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April 7, 2006
Bias ruins anti-Zionist book
Jews are to remain in exile until the Messiah leads them to Zion.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
A Threat from Within: A Century
of Jewish Opposition to Zionism
by Yakov M. Rabkin
Fernwood Publishing: Nova Scotia, 2006. 262 pages. $24.95
A combative writing style and a selective use of history mar what
would otherwise be an integral book to read for anyone interested
in Zionism. As it is, Yakov M. Rabkin's A Threat from Within:
A Century of Jewish Opposition to Zionism is worth skimming
through to glean some of the major points of an argument that's
not often heard.
Don't be misled by the title or the photo on the cover of an Israeli
soldier listening attentively to a young Charedi (ultra-Orthodox)
boy. A Threat from Within isn't worried about the threat
that religious Jews within Israel pose to the state, but the threat
of the state to Judaism. Originally published in French, the title
in that language is more accurate: Au Nom de la Torah (In
the Name of the Torah).
Rabkin – a professor of history at the University of Montreal
– is a well-educated man with a long list of accomplishments.
He is more than qualified to write this book, and that's why it
was such a disappointment to read. Instead of an even-tempered,
academic work, Rabkin has written an extended editorial or opinion
piece, albeit one brimming with information; much of which is useful,
some of which is too rife with bias to be taken seriously.
In presenting the thesis that the state of Israel is illegimate
from a Torah perspective – i.e. an anathema to traditional
Judaism – Rabkin relies heavily on biblical and talmudic sources,
but also on the opinions of those he considers to be the main opponents
of the state: ultra-Orthodox, including Chassidic, and Reform Jews.
There is more than one irony inherent in the choice of these groups
as upholders of traditional Judaism against Zionism, which Rabkin
rails against for many reasons, but especially because, in his view,
it is a relatively recent construct – originating in the 19th
century – that completely changed Jewish identity from one
based on Torah and the messianic dream to one based on secularization
and national aspirations.
As an historian, Rabkin knows full well that both the Chassidic
and Reform movements are relatively recent reactions to so-called
traditional Judaism. Chassidism had its origins in the 18th century
and sought to add more joy to Jewish life. Reform Judaism began
in the 19th century and its adherents sought to overhaul traditional
Jewish belief and practice – they denied divine authorship
of the Torah, for heaven's sake!
Rabkin also chooses to ignore other inconvenient facts, such as
the possible motivations for early Reformers being against Zionism.
This group wanted to assimilate into European culture and, therefore,
it was in their interest to play up Judaism's religious nature,
as opposed to its peoplehood aspect, because the latter meant that
they could only ever be guests in their host countries, especially
if there were a nation, such as Israel, that was the Jewish homeland.
Rabkin also fails to quote from more recent Reform sources because,
in addition to returning to more traditional Jewish practices, the
movement now incorporates Zionism as an important element.
The biggest irony though, given that traditional Judaism is seemingly
so important to Rabkin, is that the opinion of Reform Jews on matters
of Judaism probably matters as much to the Charedi as the opinions
of non-Jews, i.e. very little.
Choice of sources and history aside, A Threat from Within
does document ideas with which all Jews – secular to religious,
anti-Zionist to Zionist – should be familiar. There are Jews
who oppose the state of Israel and would like it to disappear, preferably
(but not necessarily) without the loss of Jewish lives. And there
are solid Judaic reasons for these beliefs, which are well supported
by Rabkin.
The central notion is that Jews were expelled from the land of Israel
because of the sins that they committed against God and Torah and,
until God redeems them and sends the Messiah to lead the return
to Zion, Jews are meant to live in exile. In this view, the premature,
collective settlement of Israel only merits further divine punishment
– and one proof of this claim's verity is the state of Israel's
almost 58-year conflict with its Arab neighbors.
Armed with the vast expanse of Judaic teachings and the immense
knowledge of its teachers, Rabkin could – and does – make
a strong religious case against Zionism. If he had done so through
a simple exposition of this material, then A Threat from Within
would have been a good book about a valid point of view. However,
Rabkin can't resist from widely citing people who name-call and
painting all Zionists as evil – even implying that they are
to blame for America's ongoing military intervention in Iraq. Rabkin's
style not only diminishes the credibility of his argument, but traditional
Judaism, as well.
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