Zionism

Some will try to say that Zionism began in the late 1800's. But that is just the start of modern Zionism. Zionism, the dream of Jews to return the Land began after the fall of the First Temple. But even with the fall of the First Temple, Jews remained on the Land. Zionism is simply the dream and hope of returning to our ancient homeland. Psalm 137 was written after the fall of the First Temple:

Psalm 137 >>
Young's Literal Translation

1 By rivers of Babylon -- There we did sit, Yea, we wept when we remembered Zion.
2 On willows in its midst we hung our harps.

3 For there our captors asked us the words of a song, And our spoilers -- joy: 'Sing ye to us of a song of Zion.'

4 How do we sing the song of Jehovah, On the land of a stranger?

5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, my right hand forgetteth!

6 My tongue doth cleave to my palate, If I do not remember thee, If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.

7 Remember, Jehovah, for the sons of Edom, The day of Jerusalem, Those saying, 'Rase, rase to its foundation!'

8 O daughter of Babylon, O destroyed one, O the happiness of him who repayeth to thee thy deed, That thou hast done to us.

9 O the happiness of him who doth seize, And hath dashed thy sucklings on the rock!

If I forget thee Jerusalem has been in Jewish prayers and hopes for 2,594 years. Zionism isn't something new. It is something very ancient. And even after the fall of the Second Temple and the Romans attempts to rid the Land of Jewish people, Jews still remained on the Land. Through the Crusades, through the conquest of Islam, through the brutal conquest of the Turks: Jews remained on the Land and kept the faith. And those Jews in the Diaspora remembered Jerusalem and the Land. Attempts at forced conversions by both Christians and Muslims failed. The brutal hardships Jews endured at the hands of "benevolent" Muslims in Arab countries did not shake the faith of Jews.

From time immemorial, Jews have been connected with the Land and the Land with them. Since the time of the Diaspora, the Land remained desolate and bleak.

Jews made pilgrimages throughout the Diaspora and when they arrived in the Land, there were Jews who greeted them in Hebrew.

When Jews were forced to wear outlandish clothing and yellow badges in Arab lands, they did not give up their language nor their faith. Even when forced to live in ghettos worse than any European countries could come up with until Hitler: Jews taught their children diligently about the ways of the Lord. Even with all the degradation and humiliation poured onto Jews by Muslims in Arab countries, they never gave up the hope of "Next year in Jerusalem".

And Jews were expelled from European countries, even with the depth of poverty faced by the Jews already living in Arab countries, the Jews made room and maintained rest stations for those Jews going to Jerusalem, Safed, Hebron, and other cities in the Land. Even the Jews of Yemen, who had lived there for over 2,500 years never gave up the dream. Even when they faced death by mobs of deranged Muslims, saw their homes destroyed, their children stolen from them: they never gave up the belief of "Next year in Jerusalem". In 1949 when the Jews of Yemen were rescued by Israeli government's Operation Magic Carpet many wrote back to those still in Yemen that the Promised Land was being rebuilt.

The first rabbi to seriously propose the re-establishment of Israel as the Jewish homeland was Rabbi Yehudah Alkalay. This Sephradic rabbi had a practical plan to reestablish Israel 20 years before European Zionism was formed.

A Jewish state was desperately needed. Jews, with a few exceptions, faced pogroms from Algeria to the Ukraine. For centuries, Jews faced the ravages of pogroms from Algeria, to India, to the Ukraine. Jews suffered degradation and humiliation of the basest sort. In Western European countries, things did become better until Hitler.

Some try to portray Zionism as racism or colonialism. Those who put forth that idea come from some of the most racist and intolerant countries in the world. Look at Saudi Arabia. Look at Iran. Look at Algiers. Look at Syria. Look at Libya. Those countries treated their Jewish and Christian populations as less than human. Jews were expelled and their land and property stolen. There were more Jews expelled from Arab countries than even the highest estimated number of Palestinian refugees.

Today, Zionism is the new anti-Semitism. People feel very comfortable spouting prejudices when it can be disguised as criticism of Israel.

