I Am a Zionist!
As we approach Yom Haatzmaut, Israel Independence Day, I am struggling to make sense of this moment. Why is our people’s greatest success story, namely the restoration of sovereignty in our people’s historic homeland, the rescue of countless Jews from persecution and the flowering of Hebrew culture, begrudged us? Is the world only content if we are victims and not masters of our own fate?
Of course there have been excesses in Israel’s road to success. There is most significantly the lingering injustices Palestinians suffer. Many are culpable. Blame should not only be ascribed to Israel’s founders or its current leaders. Arab countries, the United Nations, world politicians and Palestinian leaders share guilt.
And yet there appears no sense of shared responsibility for these injustices. Our very existence, and most certainly our independence, are begrudged us. The injustices are all our doing. They are all Israel’s fault. Zionism has become a dirty word. To be called a Zionist is a slur. Young Jews hesitate to call themselves Zionists. They see only the flaws and not the successes.
In many Jewish circles what was once a font of endless pride is now a source of embarrassment and consternation. Our youth distance themselves from Zionism and the State of Israel. They were raised during the excesses of the war on terror. They came of age during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, neither of which eradicated terrorism in general or the Taliban in particular.
And now Israel has taken up this fight. They struggle to see the justice in Israel’s response against Hamas. Military might does not necessarily produce security. No matter how justified more weapons do not always bring more safety. Their reality is framed by lock down drills!
To be a Zionist, however one need not embrace the particulars of Israel’s fight. It is instead to embrace the necessity of Jewish power. In this dangerous and violent world of nation states, the Jewish people require power. We are the only ones who can, and too often, will protect us. In addition, Zionism sought to provide the Jewish people with a home. We need not wander any longer. The Declaration of Independence states,
The catastrophe which recently befell the Jewish people — the massacre of millions of Jews in Europe — was another clear demonstration of the urgency of solving the problem of its homelessness by re-establishing in Eretz Yisrael the Jewish State, which would open the gates of the homeland wide to every Jew and confer upon the Jewish people the status of a fully privileged member of the community of nations.
We are no longer homeless. We have a home.
The tragic fact of October 7th is that we have now discovered our home is not safe. The sad fact is that Israel’s response to Hamas’ massacre has made Jews’ position throughout the world more precarious. I never imagined that antisemitism would gain such virulence and that it would be most directed at the very place meant to protect us from this hatred.
The State of Israel was intended not only to offer the best protection for the Jews (and Arabs) living within its borders but uplift the lives of Jews throughout the world. It is now struggling to reclaim these goals. I support its struggle even when I might disagree with some of its tactics.
Even though our home is beleaguered and besieged, we have returned. We are homeless no more. Even though decried by others, I remain steadfast. I am a proud Zionist.
Years ago, I used to soothe my baby daughter to sleep with the words of Naomi Shemer’s lullaby, “Al Kol Eileh.”
My Good God, keep these safe: the honey and the sting, the bitter and the sweet, and our baby daughter; the burning flame, the pure water, and the man returning home from afar.
Keep all of these safe my Good God: the honey and the sting, the bitter and the sweet. Do not not uproot what has been planted; do not forget the hope. Return me, and I will return to the good land.
Do not forget the hope. Al tishkach et hatikvah! We have returned.
I am a Zionist.