My Zionist Journey

Adam Levick
CiF Watch
24 October '10

This first person essay about my decision to make Aliyah may seem, to some, inconsistent with the mission of CiF Watch. However, in addition to the anti-Semitism which we arduously combat, one of the challenges of monitoring the Guardian (and the comments of their readers) involves their complete lack of comprehension regarding what truly motivates modern Zionists. They possess, often, an appalling lack of empathy for the thousands year old Jewish dream to “be a free people in a free land”. While championing other peoples’ inherent right to self-determination, they seem to oddly lack even the most rudimentary empathy towards Jewish nationalist aspirations. Israel, and Israelis, have become the proverbial “other”. Jews, who represent 2/10 of 1% of the world’s population, have but one nation to call their own and we have no intention of entertaining the notion that our very existence as a sovereign state is somehow negotiable. As Abba Eban said:

“Nobody does Israel any service by proclaiming its ‘right to exist.’..Israel’s right to exist, like that of the United States, Saudi Arabia and [191] other states, is axiomatic and unreserved. Israel’s legitimacy is not suspended in midair awaiting acknowledgement.”

It was March 2006, my first time in Israel. Shabbat had just arrived and, with a gentle breeze at my back, I tentatively approached the Western Wall. I had recently taken the first steps toward observance, and though I was anticipating a journey filled with joy and meaning, my life till then hadn’t prepared me for the emotion that took hold of me then.

I attempted to pray on that mild March evening not to open my heart to the arrival of Shabbat, but to avoid having to take that final step toward the wall, which would require me to wed myself with the struggles and aspirations of the Jewish people.

(Read full story)

If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.
.