In the crawlspace of our national consciousness there lies, almost forgotten, a remark by Zionist visionary Theodor Herzl.
"Zionism is a return to Jewishness even before it is a return to the land of the Jews," he said.
But the opposite is how history wound up shaping reality: First we came back to our land, and built a state and a defense force. We are up to our ears in existential threats and in defending our lives. Building the internal identity of the State of Israel – of which the "Jewishness" Herzl spoke of is an integral part – was sidelined. We often become confused about the Jewish basis that is the foundation and the essence of the state, and its defense, which is only a tool.
There are too many people who too often, usually without noticing, treat Israel as if it is nothing more than a haven and speak only about defense among themselves and in the world. The phrase "land of destiny" has almost dropped out of use. It is not only a matter of semantics. The entire discourse about our rights to this land stems from those words.
Now, after 70 years of independence, is an appropriate time to start drawing a distinction between the "technical" question of how we defend our existence and the new-old question of why we are fighting to exist here, of all places. A milestone birthday is a good opportunity to re-teach our children that before this country became a shelter for refugees from pogroms and the Holocaust, it was a destination; that although we are here thanks to military might, we were here before that because we had a right to be. We should teach them that defense is a tool of unparalleled importance, but it is only a tool with which to implement our right to live here, and that the idea of "here" goes far beyond a birthplace. In every other country, being a mere birthplace is enough. But not in Israel, which rose up from the past. Without the religious-cultural and national-historic baggage that rests on the Jewish faith, we have no right to exist here, of all places.
To inculcate that understanding, we need a "consciousness of presence" that carries an obligation beyond the lyrics of the popular song, "I was born here, and so were my children." Our personal and national past extends far beyond our own lives, so that even if the Jewish people live in their country in peace, and "nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore," Zionism is far from completing its mission.
