Im Tirtzu is a centrist extra-parliamentary movement that is working to strengthen the values of Zionism in Israel, to renew and reinstate Zionist discourse, thinking and ideology in order to secure the future of the Jewish people and the State of Israel and strengthen Israeli society vis-à-vis the challenges it faces. Im Tirtzu proclaims the leadership and advancement of a second Zionist revolution in the Israeli public discourse in its various manifestations: on the intellectual, cultural, media and political levels. Im Tirtzu is the only movement that engages in public advocacy and presents the case for Israel and for Zionism on Israeli campuses, based on the recognition and understanding that the student population must constitute the major vehicle of Zionist renewal.
The Im Tirtzu movement is founded on three basic tenets, which are:
1. A centrist political movement.
We think that in recent years the Israeli public has sobered up and let go of two dreams that had previously served as meta-ideologies: the Oslo Accords led to the shattering of the dream of the Greater Land of Israel and the failure of Oslo led to the shattering of the dream of peace. The overwhelming majority of the public currently no longer regards either of these meta-ideologies as a realistic option. We at Im Tirtzu believe that among the positions advocated by both the political right and the political left, there are correct principles and modes of action and there are also mistaken principles and modes of action among the positions advocated by both the political right and the political left.
Consequently, the Im Tirtzu movement has been established as a centrist movement in order to consolidate a new ideological axis that will ensure a balanced preservation of all the interests that are crucial to Israel and to Zionism. We believe it is vitally important for the future of the Zionist enterprise to consolidate an overall Zionist strategy which would combine and coordinate between the national and historic importance of parts of the homeland while at the same time taking into account crucial security interests, Israel's demographic problem, the solidarity of the Jewish public and the Jewish-democratic identity of the State of Israel.
2. The Revival of Political Zionism: focusing on consciousness as the maker and generator of existence.
We at Im Tirtzu believe that the national will and faith in the justice and righteousness of the Zionist enterprise are the most important assets of the Jewish people and the State of Israel, assets that have been gradually eroding in recent years. Therefore, Im Tirtzu is active mainly on the level of awareness and promotes a moral and resolute Zionist advocacy on the various university campuses in particular and in Israeli society in general. In this sense, the Im Tirtzu movement is following in the footsteps of Political Zionism as set out by Benjamin Zeev Herzl, the man of vision who set in motion the historic developments that led to the establishment of the Jewish State.
We believe the younger generation, and especially the university student population, holds the key to the future of the Jewish people and the State of Israel and that it is the duty and responsibility of this population to lead Israeli society.
Regrettably, in recent years, anti-Zionist trends have been proliferating at Israeli universities, which have gradually displaced, marginalized and excluded the Zionist discourse, preventing Zionists from making their voices heard. Since December 2006, Im Tirtzu has been the only movement that has provided a response to the spread of post-Zionist and anti-Zionist currents among the faculty and student body in Israeli universities.
3. Confronting the real threat to the future of Zionism: Repressed Post Zionism.
This phenomenon of the spread of post-Zionist trends is not unique to the universities. The Israeli public and media discourse in the realms of politics and culture has for a long time been plagued by a heavy sense of loss of both purpose and values. In our opinion, the Israeli public discourse as it has been conducted in recent years has ceased to serve the aims of Zionism and no longer enables our society to deal effectively with the threats that confront it.
This crisis stems from a severe phenomenon that has gone undetected until now – the extremely severe threat that is currently being posed to the future of Zionism: Repressed Post-Zionism. The severity of the threat stems from the fact that Repressed Post Zionism cannot be clearly and distinctly diagnosed and that is why it succeeds in influencing public opinion and the decision-making centers.
The unraveling of the Zionist concept and the absence of clarity that characterize Zionism in the public discourse have allowed attitudes and ideas that contradict the principles of Zionism to infiltrate deep into the centers of influence in Israel. Ideas that in the past had been clearly designated as anti-Zionist have now become the mainstream even among people and entities that identify themselves as Zionist.
In other words, the main threat to the future of the Zionist enterprise is not posed by 'overt post-Zionism', but rather by 'repressed post-Zionism', a phenomenon whereby concepts and attitudes that contradict the principles of Zionism have been adopted by persons who identify themselves as Zionist, but are not aware of the contradiction.
Therefore, a basic level of Im Tirtzu's efforts is devoted to leading a conceptual, values-based ideological renewal within the Zionist dialogue and consolidating the central tenets upon which Zionism rests and to which every Zionist should be committed.
