Reactions to Zionism

Since the beginning of the Jewish Exile, trickles of Jews have settled in the Holy Land after emigrating from the Diaspora. The Land of Israel has always been a safe haven for Jews during times of persecution and great tragedy. After the massacring of Jewish communities in Europe during the First Crusade, the expulsion of Jews from France (1391), Austria (1421) and Spain (1492), and the pogroms of Russia (1880), many Jews sought security in the Turkish-ruled Palestine of the Ottoman Empire. Even before the establishment of conventional Zionism, the Biluim and Chovevei Zion movements supported settling the Promised Land. The Netziv, Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (1817-1893, Rosh Yeshiva in Volozhin), whose son was the namesake of Bar Ilan University in Israel, and Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Kalischer (1795-1874) were early supporters of Pre-Zionism, before Zionism was formally established as a movement. There are conflicting reports as to what the Chofetz Chayim, Rabbi Yisroel Meir HaCohen Kagan (1838-1933), felt about Zionism. Tzion is a reference to the Biblical name for an area in Jerusalem. Zionism is credited with infusing a democratic, scientifically sophisticated, secular culture into a part of the world that for centuries had been despotic, technically backward, and obsessed with religion. Nonetheless, some might argue that that is typical of any colonization.

In 1896, as a response to the anti-Semitism exhibited by the world media during the Dreyfus Affair, Austrian journalist Binyamin Zev “Theodore” Herzl (1860-1904) published his pamphlet Der Judenstaat ("The Jewish State"). Through this work, Herzl, a secular Jew, became the founder of modern political Zionism. Since Zionism at that time was purely secular in nature, it only preached a geographically separated region to be inhabited by Jews; there was not yet any connection to the land of Israel/Palestine. Consequently, the original plans for a Jewish homeland centered equally on Argentina, Uganda (in an area presently part of Kenya), and Palestine. (According to a statement by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Zionists should have established their Jewish homeland in Alaska.) Indeed, the British Colonial Secretary, Joseph Chamberlain, proposed the idea of a Jewish homeland in Uganda to Theodore Herzl, and later to a Zionist Congress meeting at Basel, Switzerland in 1903. The idea was eventually rejected (yet remained alive through The Jewish Territorialist Organization), but its proposal reveals the true nature of the Zionist movement, which only sought to protect Jews from European anti-Semitism by moving them elsewhere, and not, as many would assume, to return the Jewish nation back to their God-given homeland. In 1905, Religious Zionist leader Rabbi Meir Berlin / Bar-Ilan (1880-1949), the son of the Netziv, passionately fought against the idea of a Jewish homeland in Uganda. While many people became General Zionists, not affiliating with any specific variety of Zionism, other Jews developed various sorts of Zionism and various reactions to Zionism.

After it was decided that the Jews should establish their homeland in Palestine, a revolutionary group of freedom fighter militant Zionists infiltrated the Holy Land to wrest it from British hands. The ardently anti-religious leader of the Haganah (a pre-Independence Jewish militia in Palestine), Ze'ev "Vladimir" Jabotinsky (1880-1940) abrogated the Torah by proclaiming that the settlement of the land is the only law. He declared, "There are no justice, no law, and no God in heaven, only a single law which decides and supersedes all—[Jewish] settlement [of the land]." A more radical, yet religious, version of his militant position was espoused by former MK, Rabbi Meir Dovid Kahane (1932-1990). At the same time as Jabotinsky preached Revisionist Zionism, the Munkatcher Rebbe, Grand Rabbi Chaim Elazar Shapiro (1871-1937) vehemently opposed Zionism and even criticized Agudas Yisroel, then a non-Zionist organization, for cooperating with Zionists in rebuilding the Land of Israel. The Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld (1849-1932) even appealed to King Hussein of Trans-Jordan to differentiate between the Zionist Jews who were seen as usurpers of Arab land in Palestine, and the Jews were not Zionistic. A third approach to the subject of Zionism, dubbed “Religious Zionism”, was chiefly based on the teachings of Rabbi Avrohom Yitzchok Kook (1864-1935), the first official “Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine.”

