Winners and Losers

ISSN: 2347-7474 International Journal Advances in Social Science and Humanities Available Online at: www.ijassh.com RESEARCH ARTICLE Zionism as a Performative: Winners and Losers Gabriel Mayer Graduate Affiliate: University of Haifa, International School, Israel. Introduction The term Zionism conjures up all sorts of transformation of the term into something reactions, none of them having much that is argued over and sought as a badge of connection to the distinctive political, distinction, while losing much of its sociological, economical and psychological distinctive historical impacts. While the 1967 performance arising over the years. Indeed, war bolstered enthusiasm for Israel and while acting as the DNA of pre-statehood increased the supportive efforts by the Palestine’s transformation into the State of American community, we know well that Israel, it currently stands more as a slogan or these positive sentiments began to fade over utterance, a call for action-often quite varied- the years. Many factors might account for dependent on place person and thing, which this, but today we see an increasing invokes its use. Comparing its power as an estrangement from Israel by the US Jewish utterance to “I do” during a marriage community. Some of this is attributable to ceremony, so famously stated by J. L. Austen, aggressive Israeli militarism as well as the one can clearly see the immediacy evoked by staunch resistance by the Rabbinate for any its utterance [1]. stream of Judaism excepting Orthodoxy, but there are other factors going way back to the What follows is an assortment of historical 1940s. events, which were turning points for society’s view of and utilization for political I count, first of all, the rejection of Jewish expediency with many things “Zionist” The nationalism outside of Israel and specifically foregoing is a metaphorical reality, in as objections to the concept of American much as Zionism slowly transformed from an Zionism. These are the areas I wish to academically argued political science subject explore. It is important for me to to a commercialized battle cry of competing acknowledge the fact that in examining societies, individuals, and the everlasting Israeli society and history my lacking the struggle between personhood and statehood. Hebrew language is a highly significant The rhetoric around post-Zionism, by land tactical disadvantage; objectively speaking, large a product of the “New Historians” is one cannot learn about Israel and its people bypassed in my current discussion because it without knowing the language, or to put it in may well represent the isolated fancies of a another way, one cannot fully learn about a core group of academicians who were Hebraic society in English. Still, there is speaking for themselves about themselves certain validity in my position because a [2]. significant part of this work is to emphasize the competing narratives between Israeli US Diaspora and Israel: the Struggle Jews and US Jews. The latter, just like me, over Jewish Nationalism lack the language component. Nevertheless, In this paper I wish to examine the positive since the majority of the world’s Jews live, or negative appeal of Zionism (as localized in about evenly split, either in Israel or the US, Israel) not only for Israelis but also for the differential interpretations of the two outsiders, most specifically the US Diaspora groups assume a scientific validity [3]. community. Reviewing some historical moments will bring clarity to the 3(DellaPergola 2017 February 22)Abstract At the beginning of 2016, the world’s Jewish population was estimated at 14,412,200—an increase of 100,000 (0.70 1(Austin 1975, pasim ) Austen is credited with opening a %)(Engel 2010) over the 2014 revised estimate. As the world’s whole new set of rules for linguistics utilization, by total population increased by 1.38 % in 2015, world Jewry introducing the performative power of words. increased at about half the general population growth rate. 2(Likhovski 2010, pp 4-7) Jewish population was highly concentrated in two countries, Gabriel Mayer | Jan 2018| Vol.6 | Issue 01 |08-14 8 Available online at: www.ijassh.com Zionism Current Public Views surprising results [ 7 ]. It may come as a surprise, but the first named “wave” was the Turn on the TV, or read news article today, Third Aliya; however the numbered title had and you are likely to come across, “Israel is a a completely different origin than what is Zionist apartheid state, some of my best customarily understood. Shoham is able to friends are Jews and I am not an anti- attribute the periodization phenomena to Semitic. This then immediately raises the events surrounding the Third Aliyah. question and specter of why is Zionism so Apparently a confluence of written material reviled and so often associated with by several influential religious writers of the antisemitism in the 21st century. Some clues time led to the widespread belief that the follow. On November 30th, 1975, the United Third Aliyah was about to occur! But this Nations General Assembly passed Resolution was not the third Aliyah that we know today; # 3379 declaring that Zionism equaled racial rather it was third following the First Aliyah discrimination.