For me. a non-Jew, the age old arguments attempting to distinguish between a Jew born in, say, Russia, to that of a Jew born and bred in Israel and their distinction from Zionism seems to me to be missing the meaning of Zionism itself. Being born of Jewish ancestry anywhere in the world, is a automatically, like it or not, a unique characteristic, not just due to the Jews themselves, but in large part due to that ancient and seemingly unkillable spirit of antisemitism that has stuck around and continues to rear its ugly head up over the centuries.
Granted, there is antiChristian sentiment as well as many other anti-religious sentiments pervading the wider world, but the singling out and persecution of Jews in particular is as old a civilization itself, and not solely fomented against the religious practice of Judaism, but against an entire people’s ancestry.
I have no idea why on earth this is, except to assume it derives from the Old Testament and God’s declaration that they are His Chosen people, so, jealousy? I just have never understood it, and believe it to be deranged and pure evil.
But whatever it’s origins and rationalizations, and like it or not, it has throughout history, highlighted the Jews as unique among the people on earth, and thus made them a target for its insanity.
The establishment of the State of Israel itself therefore, by default, makes it too, unique among nations. It is the very historical homeland of the Chosen People, the Jews, and Jews from anywhere in the world, religious or not, can feel an affinity with its existence perhaps moreso than just say, some American-born citizen whose great grandparents came from Poland might ever feel for the nation of Poland.
God called His people from the beginning “the Nation of Israel”, wherever they might be, and that, to me, is the definition of Zionism, state borders or no state borders. It is a word used to describe a unifying spirit of simply having been born a Jew, and how much moreso a proud banner to wave over its state.
I don’t see how you could actually separate one from the other.
Re the article, “The Origins of AntiZionism”
For me. a non-Jew, the age old arguments attempting to distinguish between a Jew born in, say, Russia, to that of a Jew born and bred in Israel and their distinction from Zionism seems to me to be missing the meaning of Zionism itself. Being born of Jewish ancestry anywhere in the world, is a automatically, like it or not, a unique characteristic, not just due to the Jews themselves, but in large part due to that ancient and seemingly unkillable spirit of antisemitism that has stuck around and continues to rear its ugly head up over the centuries.
Granted, there is antiChristian sentiment as well as many other anti-religious sentiments pervading the wider world, but the singling out and persecution of Jews in particular is as old a civilization itself, and not solely fomented against the religious practice of Judaism, but against an entire people’s ancestry.
I have no idea why on earth this is, except to assume it derives from the Old Testament and God’s declaration that they are His Chosen people, so, jealousy? I just have never understood it, and believe it to be deranged and pure evil.
But whatever it’s origins and rationalizations, and like it or not, it has throughout history, highlighted the Jews as unique among the people on earth, and thus made them a target for its insanity.
The establishment of the State of Israel itself therefore, by default, makes it too, unique among nations. It is the very historical homeland of the Chosen People, the Jews, and Jews from anywhere in the world, religious or not, can feel an affinity with its existence perhaps moreso than just say, some American-born citizen whose great grandparents came from Poland might ever feel for the nation of Poland.
God called His people from the beginning “the Nation of Israel”, wherever they might be, and that, to me, is the definition of Zionism, state borders or no state borders. It is a word used to describe a unifying spirit of simply having been born a Jew, and how much moreso a proud banner to wave over its state.
I don’t see how you could actually separate one from the other.
But that’s just me.