It's our history, stupid

by Moshe Dann
The Jerusalem Post
March 4, 2009

The economy, terrorism and national defense are priorities for every
country. But Israel adds an essential factor: historical memory. 

Egypt has its pyramids; Rome has its Colosseum; Athens has 
its Acropolis - but, citizens of a modern state, the native populations 
feel little or no connection to their ancient cultures; their archeological 
sites are for tourists. 

Jews, however, regard historical sites as confirmations of biblical 
references, providing intimate emotional links between present and 
past. Historical sites are bonds of identity, the reason that Jews 
are drawn to Israel, despite the difficulties, and why they struggle 
to survive in their homeland. Life may be more comfortable in other 
places; here, from the time of the Bible to modern times, it's where 
much of Jewish history happened. That is why this country is so 
meaningful. 

Jewish national and religious consciousness - indisputably rooted 
exclusively in Eretz Yisrael - is the primary basis for the State of 
Israel's existence. The return of the Jewish people to its ancient 
homeland is the fulfillment of ancient prophesies and prayer - the 
core of its ethos and national identity and central to the process of 
redemption. 

Confirmed by history, each new archeological discovery is a 
thrilling reminder of where and how Jews lived thousands of years 
ago. As if "beamed down," we are transported into that ancient 
world which lives again through us. The return of the Jewish people 
to Israel, the process of ingathering from around the world, the 
rebuilding and flourishing of a state is nothing less than a renaissance 
of the Jewish people. 

But, as much as we are proud of our accomplishments, it fuels 
the enmity of our enemies. That our historical and legal claim to 
Eretz Yisrael is disputed by those who deny Israel's right to exist 
is understandable. Recognition of any part of that claim would 
undermine any alternative (Palestinian/Syrian) national/historic 
rights. Yet, some Jews, including Israelis, propose the abandonment 
of Judea and Samaria, the heartland of Jewish history, to form a 
second Palestinian state, which would be, of course, terror-based 
and Judenrein. 

Denying our sovereignty over any area of our ancient homeland 
negates our historic claims and our country's legal right to exist 
in any portion of its homeland. If it's "the occupation," then what's 
the difference between Tel Aviv and "the settlements," except 
location? And what makes one place holier than another? 
There is no authentic "Palestinian" archeology because there 
never was a coherent "Palestinian" ethnic, cultural or social group. 
Jews who lived in British Mandate Palestine used the term as a 
political reference; Arabs did not. 

That Israel is a leader in high-tech, medicine and sciences, 
a nominally democratic country committed to the principles of 
egalitarianism, social and cultural freedom, a bastion of Western 
values is very nice; these are not, however, a reason to exist. 

Israel's raison d'etre is its continuity as the ancient/modern 
homeland of the Jewish people. Without acknowledging that 
historical reference, Jews have no better claim to "Palestine" 
than any other group. 

The issue is not simply over territory, or sovereignty, or the legal 
rights of the Jewish people in Eretz Yisrael, but to create a 
uniquely Jewish civilization. 

That challenge must be defined, grounded in Jewish history, 
tradition and culture. Approached from the perspective of 
peoplehood, and contemporary political expediency, such efforts 
are doomed to irrelevancy. 

To deny or distance oneself from one's history is self-rejection; 
to embrace one's history is affirmation. The great irony in the 
current debate over the nature of Zionism is that those who argue 
for secularism deny the legacy of the past; those who argue for 
a Torah-based state are in danger of exclusivity. 

Attacked from all sides, physically by Arab and Muslim countries, 
and rhetorically by much of the international community, the UN 
and many NGOs, Israel's struggle as a nation is rooted in its 
connection to an authentic revealed history and its adherence to 
Torah values. Paradoxically, both religious and secular Zionism 
thrust Jews toward an engagement with history centered in the 
Land of Israel. Both cling to the uniqueness of Jewish history and 
it is precisely this link between the Jewish people, the Land of 
Israel and Torah that makes Zionism different from all other 
nationalisms. Israel's rebirth and flourishing prove that we are not 
at the end of history, but rather its continuing relevance, meaning 
and hope for all mankind. 
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The writer, a former assistant professor of history, is a writer and 
journalist living in Jerusalem. moshedan@netvision.net.il