If the Babraa :e not emotionally committed to a Marxist world-view, neither have they been con· verted to a religious one. The kibbutz bas been eminently successful in transmitting its anti-clerical naturalism to its children. It must be remembered that th~ kibbutz is a secular community which die· courages animistic and supernaturalistic thinking. That the preschool children, according to the nurses, never ask questions about theological matters, lends additional support to this conclusion. The primary school children receive an explicitly natur· alistic world-view. The curriculum and its philo· sophy derive from a materialistic view of man and the ;vorld and is explicitly opposed to supernaturalism m ani form.

The opposition to religion is based not only on intellectual conviction but on the belief,

347

18 an educational authority of the Federation states, “that a generation educated without God will have its faith in man strengthened’’.

Since the· Bible, however, is a. basic literary,

and historical textbook in the school system, it is necessary that th~ term “God,, be explained as soon it is encountered. The teachers explain ,that beli~f in supernat~ral beings arose among early peoples before they acquired scientific explanations for natural phenomena and that even today, some people who not have received a scientific education, continue to use this belief for the explanation of matters which they do not understand.

Since this type of instruction is consistent with everything else they are taught, the children have no difficulty in discarding their child~h animism. Indeed, they are as vigorously “anti superstitious” as their parents and teachers.

One of the fust questions which the sixth-grade class would ask of strangers was whether or not they believed in God. If the answer were in the affirmative, the latter would be teased for their “superstitious” belief.

There is no diminution in this naturalistic orientation among the adult sabras. All without

exception are opposed to religion although the

reason for and the intensity of their opposition differ. The following excerpts indicate the range of

their attitudes :

“I think it is all foolishness.”

Zero.

I hate

‘’Religion says nothing to me.

348

the religious sector of J ews. I lived for two months in Orthodox Jewish kibbutzim and was very much impressed with them.

But generally I hate

religion.”

“I have never t.hought about it.” ‘’I have never had reason to doubt my atheism and I am bitterly opposed to clericalism. But I do value religion for having held the Jewish people together.”

I asked if he did not think it strange that all the world believed, and he did not. He laughed and said, “From my point of view, it is just the reverse. It is strange that they believe.”

“l will not forgive a person, even if he is a good human being, for being religious.

Religion is

a big bluff. It enable people to deceive others. In these matters I am extreme.”

The saora disdain for Judaism has been general· ized to encompass those who were and are its ucarriers.’’ Thus traditional, religious and Oriental Jews are the objects of disdain. The hostilty of the high school students to the Oriental Jews, frequent victims of their taunting, teasing and name calling, has been outlined and the attitude of the adult sabras is best expressed by the following

statement.

Voicing his antagonism to the new im· migrants, a sabra concluded ; ‘ ‘They are necessary but they are not desirable.”

Precisely what is the Zioinist vision that is sup· posed to evoke the sabra’s loyalty ? It is our thesis

349

that t.he :Vision that tho sabras has been taught to seeklB mcapable of providing an ideological basis for the willingness to make personal sacrifice.• The Zionist theory that the sabras have learned is not based on the notion, promulgated by Achad Ha’am, Martin Buber and others, that the perpetuation of historic Jewish values and ideals is a sacred task and that the raison d’etre of Zionism is the establishment of a spirtual homeland where a uniquely Jewish culture might flourish.

On the contrary, the important kibbutz and Israeli values are, according to the Zionism of the kibbutz, universal.

.A

teacher, one of the kibbutz intellectuals, reacted with great hostility when I asked him if he believed Jewish culturo to be unique. Jewish culture, he insisted, is part of European culture and in the future, there will be but one world culture. Then followed the classical analysis of Marxist Zionism ~hich all 1Jabras have been inculcated: anti-Semitism is inevitable in a non-socialist society ; first, because of capitalism’s need for a scapegoat and second, due to the socio-economic structure of diaspora.

Jewish society.

Hence, until the international &ocia.list and communist society and its world culture comes into being, Jews will b~ killed and it is the task of Zionism to rescue them. Is this the Vision of Zion for whose ultimate realization the [^8]abraa should be willing to sacrifice present gratifi- - ation? Since the important ethical values of Juda.ism

•lfualim. determined to wage Jihad ag.iioat Zionism mud eJLploi&. lliil PIJohological -

Lkoeu of the hraelis to «.be fulle•t.

