Zionism and the Hebrew Prophets

 

A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Isaiah 40:3 NRSVue

Yesterday I tuned into this webinar featuring Professor Fania Oz-Salzberger and it was excellent. She spoke for an hour on the Humanist Legacy of Zionism and gave so much food for thought. While I usually make a distinction between the state of Israel and the Jewish religion she reminded listeners that the formation of Israel as a nation incorporated Jewish principles from the outset. 

Professor Oz-Salzberger referred to Israel's Declaration of Independence from 1948 and the explicit references to the Hebrew prophets. When I did some snooping later I found this statement from the Declaration: 

THE STATE OF ISRAEL will be open to the immigration of Jews from all countries of their dispersion; will promote the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; 

will be based on the precepts of liberty, justice and peace taught by the Hebrew Prophets; 

will uphold the full social and political equality of all its citizens, without distinction of race, creed or sex; 

will guarantee full freedom of conscience, worship, education and culture; 

will safeguard the sanctity and inviolability of the shrines and Holy Places of all religions; and will dedicate itself to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

While Professor Oz-Salzberger is unapologetic about her personal commitment to Zionism and the state of Israel she was also blunt about what has transpired over the past few decades. The rise of what she terms ultra-nationalism and ultra-orthodoxy have undermined the goals of those who formulated Zionism and led to the current morass in the country. Of course she categorically condemns Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist entities and appeals to Palestinians who share the core values of liberty, justice, and peace. 

This presentation was sponsored by UCLA, thousands of kilometres to the west, and Professor Oz-Salzberger was in Haifa, Israel. We were in Haifa 18 months ago yet yesterday it experienced a rocket attack from Lebanon. I'm grateful that I could participate in this event and there is so much to ponder. She quoted from Isaiah and the verse about the straight path or highway and this can be a prayer for the future of this region.