[lbo-talk] Israel's Culture of Martyrdom (The Nation)

Jim Farmelant farmelantj at juno.com
Tue Dec 28 18:37:21 PST 2004


Israel's Culture of Martyrdom

by Baruch Kimmerling

Nations like to imagine themselves as unique, but one belief they

have in common is that it is noble to die in their name. Death and

redemption are the themes of almost every form of patriotism. In the

case of Israel, however, the connection between nationalism and death

is especially visceral. For the Jewish state is a nation that emerged

from the ashes of a project of extermination, and that sees itself as

the best defense against the renewal of violent persecution. Zionism,

the state's ruling ideology, is a triumphal creed shadowed by death.

(Rest of article at:

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050110&s=kimmerling)



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