Shockingly, only 37% of American Jews consider themselves Zionists—believers in the fundamental, millennia-long aspiration of the Jewish people for liberation. When asked for an explanation as to why a majority of American Jews don’t identify as Zionists, author and scholar Dara Horn replied simply, “They’re dumb.”
Horn, who wrote the People Love Dead Jews, goes on to explain that a century ago in the United States, it was the “J-word”—Jew—that was viewed as a slur, such that very few organizations used Jew or Jewish in their names, opting for euphemisms like Union of Hebrew Congregations or the American Israelite newspaper.
Today, it’s the “Z-word” that Jew-haters’ use to revile us—Zionism or Zionists—words that historically and still represent the movement of the Jewish people to throw off the yoke of tyranny, establish a free nation and spread the spirit of self-determination to other aspiring peoples. Regrettably, today’s haters have hijacked the term and turned it into a curse—one that makes many American Jews uncomfortable, embarrassed or ashamed.
In fact, Jews who deny identification with Zionism are denying their bond with Am Yisrael—the Jewish people—because ultimately, it is Zionism that got us here. The culture and values of Zionism have allowed us to persevere through 3,000 years of persecution and a devastating Holocaust, finally to emerge as a free people, to thrive as never before in Israel, our ancient, indigenous homeland.
While Zionism wasn’t a defined movement until the late 1800s, the spirit of Zionism has infused the arc of Jewish history—survival and achievement—for millennia. It was only after Israel’s founding that the enemies of the Jews, instigated by the Soviets, began a campaign to turn garden-variety antisemitism into hatred of Zionism, leading to its current association with “white colonialist-oppressors.”
Thus, today’s ultra-leftists repeat the insidious mantra: “We don’t mind Jews; it’s just Zionists we hate.” Lamentably, this campaign to denigrate “Zionism” and delegitimize Israel has been notoriously successful.
Notwithstanding, the truth is, discomfort by American Jews with the term Zionism stems from a misunderstanding of its historical and actual meaning. Zionism embodies the spirit of Jewish survival: self-determination, extraordinary achievement and a yearning for freedom. These values have enabled the Jews to remain bonded and survive as a people, succeed materially and throw off the chains of tyranny.
In short, Zionism is a beacon of liberation—for its own people, Am Yisrael—and for others who seek greater security, self-determination and independence.
In short, Zionism has been a lifeline for the Jewish people … and it remains one today.
Why American Jews feel uneasy about Zionist identity. According to a Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) survey, 88% of American Jews agree that “Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state,” and over 70% affirmed they are “emotionally attached to Israel. However, just 37% self-identify as Zionists. What explains this contradiction? Perhaps the most telling reason is that American Jews misconceive what Zionism is and, most notably, what it is not.
Indeed, the survey found that more than one in four American Jews think Zionism means “supporting whatever action Israel takes,” and 35% agreed that Zionism means “believing Israel has a right to the West Bank and Gaza Strip.” A smaller number of American Jews believe that Zionism means “believing Jews are superior to Palestinians.” None of this is accurate—few, if any, Jewish leaders in Israel or the United States espouse these notions; rather, it is a product of propaganda from today’s most prevalent vocal antisemites: Anti-Zionists on both the left and right.
The 3,000-year-old spirit of Zionism still lives. While technically, the Zionist movement was founded in the late 19th century, the spiritual values of Zionism date back to biblical times. They include the millennia-long determination of Jews to achieve freedom, especially in the land of Israel, as the God of the Torah promises. Very simply, Zionism is the persistence that freed us from tyranny, motivated the formation of our nation-state, and propels us to continue surviving and spreading Jewish innovation to benefit the world.
Soviets campaign to delegitimize Israel. In the 1960s, the Soviet Union began a concerted effort to delegitimize the Jewish State of Israel, transposing classic antisemitic tropes (such as world conspiracy, dual loyalty, exploitation) into Marxist-Leninist language. Against all evidence, they accused Zionists of leading a global plot similar to that spelled out in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and they equated Zionism with Nazism. They promoted a narrative in which Israel colonized its homeland and oppressed and committed genocide against the newly invented “Palestinian people.”
In the past, Jews, including American Jews, the words “Jew” or “Jewish” had taken on a tainted, antisemitic flavor. Today, as the JFNA survey indicates, it is “Zionism” and “Zionist” that grate on the ears and sensibilities of many American Jews—and many Americans in general.
It’s no wonder that 60% of American adults hold a negative view of Israel, the Zionist state.
To reject Zionism is to reject Jewish peoplehood and freedom. If you believe in the right of the Jewish people to self-determination and you support a state in our indigenous homeland, you are—like it or not—a Zionist. To deny one’s identification with Zionism is to allow Jew haters to hijack our identity—to associate Jews with despicable falsehoods and attribute to us crimes of colonization, genocide and apartheid.
On the other hand, those who stand proudly as Zionists affirm the righteous journey of Jews to persevere as a coherent people, to finally achieve liberation in our homeland and to emerge as one of the strongest, most diverse and most advanced democracies on earth. Zionists can also take pride in Israel’s contributions to the world—making it safer, wealthier, healthier and happier—because those achievements spring from Zionism’s same optimism, ingenuity and determination.
Those who condemn (or deny) Zionism are at best spreading unconscionable lies … and at worst are promoting hate of the Jewish people, heroes of one of history’s most inspiring and successful stories of liberation.
Originally published on Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME).
