Diaspora Zionism ציונות תפוצתי
Electronic Individualism Meets Minyan Collectivism • June 19, 2002
New tools enable alternative modalities for influence, identity and cultural participation. From a speech delivered to the main plenary of the 34th Zionist Congress in Jerusalem on June 19, 2002.
Precis: Decision making in today’s world is a process connected to “culture”. Our generation has new tools which enable alternative modalities for influence, identity, leadership and cultural participation. This will assist us in Zionism’s current goal: building a modern Hebrew democratic society at the core of a worldwide Jewish civilization.
When I hear the phrase, “Zionist decision making process”, it carries connotations of bureaucratic decision-making, resolutions passed at congresses, and so forth. This is a process, that, to be honest, barely influences, or even attracts the interest, of most Jews in Israel or the Gola. But there is a more important Zionist decision making process that is happening every day – cultural decision making: what do I choose to think about? what phrases do I choose to incorporate into my language? what do I talk about with my friends? what decisions do I make with respect to a thousand questions, from what to read, to what to talk about with my children. These decisions, these cultural decisions, are small but important, and they are not made every four years by delegates; they are made everyday, by everybody.
Precis: Decision making in today’s world is a process connected to “culture”. Our generation has new tools which enable alternative modalities for influence, identity, leadership and cultural participation. This will assist us in Zionism’s current goal: building a modern Hebrew democratic society at the core of a worldwide Jewish civilization.
When I hear the phrase, “Zionist decision making process”, it carries connotations of bureaucratic decision-making, resolutions passed at congresses, and so forth. This is a process, that, to be honest, barely influences, or even attracts the interest, of most Jews in Israel or the Gola. But there is a more important Zionist decision making process that is happening every day – cultural decision making: what do I choose to think about? what phrases do I choose to incorporate into my language? what do I talk about with my friends? what decisions do I make with respect to a thousand questions, from what to read, to what to talk about with my children. These decisions, these cultural decisions, are small but important, and they are not made every four years by delegates; they are made everyday, by everybody.
How can you be a Zionist and live in the Diaspora? We’re struggling with that one too. Meanwhile, Let's kindle the Old Flame...Who we are?We are a bunch of Canadian Jews, born between 1948 and 1967. Most of us grew up here, and we had formative Jewish experiences - through our families, attending Jewish summer camps, schools, or synagogues, or on trips to Israel – so that many of us spent time in Israel as young adults – some of us spent years. And we went to Israel for “Zionist” reasons – because we felt part of the Jewish people; we didn’t think that Jewish religious practice in the Diaspora was sufficient; and because we believed that the destiny of the Jewish people is tied up with the politics of Israel, the culture of Israel, the vital existence of Israel, in a way that the destiny of the Jewish people is NOT tied up to the politics, the culture, the existence of the Jewish community of Toronto. And yet, for various reasons (which some of us are interested to explore) we don’t live in Israel – at the heart of the worldwide Hebrew/Jewish civilization of which we continue to feel we are part - but instead, we live at one of its peripheries. We find ourselves raising families here, not there; speaking English, not Hebrew; involved in the political and cultural life of Canada, not Israel. And yet, we continue to believe in the centrality of Israel to our own personal identity and to the fate of the Jewish people. Hence the dilemma.
13 Principles of 21st century Zionism: Worldwide Jewish Civilization with Israel at its heart • Yom HaAtzmaut/ Lag Ba’Omer 2005
During the 20th century, political Zionism achieved almost miraculous success in the realization of its goals: renewal and revitalization of the Hebrew language, the establishment of the Hebrew University in 1925, the development of a modern Hebrew society in the Land of Israel, and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. Political Zionism also ran into the unforeseen problem of conflict with its Arab neighbours, and lack of acceptance by the Arab world. This became an overwhelming existential challenge, which has distracted us from the true goals of Zionism: A redefinition and renaissance of Jewish /Hebrew civilization.
Now, more than a half a century after the establishment of the State of Israel, the situation of the Jews in the world has been changed dramatically. The majority of the world’s Jews either live in Israel or are Israelis. The vast majority of Jews live in liberal democratic societies, whether in Israel or in Diaspora communities. And the last 25 years have seen dramatic worldwide change: fall of Communism, rise of India and China, challenges of Islamic fundamentalism, acceleration of globalism and multiculturalism and the flattening of an electronic, digital world.In light of these new and other realities, what principles should inform the articulation of a 21st Century Zionism?
