reading quiz

spinoza

jews aren’t blessed/chosen for wisdom or virtue, but for political and social success. When the Bible says God drew the Hebrews near, gave them exclusive laws, or revealed himself only to them, Spinoza argues this language is accommodated to the limited understanding of a people who did not yet grasp true blessedness (as he argued in the previous chapter). Logically, he says, none of these traits — closeness to God, justice of laws, validity of miracles — would have been diminished had God extended them to all nations equally.

harvey

harvey doesn’t think that spinoza actually predicted zionism and thinks he’s basically saying that if jews weren’t so effeminate and passive then there would be a jewish state. spinoza would believe jewish restoration is possible except he doesn’t because judiasm has sapped jewish vigor.

Spinoza thus maintains that the survival of the Jews in the Diaspora is not miraculous, but easily explicable; not due to divine favor, but to Gentile hatred; and it has nothing to do with the Jews' having once been chosen. The Jews, moreover, were responsible for causing the Gentiles' hatred of them, for they obstinately persisted in observing their own peculiar rituals, especially circumcision, and such separatism incurs hatred.

In short, Spinoza did not think the Jews would regain their sovereignty. Indeed, he claimed that even if they were to survive unto eternity, they would not regain it! Most important, he did not think the renewal of Jewish sovereignty was necessary for attaining his own or anyone else's intellectual or moral excellence

moses hess

social zionist and a lot of jewish pride. uses many religious references to show that jews are a collective. argued for the re-establishment of a Jewish socialist, agricultural commonwealth in Palestine german jews cast aside everything jewish and deny their race, very critical of german jews who have assimilated. in the talmud, jews in egypt didn’t change themselves for their environment. jewish patriotism is a natural feeling and jewish religion is primarily jewish patriotism. jews must be patriots and jews who deny jewish nationalism are unfaithful. jewish survival through diaspora shows that they are special. autobiographical influenced work. family is very important to judaism, historically rooted faith. no mention of a jewish state in this piece!!

pinsker

jews will always remain a group apart. they will never assimilate or blend in. jews are not a nation because they lack residence in a single state. misfortunes of jews are because they lack a desire for national independence, must become a nation. jews are aliens who have no home, they are parasites and jews can’t blame antisemites. jews must gain self respect and national pride and stop begging for fairness. emancipation or equal rights isn’t enough. it doesn’t have to be palestine, jews just need a big plot of land and govt support. jews must transform their own sense of self

ginsberg/ha’am

cultural zionism, critical of political zionism. wants to reclaim hebrew as it is the enternal jewish language, cultural traditions of jews have kept them jewish. zionism must be jewish because without meaningful cultural work, it will just be empty. deep loyalty to jewish culture and creations and thinks that jews’ creations should benefit the jewish people.

buber

advocate for binational zionism (shared Jewish-Arab state in Palestine based on political parity and equal national rights, rather than an exclusively sovereign Jewish state) chosenness does not equal superiority, however buber opposes spinoza because he thinks jews are chosen whereas spinoza did not. zionism is supposed to serve all of humankind, whereas other coutries’ nationalism is just to serve themselves and their own connection to their nation, zionism is modernism and reaction to a pre-modern issue. “zionism is not identical with jewish nationalism… zion is no generic term like nation or state but a name that denotes something unique and incomparable.” “we will not do more injustice to others than we are forced to do to exist” “the interest of arab people should be taken into account” “arabs are more conditioned by islam than the jews are by judaism”

kook

religious zionism, biblical references. “it is impossible for a jew to be faithful to his thoughts and visions outside of the land in the same wasy that he is faithful to the land of israel” lights, flames metaphors, light of the messiah

herzl

political zionist. diplomatic, elitist, exodus back to israel in order of class. optimistic bordering on naive. zionism is to put jews in better political footing. herzl is a utopian pragmatist- making decisions based on real-world conditions and practical results rather than abstract theories or ideal rules yet imagining unrealistic perfection. assumed entire assimilation into jewish state.