Labor Zionism, the type of Zionism that the inaugural prime minister of Israel, David Ben-Gurion believed in, dominated Israeli and Palestinian politics in the early 20th century. This leftist brand of Zionism was initially rejected by The Bund (General Jewish Labour Union of Lithuania, Poland, and Russia), but after the start of World War II, many Bundists became important Labor Zionists who helped establish the State of Israel. It is a purely secular sort of Zionism, which believed that a Jewish state could only be created as part of the on-going class struggle. Labour Zionists felt that only the construction of socialist kibbutzim in the countryside and an influx of Jewish proletariat in the cities could properly create a Jewish state. They advocated a settling of the Jewish working class in Palestine, without any Messianic or religious implications. Their military arm was called the Haganah was the predecessor to the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). This type of Zionism is sometimes referred to Utopian Zionism and very much resembles moderate Communism. They yearn for an Israel devoid of any Torah identity, yet rich in Yiddish, Jewish, or ”Israeli” culture. They are represented in contemporary Israeli politics by the Labour party.

A more right-wing faction within the general movement of Zionism is Revisionist Zionism. The patriarch of this faction was Zev Jabotinsky who sought the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine through diplomatic means. He wanted the British to agree to his plans for a Jewish state, and through British world influence, he would be able to garner international support for his cause. Some leaders of the Revisionist Zionist movement leaned toward Italian-style Fascism because it was so opposed to Communism. They felt that Socialism and Communism were "too civilized" as ideologies, while Fascism, like Zionism, was a return to the roots of the national culture and the historical past. Eventually, this branch of Zionism split into two distinct entities: The first was Centrist Revisionist Zionism—whose militant leg, Irgun, eventually joined the Haganah and later, the IDF—which became the forerunner to the modern day Likud Party. The latter, founded by Avrohom “Yair” Stern (1907-1942), was known as Lechi. They adopted a non-Socialist platform of Anti-Imperialist ideology, and thus viewed the British occupation of Palestine as wrong. Lechi, therefore, attempted to use bellicose forces to force the British out of Palestine; Stern was assassinated by the British in 1942. This type of Revisionist Zionism is manifested through the right-wing Israeli party, Herut: The National Movement.

A self-proclaimed successor to Jabotinsky, Rabbi Meir Kahane, founded two controversial movements: the Jewish Defense League (JDL) in the United States and Kach, an Israeli political party. His magnum opus, Ohr HaRa’ayon, published posthumously, explained many of the positions of Kahanism. The goal of Kahane replaced the British of Revisionist Zionism with the Palestinian Arabs, and he advocated forcibly removing all Arabs from Israel. He was assassinated by Arab activists in 1990. Kahanism Zionism is seen as a type of radical Zionism, which advocated a theocratic Israel. He believed that the Torah should be the law of the land of Israel and citizenship should only be offered to halachik Jews. His critics called his views racist and he has been accused of arousing worldwide anti-Semitism through his revolutionary views, an effect contrary to the original goals of Zionism as created by Herzl. However many say that he respected the Arabs and did not insult their intelligence like the other Zionists who attempted to “bribe” them with college scholarships, paved roads, and more land. His political party, Kach, was outlawed in Israel, and his organization was branded terrorist organizations by the U.S. State Department. A follower of Kahane, Dr. Baruch Kappel Goldstein (1956-1994), famously massacred Arabs visiting the Cave of the Patriarchs in Chevron (Hebron). Following Kahane's assassination, various groups sprung up to represent his ideologies: Kach, Kahane Chai, The Kahane Movement, and the New Kach Movement. Two advocates of Kahanism and leaders of these groups include Rabbi Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane (1966-2000), who was murdered with his wife Talya by Palestinian Arab terrorists, and Baruch Marzel, a candidate for a seat on the Israeli Knesset under the Cherut party.

Although most leaders of traditional Judaism opposed Zionism since its infancy, a faction of Religious Zionism— sometimes called the Mizrachi movement— does exist. They are currently represented in Israeli politics by the National Religious Party (NRP, Dati Le’umi). This faction reconciled some of the supposed inherent problems of secular Zionism and Orthodox Judaism with some Torah-based teachings. Rabbi Avrohom Yitzchok Kook, arguably the most influential thinker in Religious Zionism, encouraged religious Jews to participate in the secular Zionist movements. Religious Zionists participate in national Israeli elections, in the Israeli army (especially in hesder Yeshivas which combine Yeshiva-style Torah study and army service), and accept the government-appointed Chief Rabbinate as a legitimate means of deciding halakha. Out of this sect has developed the Chareidi Dati leumi sector, known as chardal, who combine ideas from the Chareidi movement. The non-Messianic Religious Zionists believe that the State of Israel does not necessarily signal the dawn of the redemption. They do feel that the existence of a Jewish state after the Holocaust, where all the national holidays are the Jewish holidays, where they have their own army, government, courts in their own homeland is definitely a positive development that should be encouraged, especially after the Holocaust wiped out one-third of world Jewry, including many Gedolim. However, many Religious Zionists consider the creation of the State of Israel as a manifestation of the beginning of the Redemption, and they even say so in their weekly prayers.