[ 4 ]Notwithstanding that from the biblical days of Zerubavel and the some year earlier, Martin Luther King, in an Second, about 80 years later, from Nehemiah. address at Harvard University in 1968, So widespread was this belief, for at least a declared that, “When people criticize Zionists brief period of time, which rumors ran wild they mean Jews. You’re talking anti- and the arrival of the Ruslan-a ship sailing Semitism [5]. from Odessa in December of 1919-was perceived by some as the start of this much While above I discuss the politics of anticipated event. 8]. international strife, along with anti- Semitism, there is contentious deliberation Subsequent to this, a few years later, what is among Jews centered on the concept of now the familiar nominalization became Zionism and most especially in the widespread. My next stop is a look at the role interpretational sensibilities when comparing of archeology, and in general, the nation Israeli Jews to American Jews. And while the building narrative that was about to be forgoing is not a mainstay to my analysis, it conjoined with Zionism as ethos for a new is a good measure of the vitriol and attention state. During these early decades of the very word Zionism is able to conjure. This immigration and settlement, the first is very much inherent to its per formative stirrings of Jewish archeology took place. powers and influences. Nahum Slouschz is credited with the first Early Settlement in Yeshuv excavation under Jewish auspices in 1921 To commence this analysis I wish to report under the sponsorship of the Jewish on two episodes occurring in the Yeshuv in Palestinian Exploration Society, exploring an the 1920s. In one we look at the development ancient synagogue at HamatTiberias [ 9 ]. of the Zionization of everyday life, specifically Slouschz and EleazarSukenik, who later at the time when a Zionist periodization of became one of the founding members of history was evolving. During the period Hebrew University’s School of Archeology, between the First and Second Aliya, oddly were two of the first notable Jewish enough, there was no numbering system or archeologists, both coming from similar distinction between immigrant groups. That Russian originating Zionist idealism?In 1928, there should even be such a system, called during the digging of irrigation canals, a Zionist Periodization, has become member of kibbutz Hefzibah came across an questionable, especially since Gur Alroey’s ancient mosaic. research has demonstrated a number of smaller distinct groups throughout the The archeological remains were discovered on settlement period.[ 6 ]More recently, land belonging to the Jewish National Fund HizkyShoham has examined the genesis of within the territory of Kibbutz Hefzibah, but Zionist Periodization and has produced some in order to carry out archeological excavation, permission from the British Department of Antiquities was required. Frederick Israel (44 % of the world total) and the US (40 % of the world Hermann Kisch, the head of the Political total), 10 % lived in Europe, 5 % in other North America and Latin America, and 2 % in other continents. A steady Department of the Jewish Agency’s Zionist demographic increase in Israel was matched by stagnation or Executive, to the British Department of decline elsewhere which was generated by low birth rates, frequent intermarriage, aging, and emigration. 4(UnitedNationsGeneralAssembly 1979) 7(Shoham 2013, passim) 5(Lewis 2002, January 21) 8 Ibid p.13 6(Alroey 2004, passim) 9(Fine 2005, pp. 7-22) Gabriel Mayer | Jan 2018| Vol.6 | Issue 01 |08-14 9 Available online at: www.ijassh.com Antiquities, reports the discovery of the clothes, but with copies of Das Kapital and mosaic and asks permission to begin an Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams in their excavation led by a team of the Hebrew knapsacks.” A few were still teen-agers. University. The permission was granted, and Others were in open rebellion against their the excavations begun, led by Orthodox religious fathers. Some had EleazarSukenik (he was issued Permit #75 actually run away from home to help build by the Palestinian Antiquities Authority). A socialism and create the “new Jew” in the synagogue and a mosaic floor from the fifth historic land of his forefathers: a utopian century were discovered. The site was named community not unlike those of the late 1960s Beit Alpha after an Arab settlement located in which their identity would be redefined nearby.[10] If we step back and look at all the and based on socialism and love. Religion characters or players in the foregoing, we see was the opium of the people.

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