A Post-Zionist Yom Ha'Atzmaut

One might think that at least one day a year, on Yom Ha'atzmaut - Israel's Independence Day, that the right and the left, the religious and the secular could unite in expressing their appreciation for the existence of the Jewish State of Israel.

That being said, I was very troubled by Ha'aretz's special coverage of Yom Ha’Atzmaut. One would expect that even the ultra secular, leftist Ha'aretz, would one day of the year put aside their post-Zionist agenda and devote themselves to expressing pride and thanks for the (Jewish) State of Israel.

Quite to the contrary, Ha'aretz seemed to use the occasion to achieve the exact opposite agenda, publishing one article after another which sought to demoralize any spirit of hope and pride that anyone in Israel might feel towards the Jewish State.

Here are the top (bottom?) 10 articles that Ha'aretz published in their Independence Day Supplement and Magazine sections (along with the brief description provided by Ha'aretz):

1) The country that wouldn't grow up - Tony Judt

At 58, Israel has no friends aside from the U.S. and its claims of victimhood and anti-Semitism are falling on increasingly deaf ears. The time has come to mature.

2) At a certain angle, with the right lighting - Yossi Klein

Like a middle-aged man, Israel has lost its youth and ideals, and is focused now on covering up the bald spots.

3) Impressed, their press - Danny Rubinstein

Why are Arab newspapers flooded with translations of Hebrew articles on a daily basis, and yet Israeli publications run nothing from Arab journalists?

4) Living by the sword, for all time - Amir Oren

An internal army study has come up with an unavoidable conclusion: The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is irresolvable. The challenge is how to live with this persistent confrontation without going mad.

5) Reexamining an old ethos - Uri Dromi

Perhaps myths concerning Israel's 'few' against the enemies' 'many' continue to exist no matter what, and are even beneficial. This anthology proposes that they be approached with caution.

6) A garden of unearthly delights - Esther Zandberg

Today's generation of Israeli gardens are free of ideology and seasonal change - sometimes even of soil - and have been neutralized of any sign of identity.

7) 'Entrepreneur's dream, historian's nightmare' - David Kroyanker

Jerusalem's Arab houses inspire Israeli architects, but to Palestinians, they represent a catastrophic memory and the erasure of their national identity.

8) The garbage can of history - Alon Hilu

What if the cleaning lady-spy had not found the torn-up papers that whipped up the Dreyfus affair? And Theodor Herzl had not been stirred to write 'The Jewish Nation'?

9) Mr. Prime Minister, are you giving the order - Reuven Pedatzur

Two imaginary scenarios about the very real threat of the Iranian bomb.

10) My good God, let me be free - Yochi Brandes

For as long as I remember myself, I was attracted to that other world, the free one. The very desire of an ultra-Orthodox girl to belong to the other camp shows the special relationship that existed between the religious and the secular in 1970s Israel.

On the bright side, there's always Barbara Sofer of the Jerusalem Post, who shares with us what has now become a Yom Ha'atzmaut staple, with her column, 58 reasons why I love Israel.

It's nice to see that within the mainstream Israeli media, there are still a few Barbara Sofer's out there who are thankful for the privilege of living as a proud Jew in the Jewish State of Israel, and who try to instill those sentiments through her writing within the hearts of the the People of Israel.

Israel
Zionism
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