Contribution of Jewish covenantal values to the birth of the State of Israel

Contribution of the Jewish covenantal values and the Ten Commandments to the birth and beginnings of the state of Israel and to the formation of the Western civilization.

The poisonous spirit of wokeness is overtaking the Western civilization.

The Jews and the Bible gave to the Western world the covenantal values which led to Christianity, Enlightenment and, eventually, to the Western civilization. The fundamental contribution of the Jews to the progression of the humanity is clearly expressed by John Adams, the second president of the United States: ” I will insist the Hebrews have (contributed) more to civilize men than any other nation. If I was an atheist and believed in blind eternal fate, I should still believe that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations”.

The influence of the Jewish covenantal values on the birth and the beginning of the state of Israel and on the formation of the Western civilization.

The ideology of the founders of the state of Israel had socialist roots. Some of them were religious some were not. However, the educational background of many of them encompass the teaching of covenantal values of Bible and Ten Commandments. Therefore, consciously or unconsciously, it was reflected in their decisions, writings and other aspects of building a Jewish country. The first Prime Minister of state of Israel, David Ben Gurion, in 1963 emphatically stated: “In the education of our youth, we may not disregard the great human callings heralded by our Prophets, calling of justice and lovingkindness, of human brotherhood, love of man, we must instill in the hearts of our children, from an early age, the aspiration to a civilized society free of discrimination and injustice and exploitation”. The titan of Zionism was expressing his acceptance of the power of Jewish covenantal biblical values and the canons of Ten Commandments.

The Protestant reformers in Europe have introduced mandatory tax-free education for boys and girls with the aim to teach them to read the Bible. The same was emulated by the New England colonies. The Bible and Judeo- Christian values played a major role in the formation of the worldview of the people of Western Europe and American colonies. The Puritans, who settled in New England to escape the persecution they experience in Europe for practicing their faith, had established Harvard college in 1636, just a decade after coming to America. Students at Harvard were required “to pray privately, read the Scriptures twice a day, study diligently, and respect parents, magistrates, and the tutors. They were taught to avoid profanity, lies and foolish behavior”. Therefore, they were following the Jewish covenantal values and canons of Ten Commandments.

Wokeness and progressivism destroying the Western civilization.

Decades ago the educational system in the counties of Western democracies went through a dramatic and detrimental change of removing the presence of the covenantal values of the Bible, including the Ten Commandments, from the curricula of the schools and universities. The following factors and events, among other influences, had contributed to the dismissal of teachings of the covenantal values and canons of Ten Commandments:

Many progressive educators and political scientists, influenced by the concepts of Enlightenment and the Charles Darwin’s ‘The Origins of Species’, accepted that the society may benefit more from the scientific discoveries and human reasoning than from the belief in covenantal values of the Bible and Ten Commandments.

Another significant factor in the undermining the credibility of the biblical teachings was the efforts and works of the John Dewey, one of the founders of progressive education in America. Mr. Dewey put his trust in science, evolution, psychology and philosophy with the idea that the people will live in harmony equipped with the doctrine of socialism. He rejected the biblical teachings and dismissed the principles of right and wrong, basically defying the common sense.

In 1930^th., escaping the persecution of Nazi regime, a number of the German Marxists from Frankfurt Institute for Social Research, immigrated to United States. The demonization of capitalism, elimination of the influence of biblical teachings and the destruction of family were the main principles of their ideology.  Most of these Karl Marx believers have received teaching positions at the leading American universities.

It is appropriate to point to the efforts and works of the social and cultural Marxist, Herbert Marcuse, who introduced the contemporary critical theory to American public. The places of higher learning in the Western world are busy now teaching the students subjects such as: critical animal studies, critical criminology, critical environmental justice, critical race theory, critical legal studies, feminism, gender studies, intersectionality and queer theory.  We have to thank Herbert Marcuse and his followers for the violent and disastrous riots of 2020 in America’s major cities; for the identity policy and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) concept and, most of all, for the indoctrination of students in schools and universities. The tsunami of antisemitism incidents, after Hamas’s attack on Israel, is the result of the Marcuse’s social critical theory of oppressors and oppressed. The students at the universities are taught that Israel is an oppressor and the Palestinians are oppressed people. Thus, in this case the goal of the poisonous ideology of wokeness has materialized.

Can the wokeness advance be reversed in Western countries and bring back the power of the Jewish covenantal values and the canons of Ten Commandments?

Bert-Jan Ruissen, a Dutch politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from the Netherlands, stated that the Western countries are losing the sight of the biblical values, “even though they form the basis of our European identity”. While visiting Portugal, he finds the churches are in state of ruins and he asks a question how many people are coming for the services weekly? The attendance to the churches in Europe has fallen drastically and the politician laments “we should not be surprised that our Christian, spiritual heritage is crumbling”. Bert-Jan Ruissen appeals to other European politicians to encourage the return of the biblical values by stressing the importance of introduction of these values to the children in churches, schools and family.

The leftist policies based on the critical theories has infested the educational institutions of United Stated. The corporations and government organizations had and, some still have, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) departments which aim is to enforce racial and, basically, unhuman moral and ethical values.  It is important to note the role of the American media, which is almost universally propagating the ideas of extreme liberalism, including the rejection of the biblical covenantal values and Ten Commandments.

The glimmer of hope, for returning the covenantal biblical values and the canons of Ten Commandments to the lives of Americans, appeared with the election of Donald Trump to a second Presidential term. The President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing a task force to end the anti-Christian weaponization of government and unlawful conduct targeting Christian.

People of Israel reject ideology of wokeness.

Vincent James Hooper, the global and geopolitics specialist, points to the differences and influence of wokeness culture in Israel and Western counties such as UK and United States. If in the UK and U.S. the issues triggering the debate and wokeness response are related to race, gender and social justice problems, the Israelis are discussing with passion matters tied to nationalism, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and global perception of the origins of their country. “Public reaction in Israel has been overwhelmingly skeptical of ‘woke’ ideology, particularly following Hamas’ October 7 attack. Many Israelis see progressive support for Palestinian resistance-especially in Western universities- as detached from the lived realities of Israeli civilians under threat. Frustration has grown over the way international progressive movements frame Israel as a colonial aggressor, a characterization that most Israelis reject.”