Demonstrating For Non-Socialist Zionism

Yesterday we attended Ze'ev Jabotinsky's yartzeit, 71 years after his death.  Jabotinsky was the leader of the Zionist Revionist Movement, the non-socialist Zionists.  I sat in a row with other North American Betarim.

The elite of the Israeli Government also attended, President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Tzipi Livni.

I hadn't attended the event for over thirty years.  It certainly had changed.  In the olden days, we just walked into the official Mount Herzl Cemetery and found a place to stand, under the hot sun, with a view of the grave. 

Security was very tight.  After my bags went through x-rays, they insisted on checking my wallet of all things.  If they were looking for money, they didn't find any. Rumor was that there was more security because of the anarchists Leftist anti-government demonstrations.  The seats were in a specially shaded area.  I didn't need the hat.

The anti-government Korach-style demonstrators didn't make it to the ceremony.  The Jabotinsky followers aren't very sympathetic to the unrealistic slogans.  Jabotinsky was a realist.  I'd say that realism, not capitalism, is the opposite of socialism.