Zionism is a political movement to support the establishment or continuation of the state of Israel. While rooted in the Torah, it is more political than religious. Not all Jews are Zionists, and opposition exists among Arabs and Muslims. The term can also refer to non-Jewish supporters of Israel. The establishment of a Jewish state is a contentious issue, particularly in the Arab and Muslim worlds.
A Zionist is a follower of the political movement of Zionism, the effort to support and establish, or continue to support, the state of Israel. In parts of the Old Testament, or Torah, both Jerusalem and Israel are referred to as Zion. Zionism, the idea of providing an independent Jewish nation, began in the 19th century with the writings of journalists such as Theodor Herzl. However, the idea that the state of Israel belongs to the Jewish people goes back much earlier. Judaism originated in the area now known as Israel, and as a result, Jews dating back to long before the Common Era (CE) claim Israel as their home.
While Zionists have religious support for this thesis, rooted primarily in the Torah, the Zionist movement was more political than religious. Indeed, many of the people who fought for the establishment of a Jewish homeland were not particularly religious. Their main goal was to end Jewish exile from their ancestral home, and thus they identified more with the concept of a Jewish nation rather than religion. The movement, however, especially after the Holocaust, caught fire and led to the founding of Israel in 1948. Early migrations to Palestine (the name of the area before 1948) were small compared to the approximately 630,000 Jews who emigrated en masse in 1947.
It is important to note that not all Jews are Zionists. Indeed, some religious sects are strongly opposed to the establishment of a Jewish state. Hasidic Jews, for example, tend to be critical of the movement, noting interpretations of the Torah that call for a Jewish state only after the arrival of the Messiah. An earlier return, it was argued, thwarted God’s commands.
Opposition to Zionism also exists among Arabs and Muslims. In 1947, the Arabs were two to one outnumbered by the Zionists, but not all opposed the establishment of Israel. However, Arabs and Muslims have lived in the area for many centuries, and the large and sudden influx of over 600,000 Jews in a relatively short period of time created a major upheaval for how things had gone before 1947. As a result, the number of Palestinians has decreased. Many have gone to neighboring Jordan. Add to this dramatic demographic shift the fact that both Jews and Muslims claim Jerusalem as a holy place for their respective religions, and it’s not hard to see the beginning of conflict in the Middle East.
The term Zionist can also refer to non-Jewish supporters of Israel. For example, the US and UK governments have supported Israel. Many people, especially after the Holocaust, felt that the establishment of a Jewish state was a just and just cause. After witnessing the horrors and mass executions, many sympathized with the cause of a Jewish homeland.
Much goes back to the way Jews in exile had been moved from place to place for over two millennia, often against their will. They encountered discrimination in virtually every place they settled, including Egypt, Greece, medieval Europe and 20th-century Russia, and Eastern Europe, where just being Jewish was grounds for discrimination.
However, being a Zionist remains a contentious issue, particularly in the Arab and Muslim worlds, where it is generally believed that Jews had no right to take over an area where others already lived. Christianity also has a claim to Jerusalem, the birthplace of the religion. However, most Christian sects are Zionists and support Israel, stating that Jews had a right to their ancestral homeland and to establish their own nation. Furthermore, many Zionists do not dispute the right of Islam and Christianity to claim Jerusalem and Israel as central to their respective religions, but Zionists generally feel that their religion has a higher claim, because Judaism is the oldest of the three religions.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
