BN: . . . Shahak convincingly argues that racism and a pre-Enlightenment world view are endemic to orthodox Judaism as it is practiced in Israel today. Note that there is no separation of religion and state in Israel, so that this is a matter of no small social consequence. For example, the vast majority of land in Israel is reserved for use by Jews only. . . . >>>> Shahak is a heroic figure, but I think you're misinterpreting him a bit. We're got some excess conflation here. From Judaism the religion to Israel the state. Jews in Israel who are religiously observant tend to be orthodox, but a high proportion (maybe 50%?) are not observant but secular. There is no middle ground analagous to conservative and reform traditions in the U.S. Of the Israeli orthodox Jews, a subset have theocratic ambitions. Privilege for Jews in Israel does not stem from their religious commitment, but from their nominal religious identification. Very big difference. My identification is Jewish, but the only time you'll catch me in a synagogue is for well-catered weddings and bar mitzvahs. Founders of Israel were secular Jews and strongly opposed by the orthodox of pre-WWII. Until recently, an orthodox sect gathers once a year in Brooklyn and burned the Israeli flag; maybe they still do -- I haven't paid attention lately. My reading is that for the secular originators of Zionism, Judaism was more a marker than a matter of faith -- a symbol useful for nationalistic purposes. Cooptation of the orthodox by the Zionist right wing was as much opportunistic as anything else. Among other things, Jewish fundamentalism of a certain type supplies a rationale for annexation of territory "from the Nile to the Euphrates" which is lacking in law. Presently, increasing secularism in Israel is setting the orthodox teeth on edge, but the implications of this for Jewish privilege embedded in the state are less significant (though not entirely insignificant). Re: Carrol on the Zionist lobby, the non-orthodox and secular character of U.S. zionists is and always has been much more pronounced than in Israel. Memory of the European Holocaust has been more important in U.S. zionism than Judaism the religion. mbs
