Lesson 5h

Homeland

We know that in Genesis, God promised Abraham that his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan, so Canaan is known as The Promised Land

Present day Israel


Zionism

✦ Jewish nationalist movement

✦ Goal - to create a national Jewish state. A return to the promised land (Israel) important

✦ The world zionist organization, established by Theodor Herzl in 1897 (19 century) in eastern and central europe

Rise of Zionism

★ believed by some to be the only soluation to Anti-Semitism

★ Anti-Jewish riots in Russia (19th-early 20th centuries), the idea of Zionism begins to rise

★ Holocaust - created international support for an independent Jewish state

★ As a result of the Holocaust, the UN adopted a resolution that would create an Arab/Jewish state in Israel

Jewish Groups

⟢ Not all Jewish people/groups agree with the Zionist movement

⟢ Observant Jews see this movement as a violation of God’s decree about the Jewish people’s time to return to the land of Israel

⟢ In their viewpoint, God punished the Jews with exile and only God will decide when the Jewish people merit to return to their land. The notion that Jews should take thier future into their own hands, go to war.


3 Oaths

The disagreement stems from the “three oaths” found in the Talmud.

  1. Jews should not ascend to Israel as a foce together, but little by little

  2. God requested the Jews that they should not rebel against the rule of the nations of the world

  3. God requests the natrions of the world that they should not control the Jews excessively

The first two points give reason to be on opposition of zionism


20th Century

★ First important event of this time is the Holocaust or Shoah (destruction)

★ 6 million Jews were killed

★ Result of this was the renewed push for the creation of Israel by surviving Jews

Christie Pits Riots

  • Occured on 16th August 1933 in Toronto

  • The riot was sparked by Nazi-inspired youth flying a swastika flag at a public baseball game to antagonize and provoke Jewish Canadians

  • Provocateurs unaffiliated with either team took to the field waving an improvised swastika banner

  • The Jews battled members of the Swastika Club and other Anglo-Canadians of similar disposition for control of the swastika banner