Zionism. Is it Good for Jews?

“Zionism, the national liberation movement of the Jewish people.” This is the official definition given by the State of Israel on its website. It is accepted without reservation by all Jewish Israelis, including supporters of “Peace Now.” Except that the Jews are not a nation. If they were, no one could not acquire Jewish status other than through naturalization in the State of Israel. Yet it is entirely possible to become a Jew in the countries of the Diaspora through rabbinical conversion, a procedure which is increasingly frequent. Conversely, non-Jews who obtain Israeli nationality by naturalization do not thereby become Jewish.

Israel, the Zionists tell us, has a right to exist as a Jewish state. In fact it never claimed to be a Jewish state, one among others. The Basic Law, voted by the Knesset in 2018, defines Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. This means that all Jews, no matter where they live, owe it their undivided loyalty. And they usually do, at least among older, wealthier Jews, those who wield power and influence. In France, the CRIF, the umbrella organization of all Jewish institutions, proclaims in its charter that “the Jewish community of France recognizes in Israel the privileged expression of Jewish existence.” The Jewish establishment in France, like those of other democracies, is perfectly content to take its lead from Israel.

Zionists claim that they must defend Israel’s legitimacy. In practice, they defend the legitimacy of everything it does. In 1998, a new text appeared in the authorized daily prayer book of the United Synagogue in Britain: “Heavenly Father: Remember the Israel Defence Forces, guardians of our Holy Land. Protect them from all distress and anguish and send blessing and prosperity upon all the work of their hands.” All the work, that is, including the destruction of the Gaza Strip and the indiscriminate killing of unarmed civilians waiting for food. Thus does Zionism contaminate and corrupt Judaism.

The moral bankruptcy of Israel can be seen in the popularity of a book published in 2009 and entitled Torat Ha’Melech (The King’s Torah). The authors, two rabbis who live in the occupied West Bank, justify the killing of Palestinian children who might eventually become terrorists when they grow up. This was too much for even the normally pro-Israel Anti-defamation League, which issued a press release condemning the book. Rabbi Dov Lior, who had been spiritual advisor to Baruch Goldstein and Yigal Amir, nonetheless recommended it to Israeli soldiers in his many sermons.

Zionists in the Diaspora routinely excuse Israel’s crimes against humanity. Israel is not committing genocide, they say. So what is it committing? They also claim that however the Palestinians may suffer, Hamas is solely at fault. This is to forget the statement of Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, in English, to the press on October 13, 2021: “It’s an entire nation out there that is responsible. . . . We will break their backbone.” And Israel is doing just that – not only in the Gaza Strip, but also in the occupied West Bank, where Hamas has no power.

This callous indifference to the sufferings of others is contrary to Judaism, and in particular to the admonition in Exodus 23, 9: “And a stranger shalt thou not oppress. Ye know the heart of the stranger, seeing as ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Alas, not any more. Zionism has robbed most Jews of their moral and ethical heritage. Fortunately a growing minority, consisting mainly of young people, seeks to reclaim it.

*Frederic Seager is a Canadian historian. His most recent book is The Zionist Illusion.

Source: https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/07/25/zionism-is-it-good-for-jews/