A son of Rabbi Kook, Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook (1891-1982) added the Messianic element to the Jewish settlement of Israel. He said that the Secular Zionists unwittingly brought about the beginning of the "messianic age" by establishing their colonization of Israel. A result of his teachings was the various settlements in the Gush Emunim bloc. The Messianic Religious Zionists believe that the modern State of Israel is the beginning of the redemption and actually speeds the arrival of the Moshiach; while, the non-Messianic Religious Zionists believe that the establishment of Israel is definitely a positive development, but neither hinders nor helps the Messianic redemption. Messianic Zionists believe that Jews are already experiencing the beginning of the Redemption, for the Gemara (Megillah 17b) says, "The beginning of the Redemption is war." This attitude of Messianic fervor caused the Gush Katiff controversy[1] in which Messianic Religious Zionist Rabbis urged settlers to disobey the government’s orders of disengagement. However, other Rabbis disagreed with some of Kooks’ assumptions. The issue of Zionism has caused dispute in the religious world both within the Chassidic communities (e.g. between the anti-Zionist Satmar Rebbe and the Zionist Boyaner Rebbe) and the Lithuanian (“Litvish” or “Yeshivish”) communities (e.g. between the Zionist American brothers Rabbis Aharon Soloveitchik (1917-2001) and Joseph Ber Soloveitchik (1903-1993) and their anti-Zionist uncle in Israel).

Until the German invasion of Poland in 1939, the majority of World Jewry was opposed to the ideals exhibited in the Zionist movement. The Bundists originally viewed Zionism as a racist movement (because Jabotinsky advocated a Jewish evacuation of Europe as a means of solving anti-Semitism), but after the Holocaust (1939-1945), they fully integrated themselves into Socialist (Labor) Zionism. The Orthodox Jews initially[2] rejected Zionism for the various reasons as stated by the Satmar Rebbe, Grand Rabbi Joel (Yoel) “Yoelish” Teitelbaum (1887-1979), who famously wrote VaYoel Moshe on this subject. An overwhelming majority of Chareidim (Ultra-Orthodox Jews) in Israel are considered anti-Zionist, although they are but a minority of Israeli Jewry. They disliked the fact that the main players in the Zionist movement were irreligious secular Jews, which made the Zionist movement itself appear secular in nature; the Zionists even advocated the creation of an irreligious government. Furthermore, the Zionists were considered by some as Ovdei Avodah Zarah (idol worshippers) because they did not destroy the Christian churches in Israel and thus contributed to the continuation of idolatry in the Holy Land. Anti-Zionists believe that until the coming of the Messiah, Jews should not have any sovereignty over Eretz Yisroel. The most extreme of Anti-Zionists, Neteuri Karta (Guardians of the City), call for the dismantlement of the State of Israel and cooperate with Israel's avowed enemies. The Satmar Rav understood based on the Talmud[3] that it is forbidden for any Jew to attempt to hasten the final Redemption on his own terms. Although Zionist apologetics have long since dismissed this argument, the simple reading of the Talmudic passage seems to imply forbidding the creation of the State of Israel.

Critics of the Satmar Rebbe say that the State of Israel was not in violation of the third oath[4] because it was not founded by military conquest, but by Jews settling mostly barren and empty land and using diplomacy. They argue that the surrounding Arab countries attacked the newborn State of Israel in 1948, so the military conquests of Israel were only acts of self-defense; this should not have been considered a military conquest, but a defensive war. The Jews did not necessarily rebel against the nations by declaring the State of Israel in 1948 because it was already accepted by the U.N. in November of 1947, six months before David Ben-Gurion officially declared it. However, for whatever International Law is worth, the U.N. branded Israel’s territorial gains during the Six Day War of 1967 were illegal, so even following this reasoning, the halachik decision of the Satmar Rebbe regarding the prohibition of visiting the Western Wall (which was captured along with Eastern Jerusalem during that war) should still stand. The Zionist apologetics explained that because the nations of the world broke their part of the oaths by committing the atrocities of the Holocaust, then the Jews could break their part of the oath and establish a Jewish state. However, this logic is also flawed because it implies that if one person does not keep his word, it justifies another not keeping his word (“two wrongs make a right”). Furthermore, not all nations of the world participated in the carnage of the Holocaust; some even opposed them. In addition, many anti-Zionists say that some of the mayhem during the Holocaust was caused by Zionists (some of whom supposedly paid Nazis to kill Jews so that more Jews would be open to the idea of a Jewish nation-state after the war). In addition to blaming the Zionists for the Holocaust, some anti-Zionists argue that the butchery of the Holocaust was not necessarily enough of destruction for the nations of the world to have been considered violating their oath.

