IS ANTI-ZIONISM ANTISEMITISM

First, we have to define what Zionism is. Zionism means the right of Jews to have their own state. That’s it. There are many different versions of Zionism, but it essentially comes down to the right of self-determination.

Since the destruction of the 1st Temple in Jerusalem in in the 6th century BCE and then the 2nd Temple in 70 CE, diaspora Jews longed to return to their homeland. Some continued to live there, but most did not. Jews preserved this longing in their daily&shabbat prayers&throughout Jewish writing.

In the 19th century, a formal movement arose that sought to make this longing into a political reality. This is what most refer to as the beginning of Zionism. But…the desire to return to what we now call Israel has been a part of Jewish identity for 2,500 years.

We can debate all the events that led to Israeli independence in 1948&what transpired afterwards, but supporting “Zionism” doesn’t mean that one agrees with everything that Jews in Israel did prior to 1948 or that one agrees with all that that the Israeli gov did after 1948.

Criticizing the Israeli gov or Netanayhu or the conduct of the Gaza war does not make one anti-Zionist. It simply means that one disagrees with Israeli policy. Even finding Israeli Gaza policy repugnant in some ways does not make one anti-Zionist. Jews everywhere do this every day.

To understand this, we probably have to understand that Judaism is not solely a religion. E.g. I grew up in a family that was not religious at all, but my parents saw themselves as part of a people, a nation, a civilization. This view of Judaism is common among Jews.

The religious part is only part of being Jewish. For many Jews in the U.S. I would say that it’s not even the central part. I would say that this is true for many Jews in Israel as well. “Religion” is a problematic category for understanding what Jews&Judaism are.

In fact, the word “religion” as a category of identity&meaning is a modern one that arose primarily in a Christian context, especially in German academia in the 19th century. Other movements which we call now “religions” have a similar issue (e.g. Hinduism, Confucianism).

So “Zionism” can have a religious meaning to some Jews, but to many it does not. What non-religious&religious Jews generally share is the idea that Jews need their own state to thrive&to avoid the prejudice, hatred, discrimination, persecution that has plagued Jews for millennia.

My guess is that about 85% of American Jews are Zionist. That would probably be higher in other countries& in Israel. But the remaining Jews could be either non-Zionist or anti-Zionist (not the same thing at all btw: non-Zionism means that Zionism is not a central orienting point for that person’s Judaism and/or Jewish identity).

So if they are anti-Zionist, those individuals are in opposition to the overwhelming majority of Jews in the world. They are essentially saying to Jews that they are wrong&that their c. 3,000 year-history is misguided.

Yes, there are some anti-Zionist Jews–that is Jews who don’t believe that Jews have their own right to a state. That would put them way out of the mainstream, but they certainly exist as a minority.

Back to the question: Is anti-Zionism antisemitism? The answer is most likely Yes.

I have not met them, but it’s possible that there are some people who believe that there should be no ethno-states globally. So if they reject the right of all people—e.g. Japan or Saudi Arabia or India–to have their own ethno-states because they don’t see that as legitimate and if they speak out vociferously against those states in favor of some other form of governance (as intensely as they focus on Israel), then they are not engaging in antisemitic discourse. They would have to be clearly consistent in their opposition to such states, not focused on Israel.

But this would at best be a rare position, which is not the kind of thing you normally see on social media or at protests or elsewhere.

It’s important to make a distinction here between antisemitism&Jew hatred. Some of the people espousing anti-Zionism don’t necessarily hate Jews. There may not be personal animus involved. But…they are engaged in a discourse that is structurally antisemitic. It’s often an unconscious or subconscious prejudice that is so deeply embedded in human consciousness for centuries that they cannot see or sense what they are doing.

It doesn’t matter whether the anti-Zionists are Jewish or not. Most Jewish anti-Zionists&some non-Jewish ones don’t hate Jews, but they are in fact espousing a view that is very likely antisemitic.

I realize that there are problems with the word, “antisemitism” (partly because the word was actually invented by someone who strongly disliked Jews), but there really currently aren’t better words or phrases.

“Racism” is probably the closest word to describe prejudice against Jews, but “race” is how the Nazis categorized Jews. Jews for good reason are leery of using a word that allows Nazis to dictate the terms of Jewish identity. Plus, “race” has no biological basis and is effectively a social construct.

In any case, anti-Zionism is an idea that in a practical sense is likely antisemitic. Human beings are naturally prejudiced, since it’s the way they learned to survive in a hostile world. So prejudice against Jews is a natural phenomenon that isn’t really surprising.

What is notable is that prejudice against Jews has lasted for 2,500 years&has now seen a massive resurgence in the last few years. Why do people fixate on Jews? That’s a question for another time.

Muslim Brotherhood and Egypt

I don’t agree with Religion Link’s description (http://www.religionlink.com/topic_110131.php) of the Muslim Brotherhood as “not simply a religion, but a way of life.”  Indeed, the Muslim Brotherhood believes that.  Yet, even though the Muslim Brotherhood is not monolithic, it also believes that Egypt should be an Islamic state, as should other Muslim countries in the Middle East.  It does not historically affirm freedom, openness, an entrepreneurial economy, or secular democratic values such as a free press, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly.  Unlike Iranian Shi’ites, the Mujhadeen, and Jihadists generally, the Muslim Brotherhood is not wedded to intimidation and violence as the primary means of achieving its goals, but it is willing to use violence when it sees fit.  For example, members assassinated King Abdullah I in Jordan in 1951, tried to assassinate Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1954, were implicated in the assassination of Anwar El Sadat in 1981, assassinated a number of moderate Arab leaders in the 1950’s, and perpetrated other terrorist attacks including the Hebron massacre of Jews in1929.  Since the 1970’s and 80’s, it has renounced violence and has spoken of Islamic democracy, but given its history and its hostility to generally accepted democratic values, it would not be unreasonable to view its democratic advocacy very skeptically.  Further, Hamas (which rules Gaza) is part of the Muslim Brotherhood, and it has consistently used violence against both Israelis and Palestinians as an important tactical component.  In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood views Israel as the enemy of Arabs and Muslims.  The Muslim Brotherhood has also had a long-standing, well-documented admiration of, and support, for Nazi ideology.  In general, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt now uses moderate tactics, but its goal is still an Islamic state.  And, remember, calling for Islam to be a part of government is not the same as calling for an Islamic State, with Sharia law and all its accoutrements.  There’s certainly the possibility that the Muslim Brotherhood has changed and will continue to evolve into a democratic movement, but there will have to be more evidence to trust that.

Here is a link from Juan Cole, suggesting that a takeover by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is unlikely.  Many Egyptians who are religious and who oppose the current government also have democratic, secular values.  And there is a long tradition of secular politics in Egypt.  There is also widespread support for Islamic values, but not necessarily for an Islamic state:  http://www.juancole.com/2011/02/why-egypt-2011-is-not-iran-1979.html .  I hope Cole is right.

That said, in the final analysis, prosperity and peace in the Middle East depend upon Muslim/Arab societies developing democratic traditions and cultures of openness,  That will be good for everyone, including the US and Israel, in the long run.  Of course, the “long run” can take a long time, and there can be a lot of turbulence and suffering in-between.