Remaining a Zionist: Continuing to be a Supporter of Israel

When a dam breaks: first there is the crack. Then a trickle. Then a stream. And finally a torrent, washing the entire dam away.

Hopefully this is not going to be the case with the US-Israel relationship, American support for Israel and American Jewish (and non-Jewish) support for Israel.

One sees what’s happening in both parties on Capital Hill and around the country and in public opinion polls. And one sees the growing flood of statements by relatively mainstream Jewish organizations and Rabbis. Which goes far beyond just “fringe” or anti-Israel organizations.

Almost 40 years ago (June 1978) during my Freshman year at college, which I did at Tel Aviv University’s “Overseas Program, “I wrote (no typewriter!) my term paper on “The Causes of the Erosion of American Support for Israel”. Recently I’ve been thinking about that paper quite a bit. It’s been a subject I’ve been focused on, in one way or another for much of that time since. A few years after this paper; I was trying to formulate a politics dissertation topic around that topic. (I failed to manage that!)

In the aftermath of the 1967 War; many Jews in the West, particularly in the United States, became proud of being pro-Israel – living almost vicariously by the successes of the IDF; luxuriating in Israeli military Chutzpah. Being pro-Israel was the way forward for American Jewry.  Both for those who had lived the Holocaust years. And young Jews. For many Jews Zionism was their Judaism – or at least a major part of it.

One wonders to what degree the Gaza “Genocide/Famine” and much of the past three decades of Benjamin Netanyahu etc will impact upon people being less willing to be publicly pro-Israel; less proud to be pro-Israel. And in fact just less pro-Israel. Both turned away by certain Israeli actions. And intimidated by the growth in Antisemitism (and anti-Zionism.)

After the 1982 Lebanon War; there was a surge in Pro-Arab and anti-Israel sentiments which largely but not entirely dissipated over the years. One wonders to what degree, the well of goodwill is almost dry of people giving Israel the benefit of the doubt, even when they disagree with a certain Israel actions.

And of course unlike most other other countries, Israel faces a diverse, widespread “Campaign Against Israel” in the United States from a slew of groups and activists on both left and the right. From Muslims, Christians and Jews. Many or most may not be antisemitism. But a certain number clearly are. Or at minimum are prepared to use code words and slurs. Not to mention remaining silent when others engage in antisemitism.

I don’t view it as my role to denounce Jews who either never were Zionist or have ceased to be Zionists. I do however think it’s fair to point out if there are Jews who profess to be Zionists; but in reality are not. And I do think it’s reasonable to point to flaws or inaccuracies in claims made about Israel -whoever is the detractor making the claim.

And that’s before focus on responding to all the vicious anti-Israel haters out there who these days don’t bother to hide that their goal is the eradication of Israel. Some are emboldened by growing hostility to Israel. Some are just being more legitimated in their advocacy.

I am not one who rushes to employ the word “antisemitism” to describe some critics of Israel. Some clearly are. They convict themselves by their own words or they mangle the word antisemitism with inanities like “Arabs are semites’ too or Jews are not really Jews. For the others: I prefer to focus on their arguments.

As I’ve mentioned I try to avoid the term “Self-Hating Jews.” But there are certainly some posters out there of at least Jewish origin who employ phrases which sure sound antisemitic!

Personally: I was a Zionist sixty years ago. I was a Zionist yesterday. I am a Zionist today. I’ll be a Zionist tomorrow. And I expect I will remain a Zionist till my dying day to be a Zionist. Obviously for some former Zionists, this is sadly not the case.

To me being a Zionist is, in a nutshell – Simply believing in the right of the Jewish people to have their own State in the Land of Israel. I absolutely support the continued existence of Israel.

Of course being a Zionist doesn’t require I defend or condone every Israeli action, statement or politicize. (But nor do I rush to criticize things when I don’t know the facts. And I don’t and won’t defend every Israeli action.)

It’s become increasingly -easy these days for both Jews and non-Jews to speak out against Israel. To be against what is termed “Genocide” in Gaza. But those denunciations often extend far beyond what Israel is doing to an attack against Zionism. And these days peer pressure and other pressures are sometimes making it both morally and physically to speak out in defense of Israel.

And I’m very, very aware that there are an awful lot of haters out there whose primary concern is not specific Israeli actions. But Israel’s very existence. (And throw in very cavalier phrases with the sentiment of wiping Israel off the map. And denigrate all Zionists). And I confess to being a little bemused by how some former Zionists – including Israelis have become literal anti-Zionists. But that’s for another time!

I’m extremely aware that it’s easier to see the problem than to offer a solution. I do think there might perhaps be a little bit more “sophistication” in supporting and defending Israel, which perhaps surprisingly, is something that one doesn’t always see! Being pro-Israel doesn’t require you to defend or explain every Israeli action. But such things are on the margin of a very-difficult problem. And the ultimate answer is not “Hasbara.” Israel has to do what Israel has to do. But there are consequences as they’ve seen. One can denounce the disinformation and very-real hypocrisy and lack of understanding of Israel. But it is what it is.

But that discussion is for another time.

Am Yisrael Chai.

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