Jewish Civilizationism in Israel: A Unique Phenomenon
Populism and civilizationism have transformed the politics of many countries. Many scholars consider them the biggest challenges to democracy since the rise of fascism and communism in the first half of the last century. The close affinity between populism, civilizationism, and rightwing politics ha...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Religions |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/2/268 |
| _version_ | 1797618454280273920 |
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| author | Raja M. Ali Saleem |
| author_facet | Raja M. Ali Saleem |
| author_sort | Raja M. Ali Saleem |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Populism and civilizationism have transformed the politics of many countries. Many scholars consider them the biggest challenges to democracy since the rise of fascism and communism in the first half of the last century. The close affinity between populism, civilizationism, and rightwing politics has also been analyzed and recognized in many countries from Turkey to India to the US. However, there are three areas that distinguish the appearance of civilizationism in Israel. First, in contrast to many other countries, civilizationism in Israel is not a new phenomenon. It has been an essential part of Israeli nationalism or Zionism since the early 20th century. Second, unlike many countries, Jewish civilizationism in Israel is an article of faith for all major Israeli political parties. It is not a slogan raised only by the rightwing, conservative part of the political spectrum. Finally, one observes an affinity between civilizationism and populism. Civilizational rhetoric is the mainstay of populist leaders, such as Trump, Erdogan, etc. In Israel, populism and civilizationism have no special relationship as civilizationism is mainstream politics. All politicians, populists and non-populists, have to pay homage to Jewish civilizationism; otherwise, they will not succeed. This paper analyzes the Israeli founding fathers’ statements, the Declaration of Independence, Israeli state symbols, the revival of the Hebrew language, the Law of Return, the first debate in the Knesset, and the more recent Nation-State Law to demonstrate how Jewish civilizationism is old, mainstream, and not exclusively populist. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:13:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9fe82bb7167044ed9c7e842c68be8002 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:13:04Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-9fe82bb7167044ed9c7e842c68be80022023-11-16T23:00:22ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442023-02-0114226810.3390/rel14020268Jewish Civilizationism in Israel: A Unique PhenomenonRaja M. Ali Saleem0Independent Researcher, Islamabad 44000, PakistanPopulism and civilizationism have transformed the politics of many countries. Many scholars consider them the biggest challenges to democracy since the rise of fascism and communism in the first half of the last century. The close affinity between populism, civilizationism, and rightwing politics has also been analyzed and recognized in many countries from Turkey to India to the US. However, there are three areas that distinguish the appearance of civilizationism in Israel. First, in contrast to many other countries, civilizationism in Israel is not a new phenomenon. It has been an essential part of Israeli nationalism or Zionism since the early 20th century. Second, unlike many countries, Jewish civilizationism in Israel is an article of faith for all major Israeli political parties. It is not a slogan raised only by the rightwing, conservative part of the political spectrum. Finally, one observes an affinity between civilizationism and populism. Civilizational rhetoric is the mainstay of populist leaders, such as Trump, Erdogan, etc. In Israel, populism and civilizationism have no special relationship as civilizationism is mainstream politics. All politicians, populists and non-populists, have to pay homage to Jewish civilizationism; otherwise, they will not succeed. This paper analyzes the Israeli founding fathers’ statements, the Declaration of Independence, Israeli state symbols, the revival of the Hebrew language, the Law of Return, the first debate in the Knesset, and the more recent Nation-State Law to demonstrate how Jewish civilizationism is old, mainstream, and not exclusively populist.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/2/268IsraelcivilizationismpopulismZionismHebrewNation-State Law |
| spellingShingle | Raja M. Ali Saleem Jewish Civilizationism in Israel: A Unique Phenomenon Religions Israel civilizationism populism Zionism Hebrew Nation-State Law |
| title | Jewish Civilizationism in Israel: A Unique Phenomenon |
| title_full | Jewish Civilizationism in Israel: A Unique Phenomenon |
| title_fullStr | Jewish Civilizationism in Israel: A Unique Phenomenon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Jewish Civilizationism in Israel: A Unique Phenomenon |
| title_short | Jewish Civilizationism in Israel: A Unique Phenomenon |
| title_sort | jewish civilizationism in israel a unique phenomenon |
| topic | Israel civilizationism populism Zionism Hebrew Nation-State Law |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/14/2/268 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rajamalisaleem jewishcivilizationisminisraelauniquephenomenon |