350

a.re universal, and since its theology and rituals are for them the superstitious product of a prescien· ti.fie stage of culture, can the sabras have a vision of perpetuating a “glorious” or “noble” heritage? Rather, the desire to “normalize” a pathological situation, to become economically productive rather than remaining parasites ; to escape anti-Semitism rather than to suffer pogroms-this is the stuff of which ‘their Zionist vision is comprised. And such a vision may . be incapable of supplying that emo· tional dynamic which is necessary to compensate

for

their various

dissatisfactionB and for the

hardships which they must suffer.

The Babras admire heroism. But for them, according to teachers who know them well, there is only one type of heroism-that of physical strug· gle as found in war or in the conquest of swamps

and deserts.

The absence of physical resistance to persecution that has characterized much of dias· pora Jewish history conld leave them with only [^3] feeling of revulsion.

As one of the teachers put it i “they do not understand the h.eroism of living in persecution and yet of remaining superior. All they see is the narrowness of gh..etto life.” For the sabras, therefore, the last thousand years of Jewish history are primarily a series of •’boring” persecutions and expulsions, unredeemed by the convir!ion that the autfering of the diaspora Jews was dignified by a heroic loyalty to an ancient culture. Even if loyalty in itself were to be viewed by the sabr\<U as heroic, the peculiar loyalty -0f diaspora Jewry could

351

hardly eJict their admiration as it was a misguided heroism consisting of loyalty to certain religious values, theologica.l beliefs and ritual practices which the sabras have been taught to view as bupcrstitious products of a prescientific stage of culture. It can easily be documented that classical Zionism is based on a profound antagonism, if not hatred, for diaspora Jews and Judaism. It is our thesis that an anti-Semitic bias is inherent in the very logic of Zionist theory.

352 The Holy Qura.n teaches that good manners is an integral pa.rt of the faith of tbe true Muslim.

Turn not thy cheek in scorn toward folk nor walk with pertness in the land. Lo, Allah loveth not ea.oh braggart. boaster. Be modest in thy bearing and subdue thy voice. Lo, tha harahe.st of all voices is the voice of the asd.

(XXX : 18·1[^9] The Holy Prophet is also reported to have said in the Hadith that th~ beet inheritance that pa.rents can give thoir children ia good manners.

The most unlovely trait of modern youth in general, is their uncouth behaviour and utter contempt for even the rudiments of courtesy and politeness.

As one Jewish acholar writes ; · “This clinging to appearances which we have seen to be charaoterietio of the contemporary Arabs is in general a trait which makes them so different from the Israelis, in particular from the younger generation, the famous sabras. The 1abraa a.re notorious for their complete disregard of form and for· ma.lity. Good manners and politeness a.re suspect. On the other hand, the whole social life of the Arabs is dominated by [^8] carefully observed etiqu )tte. An Arab would address you pcli· tely even. if he wished you to go to hell while the young 111eP of Israel a.re eom&

[^0] timea rude even where they havo every reason to be polite”. •

The J ewieh scholar just quoted praises the ill-manners of the modern Israeli as proof of hie sincerety and franknesa and hatred for “outward show” while he insinuates that the conrt.esY of the Arab ie nothing more than an ~mpty formality and oftell downright hy poorisy. He convoniently forgets that glJOU willl’ ners is not mere empty formality or “ show” but is baaed on

•Jewe and Arabs: their Contact. through the Agee, S.D, Goile!At lohooken Books, New York. 19M, p. 16.

reepeot for human dignity and for the feelinge of other’people. ‘.l’he Arab who addreaaes even hia moat avowed enemy politely i1 not a hypocrite but haa a strong enough oharacter to disregard his personal feelings and acknowledge the jfaot that even hi1 enemy is a human being and therefore baa the right to be treated decently.

Contraat the contempt for the formalities of courtesy and politeneu of the Israeli youth with their Arab neighbours:•• “Courtesy and deoorum are ingrained in the public conduct of the Arab. Although the Arab cares much for hia reputation and therefore tries to show his beat side, and although expeotatio111 and manners complicate his life, yet he ia so uaed to the formalities of etiquette and propriety that hia behaviour •ppear1 to be simple and natural. The euential character of hil eooial oonventiona liea in the lack of indifference. There ia tentiment ahvaya be it of good or bad will. None of his aote ia entirely automatic but they contain an element. of. affect. To thi1 special kind of hum~ respect is added a certain elemeoi of conformity.