Platform of the ZionistParty.com, which in Spring 2006 recruited 300 members from across Canada, assembled a slate of 11 candidates, ran in the election for, and won one of 19 Canadian delegate seats to the 35th Zionist Congress, which took place June 19-22, 2006 in Jerusalem. Over 500 elected delegates, half from Israel, the rest from 32 countries from all over the Jewish world.
New thinking. שיפוץ חזון בית ישראל.A new House of Israel: worldwide Hebrew/Jewish civilization with Israel at its centre. Create an interconnected community of minds. Debate visions of the future. Reach out to the world.
New energy. מנה עם חריף. Renovate worn out Zionist institutions. Mobilize the Israeli Diaspora. Engage in spirit-of-the-age projects. Fix the democratic deficit. Increase connectedness. Reawaken Zionism’s original spirit.
New leadership. בחו"ל אך בפנים.We are Canadian. Israeli. Hybrid. Global. We’ll pioneer new models. Unite around common goals, not common enemies. Provide leadership of ideas for the Jewish people.
New energy. מנה עם חריף. Renovate worn out Zionist institutions. Mobilize the Israeli Diaspora. Engage in spirit-of-the-age projects. Fix the democratic deficit. Increase connectedness. Reawaken Zionism’s original spirit.
New leadership. בחו"ל אך בפנים.We are Canadian. Israeli. Hybrid. Global. We’ll pioneer new models. Unite around common goals, not common enemies. Provide leadership of ideas for the Jewish people.
The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) is protesting the decision to not select Valentina Azarova as executive director for U of T Faculty of Law’s International Human Rights Program (IHRP). CAUT believes the decision to not hire Azarova was due to pressure from a U of T donor opposed to Azarova’s anti-Israel politics, and this pressure constituted interference with the principle of academic freedom.
CAUT’s censure calls on third parties, such as former Governor General Michaelle Jean, to boycott University of Toronto until “the violation is addressed” and presumably the hiring decision regarding Azarova is reversed.
It seems that, notwithstanding the report of retired Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cromwell on the reasons for the non-hiring of Azarova, CAUT believes it was really due to pressure by the donor concerned about Azarova’s political positions on Israel. It seems equally clear CAUT wants the law school to reverse its decision and hire Azarova, not in spite of, but because of those political positions. If U of T is pressured by CAUT’s censorial boycott into choosing as IHRP’s executive director the candidate whose political views on Israel CAUT approves, is the fundamental principle of academic freedom really being upheld?
CAUT’s censure calls on third parties, such as former Governor General Michaelle Jean, to boycott University of Toronto until “the violation is addressed” and presumably the hiring decision regarding Azarova is reversed.
It seems that, notwithstanding the report of retired Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cromwell on the reasons for the non-hiring of Azarova, CAUT believes it was really due to pressure by the donor concerned about Azarova’s political positions on Israel. It seems equally clear CAUT wants the law school to reverse its decision and hire Azarova, not in spite of, but because of those political positions. If U of T is pressured by CAUT’s censorial boycott into choosing as IHRP’s executive director the candidate whose political views on Israel CAUT approves, is the fundamental principle of academic freedom really being upheld?
Dear Benny Gantz and Gabi Ashkenazi,
I write this urgent letter as a Canadian Jewish friend, to explain and remind you that the annexation proposed by Bibi Netanyahu, arising out of President Trump’s “Deal of the Century” plan, would be a disaster from the point of view of North American Jews.
I am not qualified to comment on the costs and benefits of Annexation from the point of view of the half of the Jewish people who live in Israel – the impact on relations with the Palestinians, neighboring Arab countries, with Europe and the rest of the world – of which you are aware.
But what you may NOT be aware of, and what I, as a strongly Zionist Diaspora Jew AM qualified to warn you of, is the disastrous consequences Annexation would have on the other half of the Jewish people – those who live outside of Israel and a particular who live in Canada and USA.
I write this urgent letter as a Canadian Jewish friend, to explain and remind you that the annexation proposed by Bibi Netanyahu, arising out of President Trump’s “Deal of the Century” plan, would be a disaster from the point of view of North American Jews.
I am not qualified to comment on the costs and benefits of Annexation from the point of view of the half of the Jewish people who live in Israel – the impact on relations with the Palestinians, neighboring Arab countries, with Europe and the rest of the world – of which you are aware.
But what you may NOT be aware of, and what I, as a strongly Zionist Diaspora Jew AM qualified to warn you of, is the disastrous consequences Annexation would have on the other half of the Jewish people – those who live outside of Israel and a particular who live in Canada and USA.