Jewish Perspectives on Zionism
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ShareSection I: Secular Zionism
Theodor Herzl (1860-1904)
Born in the Austrian Empire, Theodor Herzl spent much of his life disengaged from the Jewish community, and maintained an admiration of Western European culture and etiquette. He began writing and organizing for the Zionist Movement in the late 19th century, publishing Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State) in 1896. Here, he argues that the Jews deserve a nation-state 'just like any other nation'. Hence, he conceives as the title of 'Jew' as similar to 'German', 'American', or 'French'.
Excerpt from Der Judenstaat
I consider the Jewish question neither a social nor a religious one, even though it sometimes takes these and other forms. It is a national question, and to solve it we must first of all establish it as an international political problem to be discussed and settled by the civilized nations of the world in council… We are a people — one people… We have sincerely tried everywhere to merge with the national communities in which we live, seeking only to preserve the faith of our fathers. It is not permitted us. In vain are we loyal patriots, sometimes superloyal; in vain do we make the same sacrifices of life and property as our fellow citizens; in vain do we strive to enhance the fame of our native lands in the arts and sciences, or her wealth by trade and commerce. In our native lands where we have lived for centuries we are still decried as aliens, often by men whose ancestors had not yet come at a time when Jewish sighs had long been heard in the country. . .
Ahad Haam (1856-1927)
Born Asher Zvi Hirsch Ginsberg in Skvyra, Ukraine, Ahad Haam was one of the leading intellectual figures of the Zionist movement, advocating a kind of 'cultural Zionism'. For Ahad Haam, Jewish self-determination was necessary for the creation of an authentically Jewish culture which, removed from the ghettoes and shtetl's of Europe, would not have to depend upon the authorities of Halakha and the rabbis.
Excerpt from "Al Parashat Derakhim"
“[In Eretz Yisrael], unlike in the Diaspora, it was almost impossible to experience foreign influences at work, which would burst like a stream from the alien world around and the break the form of the Hebrew mould”
Theodor Herzl (1860-1904)
Born in the Austrian Empire, Theodor Herzl spent much of his life disengaged from the Jewish community, and maintained an admiration of Western European culture and etiquette. He began writing and organizing for the Zionist Movement in the late 19th century, publishing Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State) in 1896. Here, he argues that the Jews deserve a nation-state 'just like any other nation'. Hence, he conceives as the title of 'Jew' as similar to 'German', 'American', or 'French'.
Excerpt from Der Judenstaat
I consider the Jewish question neither a social nor a religious one, even though it sometimes takes these and other forms. It is a national question, and to solve it we must first of all establish it as an international political problem to be discussed and settled by the civilized nations of the world in council… We are a people — one people… We have sincerely tried everywhere to merge with the national communities in which we live, seeking only to preserve the faith of our fathers. It is not permitted us. In vain are we loyal patriots, sometimes superloyal; in vain do we make the same sacrifices of life and property as our fellow citizens; in vain do we strive to enhance the fame of our native lands in the arts and sciences, or her wealth by trade and commerce. In our native lands where we have lived for centuries we are still decried as aliens, often by men whose ancestors had not yet come at a time when Jewish sighs had long been heard in the country. . .
Ahad Haam (1856-1927)
Born Asher Zvi Hirsch Ginsberg in Skvyra, Ukraine, Ahad Haam was one of the leading intellectual figures of the Zionist movement, advocating a kind of 'cultural Zionism'. For Ahad Haam, Jewish self-determination was necessary for the creation of an authentically Jewish culture which, removed from the ghettoes and shtetl's of Europe, would not have to depend upon the authorities of Halakha and the rabbis.
Excerpt from "Al Parashat Derakhim"
“[In Eretz Yisrael], unlike in the Diaspora, it was almost impossible to experience foreign influences at work, which would burst like a stream from the alien world around and the break the form of the Hebrew mould”
Section II: Religious Critiques of Zionism
Until the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948, there was a diversity of opinion on whether a Jewish State was consistent with the nature of Jewish existence. Below are both liberal and Haredi critiques of Zionism, pushed by Hermann Cohen and R' Yoel Teitelbaum respectively.
