In Defense of Zionism
I disagree with the current trend in academic circles stating that Zionist philosophy is racist and discriminatory.
It could not be further from the truth!
The textbook definition of Zionism is "the national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel, advocated, from its inception, tangible as well as spiritual aims." It is an ideology based on thousands of years of persecution and has only been able to become reality in the past century.
Zionism calls for Jews to live in the land of Israel. It does not call for non-Jews to get out. It does not prevent non-Jews from living there. Only misguided statements made in the name of Zionism could possibly be regarded as discriminatory, such as statements that only Jews belong in Israel. Although such statements have been made by extreme elements in the Jewish religion, we all know that there are extremists in every religion and political group, and similar to other religions or political groups, they do not represent the view of the majority.
I am increasingly worried about public opinion regarding Zionism, and some people I have met mistakenly believe it has to do with Israel's policy in the Palestinian Territories (which is based on very real security threats and not ideological yearnings - furthermore, they fail to take into account the daily terrorist attacks [yes - even in June 2005 they still happen daily but are not reported] against Jewish Israelis, both civilians and soldiers, in the territories which make this policy a necessity for survival). These misinformed people talk derogatively about Zionism but actually have no idea what it is truly about, namely establishing a place where Jews can be Jewish and never feel or be threatened for it.
As a Jew who believes in the benevolence of Zionism and supports the right of the Jewish people to live in the land of Israel along with others, I feel it is my job to explain this purity of thought.
It could not be further from the truth!
The textbook definition of Zionism is "the national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel, advocated, from its inception, tangible as well as spiritual aims." It is an ideology based on thousands of years of persecution and has only been able to become reality in the past century.
Zionism calls for Jews to live in the land of Israel. It does not call for non-Jews to get out. It does not prevent non-Jews from living there. Only misguided statements made in the name of Zionism could possibly be regarded as discriminatory, such as statements that only Jews belong in Israel. Although such statements have been made by extreme elements in the Jewish religion, we all know that there are extremists in every religion and political group, and similar to other religions or political groups, they do not represent the view of the majority.
I am increasingly worried about public opinion regarding Zionism, and some people I have met mistakenly believe it has to do with Israel's policy in the Palestinian Territories (which is based on very real security threats and not ideological yearnings - furthermore, they fail to take into account the daily terrorist attacks [yes - even in June 2005 they still happen daily but are not reported] against Jewish Israelis, both civilians and soldiers, in the territories which make this policy a necessity for survival). These misinformed people talk derogatively about Zionism but actually have no idea what it is truly about, namely establishing a place where Jews can be Jewish and never feel or be threatened for it.
As a Jew who believes in the benevolence of Zionism and supports the right of the Jewish people to live in the land of Israel along with others, I feel it is my job to explain this purity of thought.
posted by Allison at 6:51 PM
3 Comments:
Hi. This isn't a comment for today's journal. I started reading and writing blogs recently, in part for the practicing English, and today, I found your blog by chance. Your writing is sophisticated and comfortable to read, and the contents are way interesting. I cannot write any nice comments as I'm not a native English speaker, but I'm looking forward to reading your next journal. Bye.
Hi Ru,
Thanks for your kind comments! I'm glad you enjoy the blog.
Sayonara,
Alli
I think an important point that often gets overlooked with the "Zionism is racism" criticism (possibly accidentally on purpose, if you catch my drift...) is the fact that anybody can convert to Judaism, regardless of race, religion or cultural background.
Conversely, the same does not hold true for Palestinian/Arab nationalism. Nobody can convert to "Palestinianism" or "Arabism".
As someone who is both a convert to Judaism and watches the Arab-Israeli conflict closely, I find fascinating the double standards academia (and world leftist opinion for that matter) use when analyzing the conflict. Have these people ever taken a university course in Logic?
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