Zionism as a Constant Revolution: Peula with Miriam!

I finally got around to posting this one, i forgot!

After growing frustrations from parts of my daily life that continued to get to me, such as bust drivers yelling at me or our neighbor barging into our house with a giant stick, I found myself annoyed with the society around me. The whole thing we are trying to do here is to act on the needs of the hour, do what is necessary to improve Israel, and shape it to be the place it should be, and not what it is now. There are times, such as during Messima, where I am so hopeful and excited about what were taking part in, and then there are times which i mentioned. However, the next morning my attitude changed, as Miriam came over and ran a great peula for us, reminding us all what's going on, and giving us the choice to do what we feel is neccessary.
Zionism as a Constant Revolution: (Based on an article written by Shlomo Avineri) With my thoughts like this!
The essence of ZIonism, when it was originated, was to change the abnormal status of the Jewish people. This was a goal which many of the Zionist philosophers beleived to be impossible without a state. (abnormal status of the Jewish People: Is it really abnormal for a people to exist without a home country? Do the Jewish people need a home country in order to be connected? What comes to my mind when I hear of the abnormal status of the Jewish people, is a people such as the Irish capable of maintaining a connection to their peoplehood without having a country? To me, what made the status of the Jewish people abnormal, was the constant persecution carried out on them, their unique roll economically, and the changes during the Post-Haskala era.)
Being Jewish from the time of the Exile until the Emancipation, was not just a matter of belief and mitzvot, but also belonging to a community, a congregation. A Jew alone was simply not a Jew (eg minyan, shochet, synagogue, mikve and wedding witnesses.) (What makes a Jew a Jew? In todays world, you could get a million different answers. Does the same situation exist today, where your Judaism is a sign of being part of a peoplehood, and a community, or do we need to do things like follow the mitzvot, put on tfillin, and pray? Of course we can do both, but is it a problem choosing one over the other? I had an interesting experience the other day when I visited the Kotel, and found myself discussing this question for 45 minutes with a guy who begged me to put on tfillin, where he kept coming to the conclusion that it is crazy to think you can be part of the Jewish people if you don't follow through with mitzvot such as putting on tfillin. I explained that my Judaism has a different way of being carried out in my life, by doing the things which i do every day. This situation led me to this question. hmm...)
Post-Haskala, Secular Jews had to find a new communal meaning to their existence: Zionism restored the public norm aspect to the Jewish people, after the dismantling of the religious public aspect. (Again, Judaism does not simply mean following mitzvot, we are a whole people with a rich history. Rather than following old laws and following the word of God "blindly," and i mean, the line of "because God said so, we have an opportunity to create a new Jew, one who is capable of believing in humanity, and who is wiling to put in as much effort as possible to improving things through action, rather than by standing around and waiting. We can do it!!! The idea of Zionism is what gave the Jewish people the idea of community and people hood, of being connected. Can you be a people without one main center? Is it enough to be connected to just your local Jewish community, rather than being in one place all together? I hmm?)
What is the difference between Israel and other Jewish concentrations? Other communities are gatherings of individuals, but their place of their togetherness has no intrinsic meaning. On the other hand, Israel's collective existence bears a moral and normative significance. The state of Israel is the public expression of the Jewish people. And as such, it replaces the traditional communal religious boundaries that preserved the Jewish people. (What a thought! Are other communities JUST, gatherings of people? Can a diaspora Jewish community be an expression of the Jewish people, even without being connected to the rest of the Jewish nation? what do you think?)
This success haas meant that the most unifying factor today across the Jewish world is the State of Israel. More than religion. More than any distressed Jewish community in any state the in world. For me,, from my experience, sitting in a minyan every morning for 12 years did not quite make me feel anything towards Jewish peoplehood, or towards religion. Israel to me, has made me feel much more connected than religion.) Over the years world Jewry's relationship to the Zionist movement became similar to the relation that Irish or an Italian immigrant has to their homelands. And even more so, considering the involvement of North American Jewry in Israel is greater than that of an Irish Americans in their homeland. This is a glorious success considering that the Zionist movement began as an insignificant minority within the Jewish people.
Life in the western diaspora was characterized by high percentages of Jewish involvement in middle classes: economically, intellectually, culturally, etc. But when the Zionist revolution began one of its objectives was to turn Jews into a 'normal' nation that included a full range of occupations. This has since changed. Furthermore, materialism, privatization, consumerism, and a 'survival of the fittest' culture are now thriving in Israel. But if Israel shall be only a mirror to world Jewry, if it shall be just another western country, if it shall be just a New-York on the middle east coast, it will stop being such a large center of identification as it is today. (Although this is not the main point which I am coming away from this text, it is still something very serious which the state of Israel is falling victim to. For an idea of what these concepts may mean, i suggest you read my post about the levels of oppression- When Israel was founded, it was meant to be a beautiful place, where concepts such as collective, hard blue collar work, justice and equality were meant to blossom. But after seven months of living in Israel, I cannot agree with this point more. This is one area where my frustrations kick in. Why even bother attempting to create this society, one like Herzl dreamed of, when these issues are present. In fact, they seem to be more important that things like the collective and equality. Since privatization began, things are much different, There is no longer a very active kibbutz movement where incredible values are practiced. Instead, a society is being created where there is no room for the other person, where you must be on the top, no matter who you put down in order to get there. Zionism, to me, is not being a consumer, or having so much national pride that you forget you are a human being and that there are other people here too, Zionism is the opposite to me. It is a collective mindset, equality, and giving equal rights to all people.)
The Zionist revolution is a constant revolution. A revolution aiming to bring the Jewish people into a situation of self-providing both economically and socially. A situation in which the nation is responsible for its own destiny. No longer an abnormal congregation living on the fringes of other nations, dependent on their kindness. Zionism is a constant revolution in the Jewish people's tendency to seek a good existence, by dealing with need of building a national society whose purpose is providing the communities needs, and not a sole concern for the individual. The Zionist revolution is necessarily a social revolution concerning all aspects of life. Therefore, Zionism will not survive if there will be no constant revolution in the Jewish way of life, always seeking the mold itself while updating to reality.
For many years, the greatest struggle of Zionism was the physical existence of the State of Israel. This constant threat was the immediate cause of identification with Israel. Today, Zionism is required to continue its revolution, by forming a unique just and moral society, thus influencing both the whole Jewish and wider world.

What does it mean to be Zionist, and why does it matter? The answer to me is a home for the Jewish people, where equality is practiced, and a materialistic world does not trump a world of care for one another. However, that is not what I see every day. It is our responsibility to make Israel the place it should be, and we can! This peula with Miram really pumped me up! Kol ha Kavod to Miriam!