Although the Satmarer Rebbe was opposed to the state of Israel, that did not deter him and his students from living in the Holy Land. The Satmar Rav helped established the Eida HaChareidis, a Rabbinical Court for the old settlement (“the old yishuv”) of Jerusalem, which still refuses to acknowledge the legitimacy of the Israeli government and her Rabbinate. Another prominent anti-Zionist was the Brisker Rev, Rabbi Yitzchok Zev “Velvol” Soloveithchik (1886-1959), who established a Yeshiva in Jerusalem. To this day, the highly prominent Yeshivas Brisk refuses to recognize the authority of the State of Israel and continues to decline government aid for their Yeshiva. Even though the Satmer Rebbe rejected the State of Israel, he still refused to meet with Arab Palestinian liberation activist Yasser Arafat (1929-2004) because the latter was a murderer. A splinter group, both shunned and excommunicated by the Satmar Rebbe himself, yet claiming to represent Satmar’s position, Neturei Karta, actively and diametrically opposes the state of Israel. They organize demonstrations all over the world to protest the State of Israel. In addition to being anti-Zionist, Neturei Karta, which was originally led by Hungarian Rabbi Amram Blau and Lithuanian Rabbi Aharon Katzenellbogen, supports Islamic and Arab causes, which call for the destruction of the State of Israel and spew anti-Semitic propaganda. Save for Neturei Karta, most anti-Zionists do not call of the destruction of the State of Israel because doing so would likely cause more bad than good.

The non-Zionists, or A-Zionists, also disagree with the State of Israel in theory, but they also feel "what's done is done" in practice. They are not so concerned whether or not there is a State of Israel. Had the State of Israel not been established (or theoretically did not exist tomorrow), they would "live with it", and since the State of Israel has been established, they are still "living with it". They do not see any inherent holiness in the State of Israel, but certainly support the Jews living in it and attribute political significance to the State of Israel. Even anti-Zionists agree that there is inherent holiness in the Land of Israel, but feel that in the State of Israel there is no intrinsic sanctity. Non-Zionist vote in Israeli elections (usually for Chareidi parties like Degel HaTorah, Agudas Yisrael, and Shas), visit the Western Wall, but they do not serve in the Israeli army[5]. Azionists rationalize their collaboration with secular Zionists by citing the Hazon Ish who said that because non-religious Jews in the current era were not raised and educated in a traditional Orthodox environment they have the status of tinokos she-nishbu (lit. kidnapped children [and were brought up without any knowledge of Authentic Judaism]), which makes their sins accidental. However, one can argue that the Chazon Ish’s ruling no longer applies because of the vast availability of Torah sources to Secular (Chiloni) Jews with the advent of kiruv work in the Holy Land in the last half century.

A compromised version of Zionism, sometimes referred to as “Hopeful Zionism” is a combination of AZionism and Messianic Religious Zionism. Followers of this abstract movement feel that the State of Israel cannot be a satanic ploy because it supports great Torah learning; yet, because of its problems (including the government’s anti-religious sentiment), it cannot be viewed upon as an ushering in of the Messianic Era. Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (1895-1986) espoused this view by changing the text of the above-cited prayer recited by religious Zionists to exhibit a skeptical approach of the potential trueness of Messianic Zionism, without implying its absolute certainty. Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler (1892-1952) writes that he is hesitant to brand the establishment of the State of Israel and its ensuing military victories as “the beginning of the Redemption”; however, he still considered it a possibility, which is a Hopeful Zionist position. He also had harsh words for anyone who refuses to see G-d's miraculous intervention in the creation of the State of Israel, considering them heretics who reject Divine Providence.

