Idealism Quotes
The phrase “city upon a hill” was first used by John Winthrop in 1630 which is probably taken from Matt. 5:14-16 “a city that is set on a hill.” See related quote. It was then used in a speech by President Kennedy with attribution to Winthrop. President Reagan used it without the attribution and embellished it by adding the adjective “shining” which many people thought was in the original Puritan statement. The Reagan video and audio clip has been so viewed so many times that people think the phrase originated with Reagan.
In her younger days Steinham worked with the CIA. Originally the Office of Strategic Service, the precursor to the CIA, was an amalgam of some of the nation’s most educated and dedicated people who tended to be very idealistic in saving the world from fascists like Nazi Germany and Japan. The were extremely nonpolitical and were not involved in the liberal conservative battles that the agency got itself into as the Red Scare and the fear of Communism affected much of the society including the CIA.
Jabotinsky was a strong advocate of the Jewish Zionist movement not concerning itself with moral lapses and excessive zeal as many of the idealistic Zionists did, looking for a kind of Jewish Utopia. He argued that the British had done awful things when their national interest was threatened and the Arabs were far worse than almost any group of peoples. Therefore, the Zionists were entitled to use the methods of the other nations and Jews should not be the only people on earth that should be castigated for conquering a land and people. He particularly thought that even the United States which was better than almost all other nations had killed the Indian and driven him out of his own land. Why not the Jews? There has always, since he wrote this, been a minority of Zionists and Israelis who agree with the Jabotinsky view, but his view has never become a majority position of policy of Zionism or Israel.
