The fact of being Jewish and patriotic at the same time, is a problem of having a double identity and raises some questions about the possibility of existence of a Jewish nation. Being a Jew means having specific customs, traditions, having a certain way of life, and it can lead to feeling 'apart' from the rest of the national population. Moreover, as they are present throughout all Europe, Jews form an 'international community'. If being an identifying Jew is such a strong identity, how can they feel French, English or German at the same time? If being a Jew means being already a part of a nation, the Jewish nation, can they also feel like a 'national' of their country?
[...] To conclude, the advent of modernity modified the Jews' lives and so their patriotic attitude. First, Emancipation made it easier for them to be patriotic by giving them citizenship and the feeling of belonging to their country. They proved their patriotism by taking arms during the wars or participating in the civil society, especially the military and political life. But, with the apparition of Zionism as a real Jewish nationalism, partly due to anti-Semitism, Jewish patriotism changed and turned into patriotism for Israel. [...]
[...] This new kind of patriotism eclipsed the patriotism for their country of adoption. For example “next year in yerushalaim” is said at Passover each year. The link between all Jews of the “diaspora” is this identification and patriotism to Israel, wherever they live. The extent to which the Zionist idea has spread among the Jewish people may be seen not only in the number of Jews affiliated with the Zionist organization and congress, but also in the fact that there is hardly a nook or corner of the Jewish world in which Zionistic societies are not to be found. [...]
[...] This Jewish movement supporting the adoption of enlightenment values advocated an expansion of Jewish rights within European society. Haskalah followers advocated, "coming out of the ghetto," not just physically but also mentally and spiritually[5]. Early stages of Jewish emancipation movements were simply part of the general popular uprising to achieve freedom and rights for minorities, in the context of Enlightment. Philosophers started to think about the Jewish question and the means to give them equal rights. The question of equal rights for Jews was tied with demands for constitutions and civil rights. [...]
[...] Then, the emergence of Zionism changes everything with the recognition of Jews as members of their own nation first of all. The identification to the land of Israel as the nation of the Jews made it harder to be patriotic for the Jews of the Diaspora. How can these two concepts of Judaism and patriotism coexist with each other? Are they necessarily in opposition? First, Emancipation, as a manifestation of modernity, made it easier for identifying Jews to be patriotic, by giving them citizenship and rights. Indeed, before Emancipation, Jews were like a nation in the nation. [...]
[...] A third revolution that of the Bolsheviks concluded the protracted era of emancipation by eliminating any formal distinction between Jews and other Soviet citizens[7]. Emancipation allowed Jews to mix with others. They became real citizens in their country and started to feel like home, like real members of the nation, without distinctions on the basis of their religion. So it facilitated the patriotic attitude. They were mixed with others at school; they were no more a community locked out of the rest of the society. The influence of the rabbis started to decrease and some Jews even started to assimilate. [...]
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