While anti-Zionism and A-Zionism are usually associated with the right wing, Post-Zionism is a left-wing liberal movement. Post-Zionists claim to be the heirs to the original Zionists, whose goal has already been achieved. Post-Zionists advocate the evolution of the State of Israel into a non-ideological, secular, liberal, democratic state, which is neither officially Jewish nor Arab. It also calls for a semi-dismantling of the Jewish State. Hillel Kook (1915-2001), a nephew of Rabbi Avrohom Yitzchok Kook, felt that Israel should lose its Jewish identity and become a general neutral state. This goal seems to contradict mainstream Zionism, not succeed it, because mainstream Zionism is defined as “Jewish nationalism”, while Post-Zionism completely removes the “Jewish.” (Even the leftist Labour Zionism still promotes an “Israeli” culture of Secular Judaism, which may or may not be an oxymoron.) Many supporters of Post-Zionism believe in a bi-national or bi-state solution to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Critics say that post-Zionism is a seditious anti-ideology, claiming that the mission of Zionism to build an independent Jewish country and unify all Jews within her borders, has reached its zenith, and is now on the decline. They claim that Post-Zionism implies that the Zionist project is over, when in fact, it should not be. In response to Post-Zionism, the organization Kumah Inc. sponsored an aliyah revolution, which spawned the Neo-Zionism movement. Neo-Zionists actively support and encourage the act of immigrating to the Holy Land as a means of helping develop the State of Israel.

Reform and other forms of Progressive Judaism have their own auxiliary branches of Zionism known as Reform Zionism or Progressive Zionism. Progressive Jews, who are generally liberal, traditionally shun Zionism because they prefer Jews to be patriotic of their respective home nations (i.e. American Jews should feel American, German Jews should feel German, etc…), without aspiring for a Jewish nation. However, following the establishment of the State of Israel many Progressive Jews felt an attachment to their brethren in Israel so they developed a unique type of Zionism. According to Reform Judaism’s ideology, the Messianic Redemption occurs through acts of Tikkun Olam (“fixing the world”). This belief entails acting toward others in an overly kind, loving, and peaceful nature (similar to Christianity’s “turn the other cheek” philosophy). Therefore, perfectionist Reform Jews strive to improve the world as much as they could to hasten the coming of the Messiah. As a result, they are of the strongest proponents of international intervention in the Darfur racial killings. In a similar vein, they strive to make Israel a Perfect state in terms of harmony. For this reason, Reform Zionists are not a political entity in Israel, but rather they are a group of social activists mainly under the umbrella Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism.

On November 10, 1975, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 3379, which branded Zionism a form of racism. Although this Soviet- and Arab-sponsored resolution was rescinded by Resolution 4686 in 1991, its premise is often referenced in other debates of Zionism and racism. Chaim Herzog (1918-1997), at that time the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, symbolically tore up this resolution and stated, "For us, the Jewish people, this resolution based on hatred, falsehood, and arrogance, is devoid of any moral or legal value." A Representative in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Rep. Mark B. Cohen (Democrat), eloquently answered the U.N.’s initial claims by saying, "Racism claims superiority, while Zionism merely claims difference. Racism seeks the persecution of long powerless groups, while Zionism seeks to protect the members of a group long persecuted. Racism seeks to degrade its victims, while Zionism seeks to protect those who have been victims. The U.N. was right to repeal its discredited resolution." The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) categorized the U.N. proclamation as “anti-Semitic;” however, this description is not necessarily accurate because Judaism and Zionism have distinct identities, for some Jews are not Zionists (e.g. anti-Zionists, a-Zionists) and some Zionists are not Jews (e.g. Christian Zionists and the waning American liberal Zionists). It is unclear exactly which flavor of Zionism was referenced in the United Nations’ referendum because of the vagueness of the United Nations’ condemnation of Zionism and the multitude of differing diverse Jewish views on Zionism.
[1] In the summer of 2005
[2] Some, like Rabbi Yissaschar Shlomo Teichtal (who was martyred by Nazis in 1945) began to believe in Zionism because of the Holocaust. Rabbi Teichtal wrote a book, Eim HaBanim Smeicha, defending Zionism while experiencing the harsh conditions of the Budapest ghetto.
[3] Kesubos 111a
[4] of Kesubos 111a
[5] Especially the girls, as the Chazon Ish, Rabbi Avrohom Yeshayahu Karelitz (1878-1953), said that girls should rather allow themselves to be killed that to join the Israeli army.