During Monday's special Knesset session marking David Ben-Gurion Day, which commemorates the life and vision of the Zionist leader and Israel's first prime minister, Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister MK Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) said “The past few years have seen a continuous attempt to sort of rewrite Zionist history. It is described as an event of religious awakening. I understand the motivation, but this is simply not true. Zionism was, for the most part, a secular movement, and its secular great-of-the-generation was Ben-Gurion. He did not wear a yarmulke, he married Paula in a civil marriage, and in a conversation with Albert Einstein he said his concept of God stemmed mainly from Spinoza. And at the same time, he was Jewish in the deepest sense possible."
Minister Lapid said Ben-Gurion “viewed secularism not as the opposite of religiousness, but as a stream of Judaism. Secularism is a stream of Judaism."
“Ben-Gurion's vision, from the first moment, was that the existence of a Jewish majority in the Land of Israel also ensures the Jewish character of the State of Israel. The secular Israeli does not fear assimilation because there is no such possibility in his life. Even if the synagogue is not the center of his existence, the [vast majority] of the people he meets, marries, spends time with and talks to are Jewish like him. Life in the Land of Israel, unlike life abroad, offers secular people a complete and full historic Jewish existence that does not need the backing of an institutionalized religion.
“Rather than place the mitzvahs at the center of life, Ben-Gurion said, we will place the choices that we make at the center: the language we speak in, military service, the ceremonies and symbols we make use of. Ben-Gurion stood at the center of the Jewish symbols revolution. The flag is a tallit, the anthem speaks of 'the Jewish soul yearns,' the seven-branch menorah stands outside the Knesset … and welcomes us at the entrance to the building. None of these symbols involves religious ritual, but they are all deep Jewish ideas," Minister Lapid stated.
“If you are a secular Israeli, you are actually traditional. You may not observe the mitzvahs, but you are Jewish, from the moment you wake up until the moment you fall asleep at night and dream your dreams in the language of the Bible."
Minister Lapid further argued: “Ben-Gurion succeeded because the process is natural. We've created here a raging and vital Jewish experience that affects all aspects of life."
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Actually Ben-Gurion failed miserably. There are approx. 1.39 million Charedim in the State of Israel. There are about approx. 170,000 men learning in Yeshivos and Kollelim. In the last decade the number of learners has jumped 83 percent [!!!]. There are approx. 402,000 children of elementary school age. Given the extremely high Charedi birthrate the numbers will keep growing. IY"H KEIN YIRBU. Every last one of them knows that Ben Gurion's vision of a Gentile Eretz Yisrael where we speak a corrupted version of Lashon Hakodesh is nothing less than evil and a rebellion against G-d. Then there is the growing population of the religious Zionist community. The secular population has a high rate of yerida and low birthrate. What does that mean about the future of the State? Religious and more religious as time progresses. Every day, Shaarei Tzedek, Hadassa, Maayanei Hayeshua and other hospitals are welcoming new babies born into Torah observant families for whom Ben Gurion's vision is anathema.
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I heard a shiur where a well known religious Zionist rabbi [Rabbi G'] called all Torah Jews who don't say Hallel on Yom Ha'atzmaut מגדפים [blasphemer's of G-d's name who are liable to סקילה, see Vayikra 24/10-14] עפ"ל. This includes the Chazon Ish and just about EVERY Gadol and most Roshei Yeshiva in the last 75 years. When a State is born whose express purpose is rebellion against Hashem and destruction of the Jewish tradition - is there any wonder why a Torah personality would not consider this a great religious holiday?? Hitler wanted to destroy Jews and Judaism. Ben Gurion said that we will leave the Jews alive and just strip them of their Judaism i.e. kill the soul and leave the body so that we have breathing Goyim. They worked hard to secularize the Jews who came here [especially the Yemenite children they stole from their parents and gave them over to secular families].
Fortunately, we have a State but the devious plan of the founders [B.G. was not alone in his vision - some were worse than he was] was foiled to a great extent.
BARUCH HASHEM!!!
May we soon see complete Teshuva for all of Am Yisrael!!!
