Zionist Activism on Israeli Campuses
By Netanel Avneri
Beginning in the 90s, Israel in general and Israeli campuses in particular underwent a gradual but consistent decline in ideological and political activism. This was mostly a reaction to the trauma that Israeli society experienced in the wake of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin’s murder, which was politically and ideologically motivated. Later, the many allegations and accusations leveled at elected officials, of bribery and misallocation of funds, contributed to distaste for anything which was redolent of politics. To this day, many Israelis’ first association with the word “politician” is “corrupt.” Someone who shows any interest in getting involved in politics is likely to find people making faces and asking: “What do you need it for?” It seems that “politics” has become a dirty word.
At the same time, the willingness of the people to protest has declined. The privatization of resources which began in Israel at the end of the 80s weakened the desire of the public to take to the streets and protest. This was either on account of the increased work hours, or on account of the increased competition which led people to prioritize money-making. Other significant contributing factors to the decline of activism have been the advances in technology and the appearance of the internet, which caused average Israelis to relegate their activism to writing blogs and reacting to them, if that.
Beyond this, the global trends which glorify individualism and multiculturalism have not passed Israeli society by. Gradually, national symbols have ceased to resonate with Israelis, and instead are viewed cynically. In the past, support for the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and recognition of Jerusalem as a spiritual treasure could be taken for granted. But, these assumptions are no longer part of the general consensus, even that of university students. Starting in the 90s, a new phenomenon appeared. Many Israelis began to feel that Zionism was no longer justifiable.
Two parallel processes then made their appearance on Israeli campuses. First, post-Zionism began to flourish among Jewish lecturers and students in Israeli universities. Any Zionist voice on campus was rejected. Second, apathy developed among the Zionist majority. It was compounded by the difficulties they experienced in uniting together under one banner to protest the activities of the ever-multiplying anti-Zionist groups. The Zionist campus groups even found it difficult to rally the support of the majority around generally agreed-upon principles such as “Israel has the right to defend itself and to eradicate terror.” This was largely because the Zionist groups were too closely identified with political parties, from which many felt alienated. Additionally, the political parties preferred to invest their time in arguments about the narrow interests of rival parties in the Knesset.
In the last few years, a certain disillusionment with post-Zionism has set in. If I had to put my finger on the event which precipitated this turnaround, both in general society and on campus, I believe that it would be the Second Lebanon War in 2006. Earlier, the Al-Aqsa Intifada, with all its victims, had led many Israelis to understand that Israel has the right to protect itself from terror. But it was the feeling of lost opportunities and unfinished business, widespread among the reservists in the summer of 2006, which led many people to realize that there was a fundamental misunderstanding of Israel’s situation. Despite all of our tanks and airplanes, the management of the war was a failure. Many began to feel that Israel had lost its way.
It was not by chance that immediately after the war, there was a new public awareness of the importance of hasbarah (advocacy) of Israel’s natural rights. It was also not by chance that a student movement called Im Tirtzu was founded, with the mandate to strengthen Zionist values on campus. Im Tirtzu was a natural reaction to the flourishing of the anti-Zionist groups, and succeeded in preparing the ground for a unification of the Zionist bloc on campus.
In contrast to other Zionist groups, Im Tirtzu is a centrist group which is not affiliated with any political party. Its activists hail from every sector of the population and from all political parties. From its perspective, Israel is no longer divided into right-wing and left-wing, but rather between those who support the right of the Jews to an independent state and those who believe that Israel should be “a state of all its citizens.” As an illustration, Im Tirtzu is the movement which last month succeeded in organizing demonstrations on campuses throughout Israel in support of Israel’s naval interception of the flotilla.
Recently, Im Tirtzu released a report on Zionism in Israeli academia. It was submitted to the Minister of Education, Gideon Sa’ar, and led to a debate in the Knesset. The results of the report show that “While eighty-two percent of the Jewish community in Israel believes that the Jewish state should continue to be the country of the Jewish nation, anti- and post-Zionist views have absolute hegemony in most universities. This includes a total rejection of all Zionist ideas, especially those which view nationalism positively.” Similarly, according to the report, “A worrying picture emerges. Even though only fourteen percent of Israeli Jews feel that Israel must be a state of all its citizens, academia in Israel advances this view and silences all opinions which recognize the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state.”
Academic freedom is one of the building blocks of democracy. Yet these results show that the Zionist voice is being suppressed by ivory tower academics. Many challenges still face Zionist activists on campus. The very existence of the report, as well as its being placed on the public agenda, are cause for optimism, because someone is keeping track of the anti-Zionist phenomenon and trying to counteract it.
On this note, there is no question of the importance of Diaspora support of Israel. Its ability to influence world opinion is clear. Beyond this, a principled and well-reasoned hasbarah of Zionism to the world can help Israelis in general and students in particular. As the leaders of the next generation, students have the responsibility and duty to lead Israeli society. Hasbarah provides them with moral support and the conviction of the correctness of Zionism. As we know, perception creates and shapes reality.
Ultimately, the future is in the hands of Israeli and Diaspora students. In the words of Theodore Herzl, if they will it, it is no dream. But if they do not have the will, Herzl’s lesser-known words will apply: “Everything which I have told you about [the Jewish state] is a dream, and will remain one.”
Netanel Avneri is a doctoral candidate in Bar-Ilan University’s Department of Middle Eastern Studies,
researching American-Iraqi relations. 
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