Hermann Cohen (1842-1918)
Professor of Philosophy at Marburg, Hermann Cohen's attempt to combine traditional Judaism with Kantian philosophy in Religion der Vernuft aus den Quellen des Judentums (Religion of Reason out of the Sources of Judaism) represents one of the most ambitious Jewish intellectual efforts since Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed. In this book, he argues that Jewish existence is characterized by an ethical mission--to provide an example to the nations of the world about how to create more moral social and political structures.
He writes:
"That [the Jewish State] declined, while the people were preserved, is a providential symbol of Messianism; it is the sign of the truth of monotheism. No state, but yet a people. But this people is less for the sake of its own nation than as a symbol of humankind. A unique symbol for the unique idea; the individual peoples have to strive to the unique unity of mankind"
R' Yoel Teitelbaum (1887-1979)
From Hungary, Teitelbaum was the Rebbe of the Satmar Hasidim, who now reside in Brooklyn and Kiryas Yoel in New York. As the leader of one of the strictest sects of Ultra-Orthodoxy, Teitelbaum was marked by a fierce hatred for Zionism, writing extensively on the subject.
From Vayoel Moshe:
"The Gemara in Shevuos 39a says: “For all other sins in the Torah, Hashem punishes only the sinner himself, but for an oath violation He punishes the sinner, his family and the entire world.” We see here the severity of the punishment for violating an oath: that the entire world can get punished on account of a single individual who violated an oath. All the more so in our case, where many actions were taken by countless people, to the point that in the last few years, almost the majority of the Jewish people assisted the Zionists in their efforts...
...But there is much more to the evil of Zionism… [T]hese Jews fall prey to the to the basic Zionist worldview that there is no justice and no judge, Heaven Forbid, and that everything depends only on human strength and weapons.”
Until the foundation of the State of Israel in 1948, there was a diversity of opinion on whether a Jewish State was consistent with the nature of Jewish existence. Below are both liberal and Haredi critiques of Zionism, pushed by Hermann Cohen and R' Yoel Teitelbaum respectively.
Hermann Cohen (1842-1918)
Professor of Philosophy at Marburg, Hermann Cohen's attempt to combine traditional Judaism with Kantian philosophy in Religion der Vernuft aus den Quellen des Judentums (Religion of Reason out of the Sources of Judaism) represents one of the most ambitious Jewish intellectual efforts since Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed. In this book, he argues that Jewish existence is characterized by an ethical mission--to provide an example to the nations of the world about how to create more moral social and political structures.
He writes:
"That [the Jewish State] declined, while the people were preserved, is a providential symbol of Messianism; it is the sign of the truth of monotheism. No state, but yet a people. But this people is less for the sake of its own nation than as a symbol of humankind. A unique symbol for the unique idea; the individual peoples have to strive to the unique unity of mankind"
R' Yoel Teitelbaum (1887-1979)
From Hungary, Teitelbaum was the Rebbe of the Satmar Hasidim, who now reside in Brooklyn and Kiryas Yoel in New York. As the leader of one of the strictest sects of Ultra-Orthodoxy, Teitelbaum was marked by a fierce hatred for Zionism, writing extensively on the subject.
From Vayoel Moshe:
"The Gemara in Shevuos 39a says: “For all other sins in the Torah, Hashem punishes only the sinner himself, but for an oath violation He punishes the sinner, his family and the entire world.” We see here the severity of the punishment for violating an oath: that the entire world can get punished on account of a single individual who violated an oath. All the more so in our case, where many actions were taken by countless people, to the point that in the last few years, almost the majority of the Jewish people assisted the Zionists in their efforts...
...But there is much more to the evil of Zionism… [T]hese Jews fall prey to the to the basic Zionist worldview that there is no justice and no judge, Heaven Forbid, and that everything depends only on human strength and weapons.”
Section III: Religious... Zionism
When one hears the phrase "Religious Zionist" in 2023, they might think of a lot of things: Camp Stone, Gush Etzion, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Michael Melchior all use this title, albeit it different ways. Here, we will be looking at religious Jews who, rather than dismissing Zionism, affirm it in one way or another.
R' Avraham Yitzhak Kook (1865-1935)
The first Chief Rabbi of Israel, Kook's writings are some of the most influential in the Modern Orthodox and National Religious world. Coming from an Ultra-Orthodox background, Kook took many of the critiques of Zionism made by his peers and turned them inside out, arguing that Judaism could create a Jewish State that overcame the shortcomings of nationalism.
