Secular Zionists, Religious Zionists, and Ultra Orthodox Tensions Research Paper

Introduction

The conflict between Secular Zionists, Religious Zionists and Ultra Orthodoxy has been brewing for a while. Secular Zionists are traditionally defined as the proponents of the traditional Jewish religion and against Jewish nationalism, whereas religious Zionists are represented by the Jewish people aiming to restore Aliyah, i.e., the world that the Jewish people create as they return to the land of Israel.¹ Ultra Orthodoxies are traditionally referred to as those that refuse from any elements of secular life. Because of the lack of cooperation between the specified groups, a continuous conflict has been going on in Israel and is likely to spin out of control completely unless some sort of agreement is reached.

Secular Zionists, Religious Zionists and Anti-Zionist Ultra Orthodoxy

Identifying the source of the conflict, one must point to the complexity of the relationships between the opponents. Unlike most conflicts, which feature two sides of the argument, the one that can be traced in the identified setting involves three parties, each of whom is in conflict with the other two. The controversy of the issue echoes in Ushpizin, where the main character, having become a religious Zionist, draws a thick line between him and secular Zionists: “What do you want me to do? Start hitting people?! We became religious, we don’t behave that way.”² Similarly, Shapira comments on the difference between the opinions of the left- and the right-wing parties in the Yom Kippur War: “To the right the war and its outcome was a great victory, the likes of which had not been seen since 1948.”³ In light of the evident discord between the representatives of different branches of the Zionist movement, the consistent confrontations between Zionists and the Orthodoxies are expected, though undeniably deplorable. Ignoring the conflict only leads to its further aggravation, which means that a solution must be suggested as soon as possible.

A Jewish State vs. a Democratic State

The lack of agreement on the issue regarding the current tendency for the Israeli politics to be focused on the Jewish culture extensively should also be interpreted as a stumbling block in the progress of the relationships between the identified denizens of the population. The Yom Kippur War, which, though being mostly political, also had a powerful religious context, added even more to the rift in the relationships between different branches of the Zionist movement, thus, making the Orthodox one spawn out of control: “After the Yom Kippur War Israeli politics moved from the corridors of power and the established frameworks of Israeli democracy into the street.”⁴

Secular Israelis and Orthodoxy: The Conflict That Never Ends

The problems in the relationships between Zionists, religious Zionists, and Orthodoxy, however, do not stop there. The conflict stretches to the point where Orthodox Israelis look down at the ones belonging to the secular culture. Particularly, Orthodoxy claims that the secular population undermines the traditions and, therefore, should not be condoned as the course of the cultural evolution of the Jewish population, as the Lebanon War has shown.⁵ The same ideas can be traced in the movie Ushpizin: “What’s in Tel Aviv. Succoth in Jerusalem. Is anything better than that?”⁶ Therefore, the confrontation between the Zionist and the Orthodox movement, as well as the representatives of different Zionist branches, continues.

Conclusion

The presence of tension between Orthodox Jews, religious Zionists, and secular ones is undeniable and threatening to the peace of the people involved. As soon as the delicate balance between the Zionist and the Orthodox movements was broken, the unceasing arguments and mutual blaming led to deplorable results. The members of the movements above are tearing the country asunder, therefore, triggering political and social unrest. The tension between Zionists, secular Zionists, and the representatives of the Orthodox movement, therefore, needs to be addressed accordingly so that the above religious groups could live in peace.

Bibliography

Shapira, Anita. Israel: A History. Waltham, MA: Brandeis University Press, 2012.

Ushpizin. Directed by Gidi Dar. Atlanta, GE: Eddie King Films, 2004. DVD.

Footnotes

1. Anita Shapira, Israel: A History (Waltham, MA: Brandeis University Press, 2012), pp. 326-421.
2. Ushpizin, directed by Gidi Dar (Atlanta, GE: Eddie King Films, 2004), DVD.
3. Anita Shapira, Israel: A History (Waltham, MA: Brandeis University Press, 2012), p. 343.
4. Ibid., p. 341.
5. Ibid., p. 385.
6. Ushpizin, directed by Gidi Dar (Atlanta, GE: Eddie King Films, 2004), DVD.