Calling for the end of Zionism (as if it’s the problem)

The dream of returning to Zion, the ancient homeland of the Jewish people, has suddenly been labeled as a toxicity, responsible for the advancement of “oppression, colonialism and violence in the name of Jewish safety” and also dubbed as a ‘false idol’ which has to go.

Such is the thinking of Canadian Jewish author and columnist Naomi Klein, who has suggested the urgency for “an exodus from Zionism.” Ironically, the only thing which can be deduced from her absurd conclusion is that, in her need to scapegoat Israel as fomenting the suffering of Gazans, she lacks a basic understanding of the concept itself.

Theodor Herzl, a Jewish Viennese journalist, credited with being the father of Zionism, came to the realization that European Jews were no longer safe in their respective countries, by the 1890s, once he understood the injustice of “the trial of Alfred Dreyfus, a French-Jewish army captain falsely accused of treason.” Although not religiously connected to the faith, he intrinsically knew that things would only get worse for Jews unless they were able to establish their own independent Jewish state in order “to secure their national rights.”

This realization of the dream was not only political, but one which is biblically based and spoken of in Psalm 126, “When the Lord brought back the captive ones of Zion, we were like those who dream,” also acknowledged by the nations who said, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

Yet, none of this is perceived by Klein to be the true essence of Zionism. To her, it is viewed through the lens of today’s Woke terminology, identifying its precepts as those which cause suffering, dominance and superiority. But, if it really is “the Lord,” per the Psalmist, who is responsible for the return of the Jews to their homeland, then Klein is essentially suggesting that God, Himself is an oppressor, colonialist and racist? Who knew?

It might actually be helpful to first examine the tenets of Zionism, though, before making the outrageous claim that it is the cause of many of today’s ills and the impediment to peace in our time. So, what exactly does Zionism espouse? According to the American Zionist Movement (AZM), the following principles comprise its very foundation:

·         The sovereign state of Israel’s unconditional right to exist as the Jewish democratic homeland;

·         The right of the people of Israel to live in peace and security;

·         Pride in the common history, culture, destiny and religious heritage of the Jewish people;

·         Pride in Israel’s rich contributions to the world and its aspirational role to be an exemplary society for all of humanity; and

·         Israel’s centrality to Jewish identity and life.

Do any of those above credos sound like a “justification for the bombing of every university in Gaza and the destruction of countless schools, of archives, of printing presses or the cause of Jews shredding their core commandments in order to go against the fundamental principles of their faith,” all contentions made by Klein? The very confused Canadian goes on to advise Jews to “liberate themselves from an ideology that ‘wants Jews to be perennially afraid’ and to embrace a Judaism that is inclusive and open to questioning.” 

That misinformed statement is reflective of an individual who does not live in the State of Israel, which is home to a variety of beliefs, persuasions, cultures and even gender orientations, all attesting to the fact that Israel is already all-inclusive and open to many viewpoints, even if not necessarily by a minority percentage of ultra-Orthodox, certainly by the 70% secular population.

Perhaps, amongst all of her preposterous comments, the one which is most egregious is how she represents Israel’s right to self-defense by categorizing our soldiers as those who “sow sorrow and reap hatred.”   These are nothing more than the ravings of a self-deluded individual who suffers from a serious identity problem as well as a deplorable understanding of the history of her own people. 

Hailing US Senator Chuck Schumer as a hero for his recent unsolicited advice as to why it is in our best interest to declare a ceasefire, leaving ourselves vulnerable to an enemy who endeavors to annihilate us, Klein sees him as her fellow-sojourner on the path to abandoning Zionism.

Fittingly, her outlook on the Jewish state is very much in keeping with the rest of her Bona Fides, which include activism in the areas of climate change and social justice – efforts that are consistent with those who subscribe to Woke doctrine. 

The problem with her philosophy, however, is that it doesn’t take into account the existence of a savage enemy whose every breath is devoted to eliminating Jews from the face of the earth – not just the “oppressor, colonialist and racist types of Israel,” but Jews who live throughout the world, completely disconnected from their homeland and the ideal of Zionism.

Klein is living in a fantasy if she believes that those individuals would be spared. Even if the State of Israel would declare that, as of tomorrow, the dream of Zionism is no more, hateful Hamas terrorists will not make peace with those whose DNA carries the Jewish ethnicity inside of them? To think so, is to give undeserved credit to murderers whose bloodlust will not be satisfied until they have the satisfaction of knowing that the world is completely Jew-free. 

Sadly, they wouldn’t stop there, because Christians would be next and after them, anyone who refuses to be under subjection to radical Islam, the only acceptable religion for mankind. While Herzl may not have ever been able to foresee the precarious events of today, he somehow instinctively knew that Jews needed to be in their own homeland after having gotten a frightening glimpse of what being outside the Land could bring.

But even greater than Herzl’s foresight was the impeccable timing of the Almighty, who made the Jewish homeland a reality, against all the odds. Not only that, but our return to the land remains the continual dream of the Jewish people as every Passover Seder meal ends with the stated aspiration of “Next year in Jerusalem.”  Should those words also be abandoned due to their colonialist theme?

My advice to Naomi Klein is to acknowledge the divine and sovereign work of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because it is He who gave us the land from the beginning, promising that He would return us to it, despite our wanderings from Him. 

In short, this is the time to make peace with the prophetic promise of gathering the Jews from all nations, because anything less will only result in fighting the plan of the Almighty, who never goes back on His word!