He writes:
But if a person should wish to embrace the [State of Israel] in its decadent condition, in its courser aspects, without inner illumination from its ancient, higher light, he will soon take into himself filth and lowliness and elements of evil… This is the vision of the evil kind of nationalism that we encounter. But in the end the general love of humanity will overcome the evil surrounding it, and the basic love of nationhood, the community of Israel, will destroy all its thorny elements… The rose of Sharon, rooted in eternal righteousness, will blossom, and shed its light and splendor to all sides.
Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903-1994)
Perhaps one of the most achieved academics ever, Yeshayahu Leibowitz was given the title "Professor of the University" at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, giving him the ability to teach philosophy, Talmud, Halakha, chemistry, biology, and medicine, and other subjects. Leibowitz was known for his strict adherence to Jewish law and for his brutal critiques of the State of Israel. Leibowitz was, however, a 'secular' Zionist for most of his life.
In "After Kibiyeh" he writes:
"There is , however, a specifically Jewish aspect to the Kibiyeh incident, not as a moral problem but an authentically religious one. We must ask ourselves: what produced this generation of youth, which felt no inhibition or inner compunction in performing the atrocity when given the inner urge and external occasion for retaliation? After all, these young people were not a wild mob but youth raised and nurtured on the values of a Zionist education, upon concepts of the dignity of man and human society. The answer is that the events at Kibiyeh were a consequence of applying the religious category of holiness to social, national, and political values and interests - a usage prevalent in the education of young people as well as in the dissemination of public information. The concept of holiness - the concept of the absolute which is beyond all categories of human thought and evaluation - is transferred to the profane. From a religious standpoint only God is holy, and only His imperative is absolute. All human values and all obligations and undertakings derived from them are profane and have no absolute validity."
When one hears the phrase "Religious Zionist" in 2023, they might think of a lot of things: Camp Stone, Gush Etzion, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Michael Melchior all use this title, albeit it different ways. Here, we will be looking at religious Jews who, rather than dismissing Zionism, affirm it in one way or another.
R' Avraham Yitzhak Kook (1865-1935)
The first Chief Rabbi of Israel, Kook's writings are some of the most influential in the Modern Orthodox and National Religious world. Coming from an Ultra-Orthodox background, Kook took many of the critiques of Zionism made by his peers and turned them inside out, arguing that Judaism could create a Jewish State that overcame the shortcomings of nationalism.
He writes:
But if a person should wish to embrace the [State of Israel] in its decadent condition, in its courser aspects, without inner illumination from its ancient, higher light, he will soon take into himself filth and lowliness and elements of evil… This is the vision of the evil kind of nationalism that we encounter. But in the end the general love of humanity will overcome the evil surrounding it, and the basic love of nationhood, the community of Israel, will destroy all its thorny elements… The rose of Sharon, rooted in eternal righteousness, will blossom, and shed its light and splendor to all sides.
Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903-1994)
Perhaps one of the most achieved academics ever, Yeshayahu Leibowitz was given the title "Professor of the University" at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, giving him the ability to teach philosophy, Talmud, Halakha, chemistry, biology, and medicine, and other subjects. Leibowitz was known for his strict adherence to Jewish law and for his brutal critiques of the State of Israel. Leibowitz was, however, a 'secular' Zionist for most of his life.
In "After Kibiyeh" he writes:
"There is , however, a specifically Jewish aspect to the Kibiyeh incident, not as a moral problem but an authentically religious one. We must ask ourselves: what produced this generation of youth, which felt no inhibition or inner compunction in performing the atrocity when given the inner urge and external occasion for retaliation? After all, these young people were not a wild mob but youth raised and nurtured on the values of a Zionist education, upon concepts of the dignity of man and human society. The answer is that the events at Kibiyeh were a consequence of applying the religious category of holiness to social, national, and political values and interests - a usage prevalent in the education of young people as well as in the dissemination of public information. The concept of holiness - the concept of the absolute which is beyond all categories of human thought and evaluation - is transferred to the profane. From a religious standpoint only God is holy, and only His imperative is absolute. All human values and all obligations and undertakings derived from them are profane and have no absolute validity."
