KMC Forums - judaism v zionism..

Zionism is the belief that the Jewish people should have their own country in their historical homeland, promised to Abraham 4,000 years ago, and with Jerusalem as its capital. Indeed, the first 50 years have been miraculous. The first generations of immigrants knew this was a historic opportunity and they were infused with a tremendous sense of idealism. Israel has succeeded in making the desert bloom, and in building the finest hospitals, roads, schools and industry -- even amidst hardship, terror and wars.

Herzl, the father of modern Zionism, was motivated by the immense suffering the world has inflicted upon the Jewish people, and he expected that once the Jews had their own country, all anti- Semitism would cease. Unfortunately, it seems that the opposite has occurred, and Israel has actually become a "centralized focus" of worldwide anti-Semitism. Among the nearly 200 nations at the U.N., only Israel has ever been assigned special reduced membership privileges, formally barred for 53 straight years (ending only recently) from election to the Security Council. That same Security Council has devoted one-third of its criticism to Israel, and the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, which regularly accepts delegations from any number of homicidal tyrannies, has issued 25% of its official condemnations to the democratic State of Israel.

Judaism is based on the Torah's belief that the Jewish community in Israel is part of the Divine plan for Jewish redemption. One of the great wonders of Jewish history is how the Bible foretells the Jews' return to the land. As a first phase of redemption, God promised to in-gather all the exiles -- see for example Deuteronomy 30:1-5, Jeremiah 16:14-15, Jeremiah 31:6-7, and Isaiah 27:12.

For centuries, there persisted but a small reminder of the glory days of David and Solomon: 25,000 Jews of the "Old Yishuv," living in Jerusalem, Hebron, Tzfat and Tiberias. Then, the prophetic return of Jews to their homeland began in the 1880's with small, organized groups from Eastern Europe. Since then, hundreds of thousands of new immigrants have poured in from 140 different countries around the world. The most vigorous influx was immediately following statehood, when 7o0,000 Jews arrived, mostly from Arab countries. More recently, we've witnessed the dramatic homecoming of Jews from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union.

Unfortunately, the Jewish dream somehow took a back seat to Western ideals. For example, the Jewish system of jurisprudence is the basis for every great legal system in the world. The Romans derived their judicial system from the Torah, as did the Magna Carta and the U.S. Constitution. But instead the modern Israeli legal system adopted Ottoman law! The state has too often made tactical decisions that have devalued fundamental principles of Jewish life.

One million Israelis are now living in the diaspora because if the goal of life is Western ideals and material success, then there's a better version available in Los Angeles!

"Judaism" would favor an Israeli society that recognizes God and Torah as the primary driving force of the nation. This means basing the laws of the State on Judaism -- e.g. observance of Shabbat and Kashrut in public, though of course non-coercive for private individuals. The schools would place more emphasis on Torah learning.

It has been said that the Land of Israel is the "body" which hosts the Jewish nation, while Torah is the "soul." A body without a soul is empty, and will eventually wither. We yearn for a restoration of timeless Jewish values and wisdom, to fully complete the modern Jewish renaissance in Israel.

- Rabbi Shraga Simmons -