Madoff in Jerusalem

Gilad Atzmon

Zionism, at least in its early days was premised on the belief that once back in their ‘homeland’, Jews would mature into ethical beings. For early Zionists it was the Diaspora conditions that corrupted the Jews. Ber Borchov blamed it on the difference between ‘the socio-economic structure of the Jewish people’ and other nations (Ber Borochov- The Economic Development of the Jewish People 1917). Max Nordau repelled the “Jewish lack of notion of honour, morality, patriotism and idealism…." (Max Nordau - Address at the 1st Zionist Congress 1897).

It is transparently evident that Zionism failed to erect a modern ethical collective. Considering the Zionist agenda to celebrate a Jewish national aspiration at the expense of the indigenous people of Palestine, it shouldn’t take us by surprise that Zionism evolved into an unethical morbid entity. As we read in a poll in Haaretz today. The Israelis themselves are coming to terms with their non-ethical setting. More than half of the Israelis are convinced that the leadership of their Jewish State is corrupted.

In a poll that took place in June 2009, 45% of respondents judged Netanyahu's government to be "highly corrupt," 25% thought it was "moderately corrupt" and the remaining third thought it was only slightly corrupt or not tainted.

However, Netanyahu still has a long way to go. Ehud Olmert won by a landslide. He is the most corrupt prime minister in Israeli history with 52% of the vote. Netanyahu placed second, with 17.8%, while Ariel Sharon was judged the third-most corrupt. Olmert currently faces charges that include fraud, breach of trust, forgery (of corporate documents) and failure to report income. Olmert is the first prime minister in Israeli history to face graft charges.

The majority of the Israelis polled feel that things are getting worse when it comes to ethics: 70% said they feel that Israel is more corrupt now than ever before, while only 10% think that matters are improving.

Unlike Borochov and Nordau who mistakenly identified Jewish cultural morbidity with Jewish Diaspora conditions it is pretty evident that the Jewish state has managed to establish a gruesome continuum between swindler Madoff and Jerusalem. The Israel that was there to become a celebration of a revived Jewish civilization, a light onto the nations, is in fact the epitome of moral deficiency in all its facets. It is the lowest form of political existence. Zionism has managed to erect the biggest and ugliest Jewish ghetto in Jewish history. The only positive news is that the Israelis seem to be aware of it all.