Page 11 - Kol Bogrei Habonim - September 14
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they had stolen my personal image of Zionism. arrived on its shores. At the same time, I have
No longer was my brand of socialist Zionism the no hesitation is saying that, in retrospect, I am
accepted main stream. I was no longer a real content and happy with our having chosen to
Zionist. This trend intensified, while I watched participate in the re-establishment of a homeland
the manipulations of the political parties and the for the Jewish people. It was the right place to
constant stream of corruption practiced by the be at the time. We were fortunate that we were
politicians. of an age at the appropriate moment to have had
this opportunity to participate.
The fabric of Israel has radically changed since
we went on Aliyah. The watershed was the Ultimately, after 35 years in Israel, we took the
aftermath of the Six Day war and the rise in decision to relocate, to ‘go down’, to leave the
prominence over the succeeding years of the religious right wing to their shenanigans, and we
religious right wing driving the settlers’ now live not too far from where we started our
movement. Accompanying this sea change, journey, in a rural area of the UK surrounded by
social norms - which in earlier days were more lakes and mountains. Tranquillity, pleasant
naive, laid back and easy going - have become daily social interactions and large portions of
adversarial and frequently unpleasantly feel-good factor surround us. Hourly news
aggressive. The religious right wing has become bulletins and security issues are no longer our
dominant, and a mutually beneficial peace with daily fare. In my mature years, I have finally
the Palestinians, which will have to include become something which I vehemently decried
necessary compromises, is not on the political in my youth, I am now an armchair Zionist, and
agenda, nor will it ever be, under the political of course also a theoretical socialist. I pass
parties which have been running the country for comment on the news from Israel, offering my
the past 20 years. opinions on how things should be done, but with
no one listening. Traditional armchair Zionism
In conclusion, I am disappointed by the pathway is thriving, alive and well in the backwaters of
and direction the country has taken. It has not Scotland.
turned out the way I envisaged it when I first
Seminar, UK, circa 1960-61
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