However, thia doe. not result from being impelled to do like the others; it derivea from religion, traditional prescriptions and kinship oaatoms. Two external authorities, ieligion and parental respect, are sufficient explanation for theae social conventions concerning politeneea.

“Politeneu is largely inapired by religion. The term a of propriety where God finda Bia plaoe be it in an explicit or implicit manner, are numeroua. Hardly baa the Arab ebtered

into intera.ctioii with a fellow man before the name of Uod ii

mentioned in the first sentence ho speaks. At every occasion, •t every utterance, at every wiah, God is called upon. Thia alone indioatca that tho formulae of Arab decorum are not pro- ‘XVII ; 23-U.

“Ullfortunately, ~· f’ollowins qaota&iooa are [^110]

IDodel’ll .Arabe who have, due \° the in6ueaoe or weetern oulture,

IOllpr true or the beoome very materialiatio iD ibeir out.Jook. -W .. tern oulture, ea~ia.lly Ui~ petro-dollara in ibo oil-rich oouutriea, have pla7od havoo with the tnd monal aooial aiacl nligioua va•lee, ol the ArabL aaic and merely conventional but are oonaidered in a certain manner M eftloaoioua.

“Religion is to o. large extent the sou roe of politeneN. The habitual oonsciousness of God in everything ia ao deep-rooted that He ia al ways invoked even when Bia name ia not pronounced.

“From the point of view of the Muslim, a greeting me&DI to wish bappinrss in the future life.

No other formula is then more agreeable to him than “ asaalaamalaihm” (peace be with you). Thia salutation is a religious obligation for the Quran oom· mands : “ … when you enter houses, greet one another with • 1&lutation from God, bleesed and good”. A Hadilll maintains that the Prophet Muhammad has ea.id: “to him who eay11U•· alaom alaikum., Allah would record ten good deeda, twenty for wara.Amalullah (and God’s oompaaaion) and thirty for IDCJ bara· ia49’1l (and His blessings)”. The code of greetings show ho• much social relations among the Arabs are regimented by reli· gious imperatives

This ia furth01’ illustrated by the w•Y thanks are expressed. A “thank you” answer is addreued first to God. “Al4amdvlilla4 (praise be to God) aooompanies every form of acknowledg~ment of kindneu. To the greeting “how are you” the answer is “thanks to God, I un fine.” A person asked to join aomeone in a meal often anawera, [^11]thaok• to God I have already eaten.” At the end of a meal, God i• praised. On returning from a critical situation, one la addree· · aed, “thanks to God, you are safe.” Also letter• and books are headed with “in the name of Allah”.

“The manifold wishes that accompany the moat proaai[^0] circumstances &11 well aa the greateat are allo addreued to Qod. “May God givo you His felicitations” ia the expreaaion of happineaa in anoLher’s joy, auooeu and the like. The oongr•tll· lation ~•parent on the birth of child is “May God Maure t.he proaper1ty and happineaa of this child,” or’ ,let God give biJll ‘ long life.” When speaking of ohildren or other dear pertoDI• the formula used ia: “May God protect them.”! “llay God help 7011 to recover,” is wi&hed llnto ihe aiok. When [^1]poatiag of death, one 11&1 always to add the phraae’ “May God keep it away fro~ 1011 and thoae 1’0U love.”

The formulae for wi11he1 uaing God I name are endleaa and all are reminders of the power and protection of God aa well &a of Hia goodneea.

“ieepeot i1 aleo ahown towards animals and plant1 aa crealaree of God. Animal1, eepeoialJy the domestic ones, should be

~

with con1ideration.

Paaaing by people harvesting Olifel, fruit1 or any kind of prodace, one would address them tith “let God help you and increase Hia blessing for abundlllce”. One doe1 not atep on food, w~te it or throw it away. In particular, bread should be respected; if a piece falls on the l00r, it ahould be picked up, ki.ased and then eaten or put aside