Sign up for Weekday J and get the latest on what's happening in the Jewish Bay Area.

As Israel marks its 52nd anniversary on May 10, its citizens are in the midst of debating whether we now live in a post-Zionist era.

Of course, the debate depends on what one means by Zionism.

If the ultimate goal of Zionism was establishing an independent Jewish state — the way Theodor Herzl envisaged — then the post-Zionist era started in 1948.

If Zionism follows David Ben-Gurion's vision of the state being primarily the vehicle for the "ingathering of the exiles," then we are approaching the point at which the majority of the world's Jews live in Israel.

However, if the ultimate goal of Zionism is perceived as philosopher Ahad Ha'am viewed it, Israel is still far from achieving it.

In his vision, the ultimate goal is neither political nor demographic. It is spiritual. To him, the ultimate purpose of Zionism is to make Israel a spiritual and cultural center of the Jewish people, a flourishing creative entity that will develop a new kind of Judaism.

Yes, a meaningful beginning has been made in the field of culture and education. Miraculously, the ancient Hebrew language has been resurrected; some 7 million people now speak it. A flourishing poetry, prose and theater in this language has developed. And some 40 universities and colleges here are educating 200,000 students.

But in the field of values and morals, we have not progressed. In fact, we are now seeing regression in this area, which is especially crucial for "spiritual" Zionism.

However, even from the "material," or non-spiritual conception, we are far from a post-Zionist era.

Actually, we are in the midst of an intense period of implementing the tenets of classical Zionism, which includes such goals as encouraging immigration, settling the land and striving for a peaceful integration in the region.

During the last decade, for example, Israel has absorbed close to 1 million Jews. And a number of Jewish "communities of exiles" have been brought here: those in Ethiopia, in several areas in the former Soviet Union and in the Baltic countries. Israel also has taken in the remnants of the Jewish communities in Cuba and in embattled former Yugoslavia.

As for settling the land, it's true that we are no longer building a town here, a village there. Instead, huge cities for many thousands of people are being built all at once at Modi'in, Ma'aleh Adumim, Karmiel, etc.

Many small townships have doubled and tripled in size within the past decade. And while one can argue with the political implications of the settlements in the territories, there is no way to deny that a considerable number of the nearly 200,000 settlers moved to the territories for Zionist reasons — at great hardship and danger to themselves and their families.

In terms of establishing secure borders, Israel has been engaged in a most difficult, complex and protracted process since the Oslo agreements were signed.

Trying to achieve a comprehensive peace settlement with the Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese will inevitably mean giving up territory. But peacemaking is an inherent part of implementing Zionism. Paradoxically, giving up some of the land is now a Zionist imperative, so that we can finally secure the Jewish state in the overwhelming majority of the land.

It is rather fashionable to speak today with some sarcasm about the "New Jew" who was supposed to appear in Israel. But it is true: The new Jewish people, the Israeli Jewish nation, is emerging in front of our eyes. Only we choose not to see it.

This is a generation born in the land. It is Hebrew-speaking from birth. It has never experienced what it means to be a despised, persecuted minority.

To this new generation, the vistas of sand, sea and hills are their natural homeland. They are good fighters and high-tech workers. They are highly devoted to their country: After army service they may trek around Nepal or climb the Andes. But then they return to Israel, because this is their home.

Their Jewishness may not be expressed by such criteria as tefillin or kashrut. It is more connected with the new Israeli songs, with serving the country, with reading Hebrew poetry, and with pride in being Israeli and Jewish.

There is no question of their intermarrying and their offspring forgetting that they are Jews. Even in the most secular Jewish kindergarten, the Jewish holidays are celebrated. And even the most secular youth knows when Yom Kippur falls. It is in the air, in the streets empty of any traffic, in the silence of radio and television.

After the "material" stage of Zionism is largely completed, the "creative, cultural" stage will hopefully come. Meantime, with every passing year, the young Israeli-Jewish nation is emerging as the guarantee of the future of the Jewish people and its unique civilization.

So when Zionism is triumphant yet far from achieving its final goals, who can dare speak of post-Zionism?