In this article , you will get to know different replies or variations to the query ‘What is Zionism?’ Zionism was revived in Eastern Europe, it is important to remember that it wasn’t created there- Zionism is an ancient Jewish movement going back to king David who has decided to build his temple in Jerusalem (Zion).
Zionism is a commitmentto spiritually, economically, and politically supports a Jewish nation in the land Israel!It was started as a Belief that the place of Israel is for all the Jewish People. it does not necessarily mean you need to live in Israel, but just recognize Israel’s right to exist!
Zionism: Definition
That being said, Zionism is a broad platform consisting of many ideologies that might contradict each other. It is of different types! One can belong to more than one Zionist camp at a time. Let us have a look at them;
– Religious Zionism – These are the category of Zionists. It includes Jews who believe establishing the state of Israel is there in the divine plan aiming for redemption. The religious Zionists consider settlements in army service and Israel as holy acts.
– Revisionist Zionism – Ze’ev Jabotinsky had led this military splinter movement as a part of a large Zionism movement of the 1920s. The main aim is to achieve a Jewish state more aggressively and fast than the Labor Zionists.
– Christian Zionism – It is for people who believe in biblical verse seriously. It states one who blesses Israel will also be blessed, and one who curses it will be cursed. These are Christians who support the Jewish sovereignty happening in Israel. They believe in the second coming of Jesus that might occur after Jewish return to their holy land.
– Labor Zionism – There were collectivist farms in Israel’s initial history known as kibbutzim. It was the labor Zionism movement that had formed these farms. The movement has shaped many early leaders belonging to the Jewish state and emphasized the land’s transformative power.
– Cultural Zionism – The movement is related to the Eliezer Ben-Yehuda (a known personality linked to Modern Hebrew) and the writer Ahad Ha’am. These Zionists believe that the Jewish state was not only about a state with lots of Jews but also follows vibrant Jewish culture.
In addition to the above, there is one more kind known as political Zionism. It depicts a secular movement that was started from European nationalism in the 19th century. Theodor Herzl was considered the founder of this political Zionism. According to this movement, all Jews act as a national group that persists in anti-Semitism, people who need or deserve their state.
Zionism is actually a philosophy indicating Israel as the homeland for every Jew. It could be a person among those, who belong to Ethiopian Jews, people expelled from the Arab nations, Holocaust survivors, and more.
