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Madam Speaker,
Government Ministers,
Head of the Opposition,
Veterans of the Etzel and Lehi,
Jabotinsky Family,
Distinguished Guests, members of Betar and those who cherish the memory of Ze’ev Jabotinsky,
Forty-three years ago, 24 years after the death of the head of Betar, hundreds of Israelis accompanied Ze’ev Jabotinsky to his final resting place in the soil of the Land of Israel. I clearly remember the immense funeral procession in the streets of Tel Aviv, which was unparalleled; I remember the tremendous emotion, sometimes tearful, of students and admirers, headed by the Chairman of the Herut Movement, Menachem Begin, who accompanied the coffin. A huge audience – salt of the earth – without any difference in outlook, came to pay their respects to the great Zionist leader; a bit late but wholeheartedly. Today, here in the Knesset, we will pay tribute to the third prime minister, Levi Eshkol, who ordered the fulfillment of the will of his great ideological opponent to bring his remains here under the command of the Government of Israel. This was a noble act of turning one’s back on hatred and turning towards the unity and love of Israel.
As long as the generation which knew Jabotinsky and believed in his path lived and worked among us; as long as there were those among us who learned from him and followed his teachings, his name was always on their lips. His genius encompassed the entire world, his education was comprehensive and his world view was universal. His passionate Zionist faith was not provincial or narrow-minded, but rather anchored in the international political, social and ideological reality of the time. His inspiration was enchanting, full of charm and power, and served his students as a guide, life coach and mentor. Ze’ev Jabotinsky was realistic and clear-thinking, and was an unparalleled writer. His writings, his articles and his speeches were examples of handcrafted thinking, works of art. In his thinking, his books, poems and his masterful translations, he rose above all other Zionist leaders. If the test of great leadership is in his ability to penetrate the unknown horizon, Jabotinsky outshone everyone. He was the first to know that the realization of Zionism could not occur without the “iron wall” of a Jewish defense force. He detested suppressive totalitarian socialism and foresaw its fall. He championed pluralist liberalism and true social-democratic justice, for individual freedom and social reform were his guiding principles. He drew from Jewish sources social ideas such as the idea of “the jubilee”, equality of citizens and strangers and the duties of a state to its citizens: housing, food, clothing, education and healthcare.
In Jabotinsky’s novel, “Samson”, we derive the order to “gather iron” to defend our people. From his words, we learned that when we are hit by a log of wood, we do not respond with a cane of papyrus. Jabotinsky instructed us that firmly standing for our souls, our national honor and the safety of our lives against an enemy which rises against us, is not – heaven forbid – “militarism”, but rather the healthy instinct of a people who yearn for life.
Ze’ev Jabotinsky believed wholeheartedly in the complete Zionist vision, in the fullest sense of the word. He spoke of kingdoms (“to place above us a king”) even before the idea had become imprinted. He preached for renewed pride of the humiliated Jewish people – for the “genius”, the “splendor” and for joie de vivre – “to learn to laugh”. His songs provided a strongly poetical expression for his ideas, and we – the students of Betar – devoutly sang them at Movement meetings, during parades and around the campfire. He cried out for mass immigration of the Jews of Eastern Europe before the killing sword would fall on them, and warned: “Eliminate the exile before it eliminates you,” but his warnings remain as nothing more than a tragic echo of his ability to forecast that which had yet to happen. All that remained for Zionism was to realize the establishment of the nation on our tiny corner of heaven, in which we have gathered the refugees of Europe and the exiles from the four corners of the globe. This is a heritage won through the courageous struggle of the underground fighters of the Hagana, the Etzl and the Lehi; of those who ascended the gallows with a song of Betar on their lips; of IDF soldiers and those who fell in Israel’s campaigns since then.
When my colleagues and I in the Government today strive to ensure the future of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic country, based on individual freedom and social reform, which practices full civilian equality for all and which is based on the existence of a solid and assured Jewish majority for generations to come in the borders of the State of Israel – I believe wholeheartedly that we are following the right path, the path set out by the head of Betar.
Ze’ev Jabotinsky’s name, like the other fathers of Zionism, no longer excites hearts in our time. His image has long since been imprinted on the pages of history and his writings are hidden away in books and libraries. The distance of years has naturally done its work. However, anyone who had the privilege, as we did, of drawing from the magnificent well of his wisdom, anyone who was ever conquered by the charm of his creativity and thinking, will forever see him as their mentor.
In honor and in trade for all restraint and impulse, we will walk in his path, for the honor of Israel and the victory of Zionism.
May his memory be blessed.
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