The Success of Zionism Despite Rising Antisemitism

As we celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut at a time when antisemitism is rampant in the world, it is instructive to look at how Zionism viewed the impact of re-establishing a Jewish state in Israel in response to antisemitism and how that has worked out. 

One of the basic principles of the Zionist movement was that since the world was full of antisemitism, the Jewish people had no choice but to re-establish their historic home in the land of Israel as a modern nation-state.  

The argument was twofold: first, whenever antisemitism reared its ugly head, Jews would at least have a haven of safety in the Jewish state. And second, it was suggested that once Jews had a state of their own, a degree of normalcy would emerge, including what professions Jews would engage in, leading to a decline in antisemitism across the world. 

As we celebrate the 77th anniversary of Israel’s independence, and as antisemitism soars in a fashion unseen for years, we recognize that the dream of establishing a state leading to the disappearance of antisemitism has not been realized.  

However, the situation of Jews, despite this disappointment, is obviously far, far better because of the existence of the state of Israel. 

To say that the hope that Israel’s existence would end antisemitism has not happened is very different from the charge that Israel’s very existence is the cause of antisemitism. Particularly after the Shoah, when Jew-hatred went out of fashion because of the images of Auschwitz, the convenient way to continue the historic bias without being condemned was to focus on Israel. This became the new antisemitism, and because criticism of the Jewish state was deemed a respectable endeavor it was easy to mask anti-Zionism by denying it was antisemitic. 

Let’s be clear: Israel, like any other state, is not beyond criticism for its policies. What has happened, and we saw it most starkly on October 8, a day after the massacre of Israelis and before any significant Israeli military response, was vicious anti-Israel sentiment, delegitimizing and demonizing the Jewish state. In this case, it manifested itself in supporting or rationalizing Hamas’s evil actions and calling for the elimination of the Jewish state. None of this was merely legitimate criticism of a state, but Jew-hatred in a more credible fashion. 

In sum, Israeli policies, whether one agrees with them or not, are not the cause of surging antisemitism but rather the excuse for it. 

Historically, there are two sides to the story of the impact on antisemitism of Zionism: it’s successes and its more problematic side. 

On the one hand, unlike during the worst moment in the history of the Jewish people, the Holocaust, the Jewish state provides Jews with the power to do something when Jews are under siege. That takes primarily two forms: first, the ability to escape the threat by being welcome in Israel, unlike during World War II when all the doors for Jews were shut.  

And second, through the Israel Defense Forces, Jews — at least those living in Israel — can defend themselves unlike World War II. 

On the other hand, the promise that Zionism could change the antisemitism dynamic in the world was predicated too much on seeing antisemitism as being a product simply of Jews being strangers wherever they lived.  

What the Zionist idea failed sufficiently to take into account was the degree of irrationality of antisemitism, and its ability to transmute itself into new forms with changing times to satisfy the irrational drive. And so, Jew-hatred originally took religious forms, then morphed into a racist ideology and now has transformed itself primarily, after the shame of the Holocaust made blatant antisemitism somewhat taboo, into an Israel-baiting idea. 

It has also been noted that while the security of the Jewish people with the establishment of Israel has been remarkably enhanced, when the Iranian regime talks of destroying the Jewish state and acts on it by developing a nuclear weapon, it is pointed out that the ingathering of the Jews in one place makes it easier to destroy most of the Jewish people.  

So yes, the Zionist movement didn’t necessarily get it completely correct in its assessment of the Jewish condition and solutions, but it had remarkable insight overall.  

Today, even as war rages and hostages are being held, on this Yom Ha’atzmaut, let us pay homage to those courageous visionaries of the Zionist movement who saw a future for Jews that would enable a people to return home after 2,000 years, and would provide the opportunity for a fulfilling future in their historic homeland.   

Am Yisroel Chai.