I am a ‘self-proclaimed’ Zionist

I was recently called a “self-proclaimed Zionist”.  It was meant as an insult.  I took it as a compliment.

It was said to discredit me in a heated discussion about Israel.  The person who said it was claiming there are true Zionists like himself and there are other people, like me, who only say we are Zionists.

This exchange made me reflect on a fundamental issue in Jewish life today: can authentic Zionism be expressed only one way?  

To state the obvious, at a time when Israel’s detractors have malevolently and incorrectly defined Zionism as a dirty word, if someone wanted to proclaim themself to be a Zionist, isn’t that a good thing?  Don’t we want more people to do this?  

To the person who said my Zionism was only self-proclaimed, and I fear to many other supporters of Israel, saying you are a Zionist and behaving like one are not sufficient.  You have to express your Zionism in a certain way.  You have to tick certain boxes in an imaginary checklist of Zionist attributes in order  to be considered to be a real one. Moreover, not you but someone else has the authority to determine whether you have ticked off enough boxes to qualify as a Zionist.

Let’s take me as an example.  I own the world’s largest collection of Theodor Herzl memorabilia. Herzl is the founder of the Zionist movement and the visionary of the State of Israel.  He envisioned the Jewish State to be inclusive, progressive and democratic: a model society where its citizens  could find moral and spiritual fulfilment.  I believe in Herzl’s vision for Israel.

Currently I have a major exhibit of my Herzl collection at Temple Emanu-El in New York and a smaller travelling version of it at Temple Beth Sholom in Miami Beach.   I write a weekly column on Jewish and Zionist themes for the Canadian Jewish News. I speak and write regularly about Israel and Zionism, serve on the board of the iCenter for Israel Education and have been to Israel more than 50 times.  

On what checklist would the above not make me a Zionist?

Am I not a real Zionist and only a self-proclaimed one because prior to October 7, 2023 I publicly criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu as I believed his leadership was taking Israel to a dark and dangerous place, which we tragically learned was true.

Or am I not a real Zionist because I believe that military might must be combined with diplomatic initiatives to give a chance for Israelis to live in peace, and that working towards a better life for the Palestinian people is worth trying again (cautiously and prudently) rather than dooming everyone in the region to perpetual bloodshed.

Or am I not a real Zionist because every time I see a kaffiyeh or a watermelon necklace I do not automatically see a terrorist but wonder whether they may simply want the Palestinian people to have better lives  (while recognizing that there are bad actors and paid organizers of anti-Israel protests, and that it is sometimes not easy to make the distinction, but that we always need to try).

Or am I not a real Zionist because loving Israel and its people is not sufficient, to be a real  Zionist one must also support all actions of its government and not speak publicly about its incompetence and hypocrisy (even though many in Israel regularly protest against the government and are pleading for support from Zionists in the diaspora).

Or am I not a real Zionist because I believe that notwithstanding Israel has a right to defend itself (and in fact has an obligation to do so) there are limits under both Jewish and international law as to what can be done in furtherance of this right, and I am saddened when the line is crossed.

Or am I not a real Zionist when I wonder how much death on all sides is enough and fear that one day a missile will create a mass casualty event in Israel, and so maybe it is time to see if all of the suffering of the last year can be parlayed into a vision for a better tomorrow, and say aloud that if Israel’s current government doesn’t have a vision or is afraid to express one, it should let someone else try.

Or am I not a real Zionist because I believe Israel must bring the hostages home now, even if doing so means some Hamas members will remain alive.

Or am I not a real Zionist because I have not forgotten the word peace, shalom, and want to remind us all that ultimately this is what we want and always wanted, and this is what we need.

I would readily agree that a person who will never criticize Israel’s government regardless of what it does is a Zionist.  That person may, however, not be a good friend of Israel.

Zionism is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people.  Its objective is to actualize the Jews’ right to live freely and safely in our ancestral homeland, and to do so without negating the opportunity for other people to live freely and safely too.  I believe with all my heart that the Jewish people have this right.

However, Zionism does not mean we can’t do better.  Zionism does not mean we can’t point out things that are wrong in the genuine hope that they be improved.  Zionism does not mean we who live outside Israel can’t criticize it from a place of caring.  Isn’t that what a good friend should do?

This is what we have always done.  Herzl was faced with people who had vastly different perspectives on what the Jewish State should be, and how the dream of it could be achieved.   Differing views have always been a part of Zionism.  According to Dr. Yizhar Hess, the Vice-Chairman of the World Zionist Organization, “Zionism, from its very beginning, was a surname and not a first name.  There is more than one way to be a Zionist.”

As we continue to navigate these perilous times, we all need to focus on the things that unite us: our love for Israel, and our wish for it to survive and thrive.  We must learn to accept the diversity of perspectives on what that means and how we get and stay there.  We need to accept that if you love Israel, sometimes that love can be reflected by criticizing its government and its actions.  Intent is critical.

Sometimes I am critical of Israel and its government.  I do so out of love.

I am a Zionist.

If you want to call me a self-proclaimed Zionist, I accept.

After all, Herzl was a self-proclaimed Zionist, so I am in good company.