I think Zionism used to be a specific vision of a state for Jews, even a specific version of a Jew- a tan chalutz or an IDF soldier, not a Jew with “trembling knees.”
I don’t think that’s accurate anymore.
Today I would define a Zionist as someone who finds the killing of Jews unacceptable, and an anti Zionist is someone who finds the killing of Jews something negotiable. That’s why I call myself a Zionist today. I wouldn’t have earlier because there are nuances in the Zionist vision that are inconsistent with my view of what G-d wants from me as a Jew.
But I feel that today Zionist means that I in no way condone or accept the slaughter of my brothers. So I am a proud Zionist.
When I hear non-Jews call themselves Zionists, that’s how I interpret it- someone who finds the wholesale murder of Jews utterly unacceptable.
Being against an already existing state is morally wrong. Believing that Israel has no right to defend herself is advocating the murder of innocents.
I think that there used to be room to debate what kind of state Israel ought to be, or before 1948, whether there should be a state.
But the argument now is one with only one morally valid side. The citizens of the state of Israel must be made safe. Must be allowed to make themselves safe. Any opposition to that is evil, not politics.
Zionism is the desire of the Jewish people to live on their own land. The Jews have preserved this desire through the millennia. All this time they sought to live on this land. Jews scattered all over the world have wanted this all these years. Many peoples and most states did not yet exist, and the Jews had been striving for their land for many years. And this is Zionism.
And during the years of the Inquisition and through numerous pogroms, and during the Holocaust, Jews dreamed of Jerusalem and took every opportunity at different times to live in Israel.
Why is it that most of the world represents Zionism as something bad and something that has no right to exist. No one forbids a Norwegian from wanting to live in Norway (hello, Norway! How's it going with the Nobel Prize?), no one forbids a Pole from wanting to live in Poland.
But the desire of a Jew to live in Israel, which he built himself despite the machinations of his enemies, is reprehensible.
I don’t want everyone to suddenly fall in love with Zionism. I want those who preach anti-Zionism (and say that he is not anti-Semitic) to understand that proclaiming the right of any nation to want to live in their own country and denying Jews the same is real anti-Semitism.
Brilliant. And I will add that we MUST maintain Israel as a Jewish state because history has shown we are not safe otherwise, anywhere in the world. For the first time I am nervous about being a Jew in the U.S. Only with our own state can we truly protect ourselves.
Joshua, great again! Let's make Israel great again too! I have been living here going on 49 years. Have seen alot of changes, some for the better. I do miss the pioneering spirit that was still around in the 70's, though on its way out, not long after. Yes, some do flinch and cringe with discomfort or embarrassment at the very word Zionism, thinking its mission accomplished, so we can now go on and live like any other country. It is known as 'Post Zionism' , which is described on wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-Zionism. What has kept me here through thick and thin is everything Joshua listed, and then some. We need to refresh ourselves of our raison d'etre. Zionism, our Torah values and centuries' old traditions, and Hebrew language combine to seal and strengthen our claim to this land and grant it, and every one of us, meaning and purpose.
I think Zionism used to be a specific vision of a state for Jews, even a specific version of a Jew- a tan chalutz or an IDF soldier, not a Jew with “trembling knees.”
I don’t think that’s accurate anymore.
Today I would define a Zionist as someone who finds the killing of Jews unacceptable, and an anti Zionist is someone who finds the killing of Jews something negotiable. That’s why I call myself a Zionist today. I wouldn’t have earlier because there are nuances in the Zionist vision that are inconsistent with my view of what G-d wants from me as a Jew.
But I feel that today Zionist means that I in no way condone or accept the slaughter of my brothers. So I am a proud Zionist.
When I hear non-Jews call themselves Zionists, that’s how I interpret it- someone who finds the wholesale murder of Jews utterly unacceptable.
Being against an already existing state is morally wrong. Believing that Israel has no right to defend herself is advocating the murder of innocents.
I think that there used to be room to debate what kind of state Israel ought to be, or before 1948, whether there should be a state.
But the argument now is one with only one morally valid side. The citizens of the state of Israel must be made safe. Must be allowed to make themselves safe. Any opposition to that is evil, not politics.
Zionism is the desire of the Jewish people to live on their own land. The Jews have preserved this desire through the millennia. All this time they sought to live on this land. Jews scattered all over the world have wanted this all these years. Many peoples and most states did not yet exist, and the Jews had been striving for their land for many years. And this is Zionism.
And during the years of the Inquisition and through numerous pogroms, and during the Holocaust, Jews dreamed of Jerusalem and took every opportunity at different times to live in Israel.
Why is it that most of the world represents Zionism as something bad and something that has no right to exist. No one forbids a Norwegian from wanting to live in Norway (hello, Norway! How's it going with the Nobel Prize?), no one forbids a Pole from wanting to live in Poland.
But the desire of a Jew to live in Israel, which he built himself despite the machinations of his enemies, is reprehensible.
I don’t want everyone to suddenly fall in love with Zionism. I want those who preach anti-Zionism (and say that he is not anti-Semitic) to understand that proclaiming the right of any nation to want to live in their own country and denying Jews the same is real anti-Semitism.
I want to go to Israel even more now, for the coffee ☕️🤎🇮🇱
Brilliant. And I will add that we MUST maintain Israel as a Jewish state because history has shown we are not safe otherwise, anywhere in the world. For the first time I am nervous about being a Jew in the U.S. Only with our own state can we truly protect ourselves.
What a fantastic article. I completely agree!
Joshua, great again! Let's make Israel great again too! I have been living here going on 49 years. Have seen alot of changes, some for the better. I do miss the pioneering spirit that was still around in the 70's, though on its way out, not long after. Yes, some do flinch and cringe with discomfort or embarrassment at the very word Zionism, thinking its mission accomplished, so we can now go on and live like any other country. It is known as 'Post Zionism' , which is described on wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-Zionism. What has kept me here through thick and thin is everything Joshua listed, and then some. We need to refresh ourselves of our raison d'etre. Zionism, our Torah values and centuries' old traditions, and Hebrew language combine to seal and strengthen our claim to this land and grant it, and every one of us, meaning and purpose.