Religious Re-evaluation of Yom Ha'atzmaut

With Israel Independence Day coming up (Yom Ha'atzmaut), we are
reminded
of the deep differences of opinion in the Israeli religious community
towards it.
The Religious Zionist (RZ) camp celebrates it by saying Hallel and
other special
prayers, the mainline Haredi community just treats it as a regular day,
with
some viewing it as a day in which tachanun is not said, thus indicating
that there is a certain degree of simcha connected to it, and finally
the
radical anti-Zionists viewing it as a day of mourning.

The problem is that this year, many in the RZ are re-evaluating the
religious
significance of the day. The disaster of the destruction of Gush Katif
is causing many to view the regime in power and the negation of Zionism
leading to the feeling that the miracle of 1948 in which the State of
Israel
has been created has reached an end and thus there is no more grounds
for celebration (this is a minority opinion). Others say that the
celebration
is not of the existence of the government, but rather thanks and praise
for
the victory in the war of 1948 in which the Jewish community faced
possible annihilation. This is how I view it. I will continue to say
Hallel,
but I will not fly the flag, not for the reason that Neturei Karta
opposes
the flag, calling it a "shmatta" (rag), but rather for the fact that
the
regime has desecrated it, using it to fly over the camps of the
soldiers
who destroyed Gush Katif and even sewing it on their uniforms. The
regime
in Israel has destroyed the value of the flag (representing Zionism and
Jewish sovereignity) just like they destroyed beautiful words like
"shalom" and "democracy", turning them into instruments of oppression.
I will gladly fly the flag again once there is again a Jewish, Zionist
government
in power (which doesn't seem to be on the horizon).

.

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