Ha’aretz has come out swinging with an editorial condemning various initiatives (initiatives, not laws) openly designed to introduce our children to concepts such as national pride, civic duty, volunteerism, national history, not to mention, knowledge of their history and heritage.
On their list of initiatives they’d like to prohibit in schools are:
1) Singing the National Anthem
2) Visiting Jewish/National Heritage sites
3) Meeting Israeli soldiers
4) Learning from some classic Jewish books (aka the Torah)
5) Discussing civic duties such as the draft and national service
6) Adopting graves of soldiers fallen protecting our country.
I don’t know about you, but in America growing up, we pledged allegiance every day in the elementary school where I went, starting from kindergarten (eventually the national anthem and Hatikva too on occasion). We discussed what the pledge meant. We visited Washington D.C., and all the important historical and political sites. We were even taught to stand up in respect when any important person entered the room.
And I won’t deny it. Even today, seeing the American flag wave makes me proud. I don’t deny that I believe in the underlying goodness of the United States (even when it makes mistakes, or the State Department gets uppity). And I can’t deny that I do love the USA.
So I do understand Ha’aretz. These are fundamentalist, Machiavellian initiatives, especially when you don’t believe your nation is fundamentally good, when you despise your national history and heritage, and when you see no reason to respect those that are willing to fight and die for you so you can live free.
I wonder if they had had these initiatives where the Ha’aretz editors went to school, if they would still denigrate their country and its symbols, and apparently despise so many of their fellow countrymen as much as they obviously do.
It’s very sad.
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10 comments:
I left this comment:
"As a libertarian, I would wholeheartedly agree with this denunciation of jingoist "my country, right or wrong" nationalism, except that the source of this editorial belies its own message. Am I really supposed to take this editorial seriously? A bunch of leftist statists who (in Machiavellian fashion) glory in the might and power of the government as its own justification, who extol legal positivism and declare (in Rousseau-ian fashion) that whatever the law declares is ipso facto obligatory for the people irrespective of any higher law or morality above the state, and who declare the state's right to decide winners and losers in the economy (with taxation, social welfare, government-enforced cartels and monopolies, tariffs, etc.), I am supposed to take this editorial seriously? LOL! The people at Haaretz are the last people on earth with the credentials to argue against jingoist nationalism. They are the nationalists par excellence! They ought rather to celebrate the anthem and add "Sieg Heil!" LOL, the socialists at Haaretz criticizing nationalism, give me a break!"
If Mahmood Abbas came up with a corresponding list of requirements for Arab students, the same a-holes at Ha'aretz would be singing his praises.
Garnel, precisely!
Thanks for posting this. I also remember reciting the Pledge of Allegiance every day (while placing my hand on my heart and facing the Stars and Stripes) in my Philadelphia public school, and can't honestly fathom why anyone would object to similar displays of patriotism here in Israel. And, yes, I made Aliyah and now live in, and love, Israel, but still get chills when I hear the Star Spangled Banner.
I'm waiting for your patronizing condescending "you're always wrong" pinko readers to start criticizing this post and defending the haaretz position as the democratic one.
Very sad, indeed. One has to wonder if it is all about the cursed *Umma* anymore.
American media is also poisoning any patriotism we might try to instill in our children.
But, hey, it's great to find your blog again. I first saw it via a link from the Daled Amos site -- when you did the democracy quiz.
Keep up the great work!
Anonymous #1 - the "pinkos" have had the sense to leave the building, while you sit in there and get high on the smoke from the fire which will soon consume you all. You'll go down hearing Joe Settler scream "I was right! I was right!"
Just as a side-note, the Pledge of Allegiance of the United States has been modified several times to reflect different socio-political changes the country has gone through over the years. The words "under G-d" for example, weren't added until 1954 (under pressure from the ultra-conservative Knights of Columbus who wanted to distinguish America from the "G-dless communists"). Believe it or not, a Nazi-like salute sometimes called the ‘Bellamy salute’ or ‘flag salute’ used to be preformed while the pledge was being recited. It wasn't until 1942 that Roosevelt instituted the hand-over-heart gesture for civilians and salute for persons in uniform. It must have seemed shocking for any Jew escaping Nazi Europe to come to America and witness what seemed like a Nazi salute. Just as I often think how strange it is for atheists to say the words "under G-d" while reciting the pledge, likewise, an Israeli Arab or many of the 300,000+ non-Jewish citizens in Israel (mainly from the former USSR) probably can't relate to the words of Hatika. Anshel Pfeffer's recent article in Haaretz, "Singing ‘Hatikva’ every morning is not the way to strengthen Israeli patriotism" makes some valid points. The words of Hatikva were written more than 100 years ago buy a Galut Jew when it was a '2000 year old Hope' to live in our own homeland and be a free people. Realities on the ground have changed though and so too should our national anthem.
I also said the pledge of allegiance in Philly schools. You brought back memories. Those days were so simple and plainer. I can still smell the fresh-cut grass on a hot summer's day.
These leftists are parroting the leftists of the US. No difference, and we see the effect it's having on the morality and society in quick decline.
These are the days of the erev rav that are vexing the Jews every which way.
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