Western colonialism was more of a tide that washed across the planet, since receding.

Israel, on the other hand, is a vortex. As you say, a cult. Aka, an echo chamber. Feedback loops with no circuit breakers.

So how this plays out, is that it spirals ever further into that black hole in the middle, until something causes it explode, go super nova.

It is interesting to watch play out, from an outsider's point of view, but as an insider, I can imagine it does tear at your soul. It does seems a schism is in the process of forming, in Judaism, between those for whom the culture is everything and allow themselves to be sucked into this storm and those desperately pulling back and trying to hold onto some larger humanity.

I have to say, I got a little too close to the fire and have been blocked from further posting or commenting on Substack, since pointing out various of the problems;

https://johnmerryman.substack.com/p/gods-problems

My stats on Medium also took a hit, over the same article;

https://medium.com/@johnbrodixmerrymanjr/gods-problems-cdab66ed5f04

Fortunately writing is not my profession and I mostly see myself as a feral philosopher, social pathologist, so it's all educational.

https://medium.com/@johnbrodixmerrymanjr/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-western-mind-906dc73cffe2

https://medium.com/counterarts/why-the-feedback-loops-need-circuit-breakers-531d1ab0fe0f