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I have changed my opinion over the years

Reader comment on item: "Jewish" - Not the Same as "Pro-Israel"

Submitted by sigmund (United States), Sep 20, 2009 at 16:09

According to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary Zionism is "an international movement originally for the establishment of a Jewish national or religious community in Palestine and later for the support of modern Israel." I used to say that I supported the state of Israel but, though Jewish, I was NOT a Zionist. By that I meant that I was not a Jew who felt that every Jew had a duty to go to Israel and that the correct place for all Jews was Israel. I believed, and I still believe, that one can support Israel very strongly and yet not be a member of the above defined "international movement."

Saying that I support Israel, but am nevertheless not a Zionist myself, was to me like saying that I support vegetarianism as a great idea and probably one of the most healthy life choices that one can make, but at the moment I am not a vegetarian. This is still my position: I support Israel but I do not want to live there myself and, indeed, I think all Jews should make their own choices individually.

But as Israel has come under increasing criticism and attack (most of which I believe has been unfair), I have decided it is best simply to call myself a Zionist. Most people define "Zionist" as one who supports Zionism and, in fact, the usual dictionary definition appears to apply the term Zionist to anyone who supports Zionism. But even a Zionist who believes that he/she must go and become part of Israel need not agree with every Israeli policy. Certainly the citizens of Israel, both Jews and non-Jews, have many disagreements among themselves.

But I think that the underlying thought of this whole discussion is not to split hairs about the nuances of what Zionism or Zionist means. It is to point out that a number of Jews, far from being Zionists even in the sense that I am a Zionist, are actually against the state of Israel. They believe that either it should be destroyed entirely or changed so radically that it might as well be destroyed. They believe that Israel does not have the same right to defend itself against attack that most other countries have and that the founding of Israel was unjust from the beginning because they feel that it involved theft of the land from the "Palestinians." I think that this is the real distinction. I believe that those people are wrong. But even in this case there are nuances and not everyone who opposes Israel opposes it in precisely the same way.

I do not really understand how intelligent people, Jews or non-Jews, can get so far into anti-Israeli position as some do. But neither do I understand why some intelligent people still support Communism. Human beings make decisions in complex ways. When Jews have such anti-Israel beliefs they are often thrown into the category of "self hating Jews" but I do not think that such a categorization does justice to the issue. Like every other nation that exists or has ever existed, Israel has not always acted with perfect justice. This creates a terrible dilemma in the minds of many Jews who would prefer Israel and all Jewish institutions and activities to be perfect. I believe that some Jews over-react and instead of looking for what might be "win win" solutions to improving conditions and moving toward a higher level of justice, they flip over to the dark side of destruction. But I do not claim that this explains the phenomenon either.

My personal belief is that there may be some "win win" solutions available, but finding and implementing them will be difficult. Perhaps some of the "self-hating Jews" could be encouraged to find solutions more creative and constructive than simply tearing down Israel.

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Reader comments (78) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
"liberal Zionists" vs Pragmatism (re Beinart,Haaretz) [165 words]LeaJul 14, 2020 07:32259633
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Mr Pipes is right on..trying to make peace with a "crocodile" only gets your arm chopped off as you try to pet him. [117 words]Ben ZalmanSep 21, 2009 13:02161848
It's our Jewish youth that worries me. My Grandson didnt even know what "Zionism" means! [80 words]Ben ZalmanSep 21, 2009 12:48161847
I have changed my opinion over the years [636 words]sigmundSep 20, 2009 16:09161803
Liberalism as Religious Faith [177 words]Fay VoshellSep 8, 2009 13:53161264
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taking care of "the beloved" [94 words]Michele EzellSep 4, 2009 15:08161068
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about hearts [91 words]MicheleJan 15, 2010 06:28161068
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Allah against the Palestinians and muslims [64 words]Christian MohamadAug 24, 2009 17:10160600
1Sorry Christian Mohamad... [124 words]DillahSep 20, 2009 16:16160600
Beheadings [124 words]Christian MohamadSep 23, 2009 08:11160600
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New Quran [428 words]LynnOct 20, 2009 09:13160600
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??? [26 words]PavaAug 24, 2009 00:01160574
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References [29 words]Michele EzellSep 26, 2009 00:48160490
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"Jews are adherents of a faith, not a political movement-"quote from your column [65 words]David ZoharAug 20, 2009 02:06160449
Jewish not the same as Pro-Israel [74 words]Yitzhak FiersteinAug 20, 2009 01:22160447
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w/response from Daniel Pipes
Debanjan BanerjeeAug 18, 2009 09:00160359
But aren't you . . . ? [116 words]RebekahAug 18, 2009 08:46160358
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An explanation to my views [960 words]ayahSep 23, 2009 01:07160341
Christian Zionism Requires Full Understanding of the Hebrew Holy Bible [521 words]M. ToveySep 23, 2009 17:02160341

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