As Israel approaches 80 years of age, the phrase ‘the curse of the eighth decade’ sticks around. In the midst of the Israel-Hamas war, the phrase has been revived not only by Palestinians, but also by many Israeli leaders.
But what is this ‘curse of the eighth decade’? Why is there so much discussion about it? London-based media LBC News says, the curse of the eighth decade is not new. Ahmed Yassin, the founder of the Hamas movement, used this term 24 years ago today.
Simply put, the Eighth Decade Curse is an Israeli belief that the lifespan of a Jewish state will not exceed 80 years. Where did they get this belief from? The Jews got this belief from the ‘Talmud’. The Talmud is a religious jurisprudence of the Jews. It was written by ancient Jewish scholars. The scriptures emphasize the dos, don’ts, and don’ts of Jewish daily life. But it is by no means the ‘Torah’ of the Jews.
Israelis are suffering from existential crisis. Photo: Reuters
However, the Talmud states, ‘No Jewish state will last more than eight decades. The state will collapse due to its own ethnic conflicts.’
What happened in reality? Matched Talmud predictions? Let’s look back at a little history. History says that in the last two thousand years, many small and large Jewish kingdoms were established in different countries of the world. But apart from King David’s reign and the Hasmonean reign, no Jewish kingdom has lasted more than 80 years. King David’s reign was from 1050 BC to 930 BC. And Hasmonean reign was from 140 BC to 67 BC.
Historians say that although King David’s reign and Hasmonean reign lasted for more than 80 years, the tone of disintegration of the two kingdoms sounded exactly after 80 years. Then gradually the two kingdoms were destroyed.
What will be the case in Israel? Because the modern Jewish state was founded on May 14, 1948. As such, Israel will complete 80 years in 2028. That means, there are only five years left. In four or five years Israel’s final death knell may sound.
Many analysts are hearing that death knell right now. They say that since October 7, Israel has started bombarding Gaza desperately, the way Netanyahu is behaving like a madman to wipe out the Palestinian Muslims, it is not difficult to understand that the Jews are suffering from an existential crisis inside. So they are trying to sustain their existence with death bite for the last time.
Israel is desperate to wipe out the Palestinians. Photo: Reuters
The Middle East Monitor said in a report that Jews are afraid of the curse of the eighth decade, which is evident in the recent statements of Jewish leaders Ehud Barak, Naftali Bennett and Benjamin Netanyahu.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Rabak wrote in an article in Israel’s Yediyat Ahronat newspaper last year, that division and division in Israeli society have increased alarmingly. This is reminiscent of the Curse of the Eighty Decades.
Meanwhile, before assuming the prime ministership for the current term, Benjamin Netanyahu said, ‘Only the government under his leadership can guarantee the release of Israel from the curse of eight decades.’ Previous Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also said during his election campaign, ‘Only his government can prove the curse of the eighth decade false.’
From these statements it is clear that the eighth century curse of the Israelite leader is concerned with the matter. Now we have no choice but to wait until 2028 to see if the curse of the 8th century really works or not.
References: LBC News, Middle East Monitor, Lebanon’s Al Manar TV and Tehran Times
