win of Hamas which has yet to renounce violence and its commitment to the State of Israel, hope for a solution now seems further away than it did just two months ago.
There are those in Israeli society who hope and long for an Israeli state that matures into a distinctively Jewish society where there is room for many cultures, in which rights, peace, and security is available for everyone.
It seems to me that this land is in need of many heros, a hero being one who turns an "enemy" into a "friend."
posted by Philip | 6:28 a.m.
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