Zionism Overview - Essay Example

Zionism Zionism is the national movement of Jews related to the reincarnation of the land of Israel, which is their historical birthplace. Zion is the biblical term used for Jerusalem as well as the Land of Israel. Jews have yearned to return to Zion ever since their exile from Zion almost 2000 years ago. This yearning is embedded in the literature, rituals, culture, and prayers of the Jews. Contemporary Zionism evolved during the late half of the 19th century as a result of anti-Semitism in the Western Europe and Jews’ violent persecution in the Eastern Europe. “Modern Zionism fused the ancient Jewish biblical and historical ties to the ancestral homeland with the modern concept of nationalism into a vision of establishing a modern Jewish state in the land of Israel” (“Dateline Durban”). Theodor Hezl is the pioneer of modern Zionism. He consolidated the different aspects of Zionism into a structured political movement, thus drawing global attention toward the establishment of a Jewish state and motivating Jews to migrate to the land from all over the world. The way he saw Zionism reflects in this statement made by Hezl, “I believe that Zionism will not cease to be our ideal even after we come to settle in the land of our forefathers in Eretz Israel, for within the Zionist idea is contained the aspiration to moral and spiritual perfection” (Hezl cited in “Zionism: Then and”). Today, several decades have passed since the establishment of the Jewish state. Zionism serves as the leading nationalist movement for most of the Jews all over the world who are affiliated with the State of Israel. Zionism is just as important and significant for the Jewish people as the liberation movements in Asia and Africa were to their respective people. Jews have often felt the need to ensure their security by establishing themselves in such a homeland in the history. The Jews have struggled for many centuries to reestablish their independence in Israel. For almost a century, Zionism has been dispossessing the people of Palestine strategically. Zionism has been ignoring the justified claims of the Palestinian people and has subjected a lot of them to torture, persecution, and death. All over the world, the Torah Jews are in pain and shock to witness this dogma of cruelty and irreligiosity. Hundreds of thousands of the saints and scholars of Torah have condemned this movement right from its very start because of their prediction that the advancement of Zionism would distort the good relationship between Muslims and Jews in the Holy Land. On the religious grounds established by Torah, there is no acceptance for the “State of Israel” The insensitivity it shows to the laws of fairness and decency is upsetting for the Jews and the non-Jews alike. Even the Jews today hold different views, perspectives, and meanings with respect to Zionism. The difference in the meaning of Zionism perceived by different Jews evolved because of the fact that Zionism has been predominantly governed by secularist Jews throughout the history. Herzl and his colleagues mostly did not practice the Torah and were assimilated Jews. Some of them were so anti-religious that they considered the teachings of Torah as inherently outdated and not practicable in their modern state. However, the core of the Zionist idea which is that the Holy Land should be possessed by the Jews and Jewish government should establish there is not inherently secular. There were, indeed, some religious members in the Zionist movement from the start. Zionism is used by some Jews today as a symbol of Israeli secularism, and accordingly they favor the establishment of the State of Israel in spite of the fact that they claim to be anti-Zionist. The only complaint such Jews have with respect to the State of Israel is that the country is not very religious. They want religious parties to dominate the State of Israel. On the website (“True Torah Jews”), Zionism has been defined as “the concept that Jews should rise up, emancipate themselves from exile without waiting for the messiah, and establish a Jewish government in the Holy Land” (“True Torah Jews”). Authors of the website have demonstrated this concept to be opposed by all generations of rabbis and the Torah using different Jewish texts. Several hundred rabbis have raised their consent against the Zionist movement over the past century. Owing to the ambiguity in the term, it might be difficult to prove that a certain rabbi wanted to oppose Zionism concept instead of simply secularism. It is for this reason that the religious Zionists often claim that the status of Zionism as a secular movement caused much rabbinic opposition to it. The significance of Zionism today is much because of the controversy that surrounds it. Zionism today needs to be explored in context of the ultra-nationalist ideological settlers in the Likud-led government and their supporters. Although they make a tiny proportion of the Jews in total, yet they have a strong control over the political system of Israel and represent such a face of Zionism which is unacceptable. While Zionism and racism are not inherently the same, most of these settlers and the people they follow are complete racists. “Their extremism and their excesses have led some people to start questioning not just the Zionist colonial project beyond the 1967 borders but also the legitimacy of the state of Israel within those borders” (Shlaim). The safety of Jews is endangered by the very settlers all over the world. The image of Israel is negative today because of its habit of transgressing the acceptable behavioral standards internationally. Many countries think of Israel as a rouge state and a threat to the peace of the world. This perception of Israel has played a big role in the resurgence of anti-Semitism across the world in general and in Europe in particular. From this point of view, Zionism can be considered as the real enemy of the Jews in the modern age. It is tragic that the state that Jews had established as a haven for themselves after the Holocaust has become an unsafe place for them. Works Cited: “Dateline Durban: U.N. World Conference Against Racism.” Anti-Defamation League. 2013. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. . Shlaim, Avi. “Why Zionism today is the real enemy of the Jews.” 4 Feb. 2005. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. . “True Torah Jews: What is Zionism?” 2011. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. . “Zionism: Then and Now.” Tel Aviv University News. N.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. . Read More