|
The
Difference Between Judaism and Zionism
by G. Neuburger
|
Last Updated:
Tuesday, June 06, 2006 04:55:55 AM |
|
The Talmud |
here the Torah tells about the creation of the
first human being, the most prominent Jewish commentator, Rashi,
explains that the earth from which Adam was formed was not taken
from one spot but from various parts of the globe. Thus human
dignity does not depend on the place of one's birth nor is it
limited to one region.
The greatness or worth of a person is not measured by his or her
outward appearance. Jews believe that Adam was created in G-d's
image and that he is the common ancestor of all mankind. At this
stage in human history, there is no room for privileged people who
can do with others as they please. Human life is sacred and human
rights are not to be denied by those who would subvert them for
"national security" or for any other reason. No one knows this
better than the Jews, who have been second-class citizens so often
and for so long. Some Zionists, however, may differ. This is
understandable because Judaism and Zionism are by no means the same.
Indeed they are incompatible and irreconcilable: If one is a good
Jew, one cannot be a Zionist; if one is a Zionist, one cannot be a
good Jew.
For over 60 years I have
fought Zionism, as did my father before me, and I am therefore quite
familiar with it. For those who have been in this fight for only the
last ten or twenty years, what I have to say may be surprising or
even shocking. Nevertheless these matters must be stated clearly and
openly, because unless the disease of Zionism is diagnosed
accurately, it cannot be cured. Too long have those opposed to
Zionism engaged in daydreaming and wishful thinking. In order to
recognize Zionism for what it is, one has to know about Judaism,
about Zionism -- the opposite and negation of Judaism, and about
Jewish history. In the time allotted to me, I am not going to talk
about the actions of the Zionists; they will be adequately dealt
with by others. As a Jew, I plan to discuss Zionism, which is
rebellion against G-d and treason to the Jewish people.
To begin with, a few definitions: Who is a Jew? A Jew is
anyone who has a Jewish mother or who converted to Judaism in
conformity with Halacha, Jewish religious law. This definition alone
excludes racism. Judaism does not seek converts, but those who do
convert are accepted on a basis of equality. Let us see how far this
goes. Some of the most eminent and respected rabbis were converts to
Judaism. Jewish parents throughout the world bless their children
every Sabbath and holiday eve, and they have done it in the same way
for millennia. If the children are girls, the blessing is, "May G-d
let you be like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah." Not one of these
matriarchs was born a Jewess; they were all converts to Judaism. If
the children are boys, the blessing is, "May G-d let you be like
Ephraim and Menashe." The mother of these two was an Egyptian woman
who became Jewish and had married Joseph. Moses himself, the
greatest Jew who ever lived, married a Midianite woman who became
Jewish. Finally, the Tenach, the holy writings of the Jew, contains
the book of Ruth. This woman was not only not Jewish by birth, but
she came from the Moabites, traditional enemies of the Jewish
people. This book describes Ruth's conversion to Judaism and is read
annually on the holiday commemorating the giving of the Torah, the
"Law," i.e. the Pentateuch. At its very end, the book of Ruth traces
the ancestry of King David, the greatest king the Jews ever had, to
Ruth, his great-grandmother.
Apart from the Zionists, the only ones who consistently
considered the Jews a race were the Nazis. And they only served to
prove the stupidity and irrationality of racism. There was no way to
prove racially whether a Mrs. Muller or a Mr. Meyer were Jews or
Aryans (the Nazi term for non-Jewish Germans. The only way to decide
whether a person was Jewish was to trace the religious affiliation
of the parents or grandparents. So much for the this racial
nonsense.
Racial pride has been the downfall of those Jews in the past
who were blinded by their own narrow-minded chauvinism. This brings
us to a second definition. Is there a Jewish people? If so, what is
its mission? Let us make this completely clear: The Jewish nation
was not born or reconstituted a generation ago by some Zionist
politicians. The Jewish nation was born on Mount Sinai when the Jews
by their response, "let us do and let us hear," adopted the Torah
given to them by G-d for all future generations. `This day you
become a people," though valid still today, was spoken thousands of
years ago.
According to Jewish tradition, there are seven Noachide laws
which apply to all human beings. Then there are the Ten Commandments
which form basic standard of morality and conduct for adherents of
all monotheistic religions. In addition to these, there are 613 laws
obligatory for Jews, and every Jew has to observe those which are
applicable to him or her according to Halacha. It is the carrying
out of these mitzvoth, "commandments," which constitutes the essence
of being Jewish, and therefore of the Jewish people and their
covenant with G-d.
In what way are the Jews a "chosen people"? Every Jewish man
anywhere and at any time when called to the reading of the Torah
says, "Who has chosen us from all the peoples and gave us His
Torah." This is the way in which the Jews are chosen. The Jewish
people are chosen not for domination over others, not for conquest
or warfare, but to serve G-d and thus to serve mankind. "And the
hands are the hands of Esau," has been traditionally interpreted to
mean that while "the voice is Jacob's," the hands- - symbolizing
violence - are Esau's. Thus physical violence is not a tradition or
a value of the Jews. The task for which the Jewish people were
chosen is not to set an example of military superiority or technical
achievements, but to seek perfection in moral behavior and spiritual
purity. Of all the crimes of political Zionism, the worst and most
|
