Kategorie: Israel and Zionism

What is a Zionist!

„What exactly is a #Zionist?

A Zionist is anyone, Jew or non-Jew, who considers the restoration of a Jewish state legitimate, having recognized the Jewish situation as one of oppression. The aim is to end this oppression so that Jews, like any other people, can regain their essence as free human beings. Or, put another way: anyone who welcomes the liberation of the Jew as a Jew.

Of course, no one is forced to be a Zionist. A non-Jew may consider something else more important or see it as contradictory. A Jew may think there is no obligation to feel a sense of belonging to one’s people, even if their people are in danger. Some may wish not to be Jewish and are slowly preparing for the assimilation of their children. Some may even care little for freedom itself, content in a state of semi-servitude, and only confront threats when they arise. Ultimately, it depends on what one can bear.

My readers already know that I never I have utterly condemned it. I don’t believe that nations are eternal, and the Jewish people may one day disappear. For me, belonging to a people doesn’t signify some mythical bond. And everyone’s freedom of choice is important to me, even if it often proves illusory.

But if someone believes, as I do, that it is important for the oppressed to regain control over their lives, if someone believes that this person must first recognize what they are and what their precise place is among humanity, and believes that, based on this recognition, they must then change their circumstances, then, as far as Jews are concerned, this person is a Zionist.

Of course, by being this way, one doesn’t abandon the great contemporary ideals of social justice and the equality of all people; on the contrary, one reinforces them.

However, by being this way, one doesn’t abandon the great contemporary ideals of social justice and the equality of all people; no, rather, one reinforces them. – Albert Memmi, Tunisian-Jewish left-wing Zionist, 1975.

As a Tunisian, a colonialist, a Jew, and a Frenchman, Albert Memmi is a hybrid, belonging to no one. Therefore, he felt called upon to examine racism and oppression in all their facets.

Albert Memmi, Tunisian-Jewish left-wing Zionist, born 1975.

As a Tunisian, colonialist, Jew, and Frenchman, Albert Memmi is a person of mixed heritage, belonging to no one. This is why he felt called upon to illuminate racism and oppression in all their facets.

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Zionism is Jewish Self-Defense ⚠️

„There are people who never tire of saying that we should open our doors, immediately return all territories occupied since the 1967 war, or even those occupied since 1947, and simply stop believing in Arab enmity. These people either don’t have much to lose by following their advice, or they are simply fools. Because it is a fact that many Arabs around the world, many of their leaders, are practically obsessed with Israel’s existence and quite seriously wish that Israel would be wiped off the map. Off the map they consider the foundation of a united, Greater Arab nation.

Many Arabs, however politically sincere they may be, have not grasped the significance and necessity of Zionism, i.e., a Jewish nation, as a fact. The same mistake that many people on the political left around the world make. If those Arabs and those leftists had…“ If they understood that Zionism is the expression of an entire people, the same expression that speaks from their own young nations, they would not talk such nonsense and would not stoke the hope of burning Israel to the ground. One cannot destroy the intentions of an entire people without striking at its very core.

I realize that this unambiguous aggression, this new Final Solution, would appeal to some. Others, however much they may consider themselves less radical and less hostile, argue in the same absurd way. They say: Israel exists, fine. But it should cease to be Zionist. This shows that they have understood the meaning of Zionism no more than the others. For if one wants to separate the Jewish Diaspora from Israel, one deprives Israel of all meaning. For Israel was created by and for the Jews in the Diaspora.

—Albert Memmi, Arab-Jewish left-wing Zionist, 1975.

Continue in thinking about Parasha Ekew…

I’m currently studying Parasha Ekev—for the second time this week. In verses 7:12 to 8:10, Hashem promises that He will protect the people of Israel and bless them many times over for keeping His commandments. They need not fear, because He will help them to victory over their enemies. However, they must eliminate all traces of idolatry. The people should remember their wanderings in the desert, during which they were entirely dependent on G-d. This leads to the conclusion that in the Holy Land, the Jewish people must face the responsibility of trusting in Hashem’s words and putting them into practice. What applies to Eretz Yisrael is not fully valid for the Diaspora; after all, the entire Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) is a single reference to Israel and all Jews—including those in the Diaspora. In the land to which He brings us, nothing will be lacking. Moshe Rabbeinu therefore lists the seven species that distinguish Israel—wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olive oil, and date honey. He also mentions that one is obligated to thank G-d when one has eaten enough. This is known as „benschen“ (blessing) during Kiddush in synagogues or at home. Moshe Rabbeinu warns against taking credit for prosperity or victories. Hashem alone is responsible for them and the power that makes them possible. Moshe then recalls (8:11–10:11) that the people repeatedly provoked G-d in the desert. And Moshe describes how he interceded for the people after the incident with the Golden Calf. Then the people received the Tablets of the Covenant for the second time. I noticed that this second pair of Tablets differs slightly from the first pair, because I am convinced that the entire nation deserves a second chance, and we must continually reexamine the statements of the Aseret Hadibrot. You, too, are the eternal heritage of the people and begin with Hashem introducing Himself and proclaiming liberation from Mizraim. It is a twofold liberation. For we are truly free, firstly, in our consciousness, and only then when we have arrived in Eretz Israel.

Judaism, Zionism and the current State of Israel

When Loyalty to a State Becomes a Substitute for Loyalty to God

There is a dangerous confusion today between Judaism and Zionism, and it must be addressed clearly and courageously.

Judaism is a covenant with God, rooted in Torah, truth, and justice. Zionism is a modern political movement, rooted in nationalism. While they may overlap historically, they are not the same — and conflating them distorts both.

Many today have made the State of Israel into a kind of sacred cow. Criticizing its actions — even in cases of moral outrage — is treated as if it were heresy. The political has become theological. The state is beyond critique. This is not loyalty to Torah — it’s a form of idolatry.

Some have even joked that Zionism today is like a new Trinity:

God the Father, the Jewish Mother, and the Holy Land.

When religious identity becomes wrapped around nationalism, moral clarity is lost. Crimes committed in the name of Jews are excused, minimized, or even celebrated — simply because they are carried out by a government that calls itself Jewish. And anyone who calls for accountability is dismissed as a “self-hating Jew” or worse.

This is not Torah.

Judaism does not say, “We’re always right because we’re Jews.” It says:

“God chose us to be holy — and holds us to a higher standard.”

When injustice is done in the name of the Jewish people, the proper response is not silence, and certainly not celebration. The proper response is grief, protest, and return to Torah.

Our loyalty is to the truth, not the tribe. To the Torah, not to nationalism. To God, not to the government.

We must never forget:

Judaism existed for thousands of years before the State of Israel —
and it will continue long after every government rises and falls.