From the UN to Jimmy Carter, many have compared Zionism to the apartheid of South Africa. In doing so, these organizations and individuals have given legitimacy to the tactics of terrorists. Along with this, the very real apartheid going on in the areas held by the Palestinian Authority is ignored. Christians have been forced out of Bethlehem and are facing ever increasing threats of death in Gaza. The real apartheid exists in countries like Egypt were once ancient Jewish communities no longer exist because the Jews were expelled. Also in Egypt, Christians live in the margins. Many non-Muslims in Arabic countries still live under dhimmi laws. Muslim women, in countries like Saudi Arabia, face many discriminatory laws.

With all of these gross-injustices, why is Zionism singled out? Why is there no focus on the very real and rampant racism inherent in the ideas of Arab Pan-nationalism?

The threat of peace in the Middle East is not the Jewish State of Israel. The threat to peace is not Zionism. The threat of peace continues to be the hatred exhibited by so-called Arab moderates toward Jews. Sadly, people are buying into the idea that it is Israel who is intransigent. You can see it in news reports. Israel, unlike other countries, is condemned when it takes action against the terrorists who hide in schools and lob Qassams and Grad rockets at civilian population centers. Two years ago, there were many who stupidly held "We are all Hezb'allah" signs. What those signs mean is that you agree with the goals of terrorism. It means you think it is okay for terrorists to murder Jews and other "non-believers".

In 1975, a General from Cairo made the following statement:

Once we can convince the Jews--especially the six million in the U.S.--that it is Egypt who is the "moderate" and Israel is "intransigent" and standing in the way of peace," we will have won two hundred million Americans. Who among the two hundred million will be for Israel if the six million American Jews are not?

Sadly, some American Jews do see Israel as being intransigent. Some that come to mind are Norman Finkelstein and Barbara Striesand. I used to think that they were self-hating Jews but have come to different conclusion. Far from being liberated from the ghettos of Europe and Arabian countries, they still live in the slavery of thought and deed that will not allow them to see that Jews, especially those in Israel, have a right and duty to protect themselves and to defend those who are being attacked.

The ancient Zionist dream of the Jewish State of Israel came into existence 60 years ago. Against all the odds, this modern day miracle exists. I believe the problem with many comes from the fact that Jews now have the ability to protect themselves from pogroms which occurred in both Eastern Europe and in Arab countries. It comes from the fact that Jews now have the ability to defend themselves against would be Hitlers such as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The last three verses of Psalm 137 still live in the hearts of many who seek the destruction of Jews and the Jewish State of Israel:

Remember, Jehovah, for the sons of Edom, The day of Jerusalem, Those saying, 'Rase, rase to its foundation!'

O daughter of Babylon, O destroyed one, O the happiness of him who repayeth to thee thy deed, That thou hast done to us.

O the happiness of him who doth seize, And hath dashed thy sucklings on the rock!

There is a terrorist of Lebanon who is being held in an Israeli jail. There are many who clamour for his release. His name is Samir Kuntar.

Like a son of Edom, he did the following:

As police began to arrive, the terrorists took Danny and Einat down to the beach. There, according to eyewitnesses, one of them shot Danny in front of Einat, so that his death would be the last thing she would ever see. Then, he smashed my little girl’s skull in against a rock with his rifle butt. That terrorist was Samir Kuntar.

By the time we were rescued from the crawl space hours later, Yael, too, was dead. In trying to save all our lives, I had smothered her.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would like nothing better than to see the cities of Israel, 'Rase, rase to its foundation!'

These are the enemies of Israel. These are the ones who gain sympathy against the so-called "intransigence" of Israel.

Zionism isn't racism. It isn't colonialism. It is a long-held dream and cherished hope that Jews will be gathered from the four-corners of the world and return to the Land. Since the time Romans expelled Jews from Judah and tried to erase its memory by calling it Palestine, the Land was a back-water. The Jewish State of Israel, in its 60 years existence, has turned it into a growing and thriving land. The Land yearned for its people and the people yearned for its Land.

Jews have kept a continuous presence in Israel (no matter the name conquerors called it) for 5,768 years. As a Zionist, my dream and hope remains, "L'Shana HaBa'ah Ba'Y'rushalayim".