Posted on 03/04/2009 10:32:40 AM PST by Nachum
Simon Rawidowicz was one of world Jewry's seminal thinkers of the 20th century. A driving force behind the creation of Brandeis University, Rawidowicz was a prolific writer and scholar, a master of the Hebrew language, and the founder of two Jewish publishing houses. Although an early supporter of Zionism as a student in Berlin in the 1920s, Rawidowicz broke with the movement's ideology of "the negation of the Diaspora."
(Excerpt) Read more at jpost.com ...
So, what exactly does he want Jews to do?
Good article.
He notes the increase in assimalation, and the disconnection to Israel of Jews in America as a symptom of the failures of secular Zionism. Many have said the same thing.
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“All of this is more of a complaint than anything else.”
I tend to agree. I read this and said “great, so what’s his proposal?”
“he is bemoaning the fact that Zionism in itself is not a unifier of Jews.”
I don’t think it ever has been. Not all Jews left Babylon, for example. Many came who might not be Jews. Sounds about like what we have today.
“secular Zionism”
I don’t know if there is such a thing, really. The least observant in Israel would probably be deemed “Conservative” in the US. And while I don’t think Israel will necessarily become a Haredi nation, there are plenty of very religious, observant, Jews who simply disagree that the Haredi form of dress and worship is the truest expression of the religion.
The least observant would be communists. LOL
“The least observant would be communists.”
Well, that’s fair enough.
That said, just by the governmental holidays, etc., one almost forced into observance.
In my building, for example, the elevators stopped working on Shabbos (not even the automatic elevators, but it was only 7 stories) — as did cable TV.
Some buslines don’t run, etc.
Fair amount of peer pressure, too.
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