Understanding Jewish Influence II: Zionism and the Internal Dynamics of Judaism

Year 2024, Volume: 5 Issue: 1, 47 - 64, 30.07.2024

Translator: Hüseyin Bal

Abstract

The history of Zionism illustrates a dynamic within the Jewish community in which the most radical elements end up pulling the entire community in their direction. Zionism began among the most ethnocentric Eastern European Jews and had explicitly racialist and nationalist overtones. However, Zionism was viewed as dangerous among the wider Jewish community, especially the partially assimilated Jews in Western countries, because it opened Jews up to charges of disloyalty and because the Zionists’ open racialism and ethnocentric nationalism conflicted with the assimilationist strategy then dominant among Western Jews. Zionist activists eventually succeeded in making Zionism a mainstream Jewish movement, due in large part to the sheer force of numbers of the Eastern European vanguard. Over time, the more militant, expansionist Zionists (the Jabotinskyists, the Likud Party, fundamentalists, and West Bank settlers) have won the day and have continued to push for territorial expansion within Israel. This has led to conflicts with Palestinians and a widespread belief among Jews that Israel itself is threatened. The result has been a heightened group consciousness among Jews and ultimately support for Zionist extremism among the entire organized American Jewish community.

Keywords

Sionism, Etnocentrism, Fanatism, Extremism, Dual Loyalty

Yahudi Etkisini Anlamak II: Siyonizm ve Yahudiliğin İç Dinamikleri

Abstract

Siyonizm’in tarihi, Yahudi toplumunun içindeki en radikal unsurların, tüm toplumu kendi yönlerine çektikleri bir dinamiğe işaret etmektedir. Siyonizm en etnosentrik Doğu Avrupa Yahudileri arasında başlamış ve çok net ırkçı ve milliyetçi imalara sahip olmuştur. Ancak Siyonizm, özellikle Batı ülkelerindeki kısmen asimile olmuş daha büyük Yahudi cemaatler arasında iki nedenden ötürü tehlikeli addedilmiştir. Bunlardan biri, Yahudileri sadakatsizlik ithamlarına maruz bırakması, diğeri ise Siyonistlerin bariz ırkçı ve etnosentrik milliyetçiliğinin o sıralar Batı Yahudileri arasında cari olan asimilasyoncu stratejiyle çelişmesidir. Siyonist aktivistler, büyük ölçüde Doğu Avrupalı öncülerin sayısal üstünlüğü sayesinde Siyonizm’i ana akım bir Yahudi hareketi hâline getirmeyi başarmışlardır. Zamanla daha yayılmacı ve militan Siyonistler (Jabotinskyciler, Likud Partisi, köktendinciler ve Batı Şeria yerleşimcileri) galip gelmiş ve bunlar İsrail’de topraklarını genişletmek için mütemadiyen baskı uygulamışlardır. Bu durum Filistinlilerle çatışmalara ve Yahudiler arasında İsrail’in tehdit altında olduğuna dair inancın yayılmasına yol açmıştır. Bütün bunların sonucu olarak, hem Yahudiler arasındaki grup bilinci yükselmiş hem de tüm örgütlü Amerikan Yahudi cemaatinin Siyonist aşırıcılığa desteği artmıştır.

Keywords

Siyonizm, Etnik Merkezcilik, Fanatiklik, Aşırılık, Çifte Sadakat

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