Israelization of Judaism

This chapter studies the dialectical tension between Judaism and Zionism. The nationalization of Judaism took many different forms, beginning with the nationalization of messianism by Theodor Herzl. This includes the nationalization of utopia as seen in the Million plan; the nationalization of the basic themes of the Jewish religion such as the sacrifice of Isaac. The early utopian tendencies in Judaism, which moulded Western culture, were an inspiration for modern Zionism. The Zionist utopias, each of which dreamt in its own way of the future character of a Jewish state, although closely connected to the messianic vision, which was generally passive, proposed concrete plans of action within a historical reality. The genealogy of the myth of the Akkedah in poetry and art follows the stages of the Israeli-Jewish dialectic. Sometimes it is emphasized, and sometimes it is suppressed. This dialectic preserves the glowing embers of Jewish culture that contain traditions, images and symbols.