Reasons for Pessimism

People close to me are beggining to despair. It feels that the 'Jewish State' is losing what is left of its Jewish character. The recent Bagatz ruling only reinforces that feeling.

Indeed, it is hard not to become depressed nowadays:

1) The fight over disengagement has turned into a bloody kulturkampf, with a blanket demonization of everyone who lives over the 'Green Line' in full swing.

2) Judaism is under fierce assault - Shinui (an anti-Jewish, not just ant-cleric, party) is leading the charge with language that had a non-Jew used it, would be accused of anti-semitism.

3) The state of my chosen field is deteriorating, with constant emphasis on 'cultural images' and glorified literary criticism (an entire issue of Israel [hebrew], a once repectable journal of history, is dedicating an entire issue to a discussion of a book by Amos Oz). Post-modernism, and all the other 'posts' are in fashion - actual historical inquiry (and, of course, god forbid it should say anything nice about Zionism) is in retreat.

4) The first signs of the 'fight over 1967' which Michael Oren predicted 5 years ago are starting to appear. The reviewer in Ha'Aretz of a book on the tense relations between the government and the army in the years leading up to the Six-Day War, came within an inch of openly saying that Israel wanted, and was responsible for, the war. I have no doubt that someone will make this argument (with footnotes, of course) openly soon. I am deeply pessimistic about the outcome of this debate.

Trying not to completely lose hope,

AIWAC