Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site aecom.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!godot!harvard!seismo!cmcl2!philabs!aecom!teitz From: teitz@aecom.UUCP (Eliyahu Teitz) Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish Subject: Re: Re: Re: Christmas {report} card Message-ID: <1031@aecom.UUCP> Date: Mon, 17-Dec-84 12:39:36 EST Article-I.D.: aecom.1031 Posted: Mon Dec 17 12:39:36 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 20-Dec-84 00:22:03 EST References: <2028@nsc.UUCP> <2031@nsc.UUCP> <1014@aecom.UUCP> <18017@lanl.ARPA> Distribution: net Organization: Albert Einstein Coll. of Med., NY Lines: 38 > > [Eliyahu Teitz replies:] > > Also, bringing proofs from Israel isn't > > valid. After all, they celebrate Independence Day there and I do not consider > > it a holiday in any sense of the word. > > > > > > Why not? A good case could be made for the fact that it is even a more > important holiday than Chanukah. Don't you think that the day that the > 2,000 year Diaspora came to an end with the re-establishment of a > Jewish state on Jewish soil should be celebrated by * A L L * Jews? > > > bill peter Israel's independence day, as I have argued in the past ( and it was this point that originally got me active on the net ), is not a holiday for a few reasons. 1. It does not celebrate the setting up of a Jewsih state but rather a state of Jews. My point is the state of Israel is not very Jewish at all. Okay, they give off for Jewish holidays, but the politicians and a percentage ( a large one at that ) don't give a damn about Judaism, as is evidenced by their lack of concern for the Sabbath. 2. The day itself was a cause for desecration of the sabbath, hardly a thing to celebrate ( the declaration of independence was signed on Shabbat). There are other, more political reasons, which I'd rather not discuss in detail. Let me just say that you should read the book Perfidy by Ben Hecht to get a good idea of what the politicians were interested in when they set up the state. The Jewish nation had survived for 2000 years without a country of their own and I dare say they could have survived another 2000. Of course having the state is very nice, but looking at it now, it has hardly been a religious blessing. I really don't know if such an occurence should be celebrated. Eliyahu Teitz.