Presently I am intentionally minimizing my exposure to the news, and I was reluctant to touch this topic because, quite honestly, I’d rather not deal with any drama that could result, but I feel like I need to address a few points to satiate my conscience:
Let me start off by admitting that yes, these polls are probably accurate. It is disappointing for us who are interested in Jewish people for historical or cultural reasons, and given that there is a superabundance of evidence for both the IOF’s atrocities and the unsustainability of the Herzlian project, it is becoming very difficult to excuse the persistent approval of the so-called ‘Jewish state’. At this point, it is tempting to write off Jewish Herzlians as lost causes; most of them should have gotten the message by now.
The Italian-American press, it should be remembered, was almost 90 percent pro-Mussolini. Not until 1941 did the press completely desert Il Duce, and then the repudiation of Fascism was a result of diplomatic developments rather than political repentance.
Although the leadership of Italian-American labor stood unalterably opposed to Fascism, the rank-and-file Italian worker entertained ambivalent and even affectionate feelings for the “new Italy” and the charismatic Mussolini. These deep emotions surfaced particularly during the Ethiopian War when Italian labor unions, like Local 89 of the ILGWU, assailed Il Duce’s aggression only to be denounced by their own workers.
[…]
Significantly, the small number of anti-Fascists, who numbered “optimistically” a little less than 10 percent of a total Italian-American population of 4,600,000 in 1930, could never successfully attack Mussolini without incurring the stigma of being “un-Italian.”
I could share more, but the point is that we’ve seen almost all of this before: indoctrination, overwhelming consensus, intolerance towards the dissidents, &c. Nonetheless, sooner or later the Jewish mainstream is going to outgrow Herzlianism just like most people in the Italian diaspora outgrew Fascism. As I said, the Herzlian project is unsustainable.
While ideally trying to educate ordinary Jews about Herzlianism’s consequences is the optimistic message to take from this, I won’t hold it against you if you see that as a waste of time; they should have jumped ship a long time ago when the evidence for Herzlianism’s atrocities was more abundant than ever. In all honesty, I suspect that only a minority of Catholics and Italians loss interest in Fascism because of antifascist education; most of the disinterest was because of Fascism losing, and a similar effect is likely to happen with Herzlianism. In any event, none of that should stop us from continuing to educate others on Herzlianism’s consequences, including its consequences for Jewish people (‘counterintuitive’ though that may seem).
So yes, as disappointed as I am to say it, ordinary Jews approving of the occupation is probably accurate. The approval is likely, in most cases, an uninformed or a casual one (as was likely for many diaspora Italians regarding Fascism), for whatever that may be worth. Whatever the case may be, I reconcile this with my respect for Jewish cultures by cherishing the Jewish critics of Zionism (many of whom rightfully prioritize Palestinian voices) and by understanding that Herzlianism’s decline is inevitable, which is soon to render its popularity among ordinary Jews obsolete.
Presently I am intentionally minimizing my exposure to the news, and I was reluctant to touch this topic because, quite honestly, I’d rather not deal with any drama that could result, but I feel like I need to address a few points to satiate my conscience:
Let me start off by admitting that yes, these polls are probably accurate. It is disappointing for us who are interested in Jewish people for historical or cultural reasons, and given that there is a superabundance of evidence for both the IOF’s atrocities and the unsustainability of the Herzlian project, it is becoming very difficult to excuse the persistent approval of the so-called ‘Jewish state’. At this point, it is tempting to write off Jewish Herzlians as lost causes; most of them should have gotten the message by now.
The problem is comparable to how many Catholics — including Irish ones — tolerated the Fascist invasion of Ethiopia. In fact, it was overwhelmingly common for diaspora Italians to approve of Benito Mussolini:
(Source.)
(Source.)
I could share more, but the point is that we’ve seen almost all of this before: indoctrination, overwhelming consensus, intolerance towards the dissidents, &c. Nonetheless, sooner or later the Jewish mainstream is going to outgrow Herzlianism just like most people in the Italian diaspora outgrew Fascism. As I said, the Herzlian project is unsustainable.
While ideally trying to educate ordinary Jews about Herzlianism’s consequences is the optimistic message to take from this, I won’t hold it against you if you see that as a waste of time; they should have jumped ship a long time ago when the evidence for Herzlianism’s atrocities was more abundant than ever. In all honesty, I suspect that only a minority of Catholics and Italians loss interest in Fascism because of antifascist education; most of the disinterest was because of Fascism losing, and a similar effect is likely to happen with Herzlianism. In any event, none of that should stop us from continuing to educate others on Herzlianism’s consequences, including its consequences for Jewish people (‘counterintuitive’ though that may seem).
So yes, as disappointed as I am to say it, ordinary Jews approving of the occupation is probably accurate. The approval is likely, in most cases, an uninformed or a casual one (as was likely for many diaspora Italians regarding Fascism), for whatever that may be worth. Whatever the case may be, I reconcile this with my respect for Jewish cultures by cherishing the Jewish critics of Zionism (many of whom rightfully prioritize Palestinian voices) and by understanding that Herzlianism’s decline is inevitable, which is soon to render its popularity among ordinary Jews obsolete.