The American Jewish community’s debate over the word “Zionism” is getting louder. Specifically, the question: Should we stop saying Zionist, Zionism and other forms of the term?
At the Washington Post, Michelle Boorstein has a new reported piece on where various Jewish figures stand on the word. Some believe it has outlived its purpose now that Israel exists on solid ground, while others say the term is timeless. Some want to avoid unpopular branding, and others see that as a betrayal of principle. And so forth.
Put me in the “timeless” category. Zionism doesn’t spoil if you leave it on the countertop. But I’m less concerned with how Jews identify themselves to others than I am with why they are making that choice. So here are a few rules that guide my thinking.
First rule: Don’t let anti-Semites take something away from you. If you, personally, consider yourself a Zionist, and if you, personally, see Zionism as a noble part of your own identity, then that’s the term you should use.
Boorstein references the recent controversy in which a Jewish Federations communications consultant advised the attendees at the organization’s conference to accept defeat and lose the word. Jews, he told Boorstein, “have to recognize that the term is misunderstood and right now too often is being used as a negative synonym for Jews.”
You know what else is often used by anti-Semites as a “negative” term for Jews? The word “Jews.” Should we drop that one too?
Look, the internet can be brutal. Jew-baiting trolls decided at some point to derogatorily call hypothetical Jews “Shlomo.” Should everyone named Shlomo change their name? I vote no, but my name isn’t Shlomo so perhaps that’s easy for me to say.
Rule 2: You are not a brand. Pro-Israel organizations have reputations, and we can call those reputations brands. Israel itself has to worry about its own image abroad. So do bands and sports teams and car companies and restaurants. But the people at all these places aren’t brands. And neither are you. All that matters for a person’s identity is its accuracy. You just need to know who you are.
Rule 3: Anti-Semites target important things. This is key, and it has wider implications. The enemies of the Jews are rather skilled at identifying what is, or ought to be, meaningful to us. Because they want to destroy it.
Anti-Zionists want to separate Jews from the Jewish homeland because it would weaken what it means to be a Jew. It would, in fact, redefine Judaism. When an anti-Semite targets a part of your identity for removal, it is not because they are finding a way for you to fit in with them. It’s because they are taking you apart, methodically, piece by piece.
Rule 4: Don’t play word games because certain implications make you uncomfortable. “In this moment,” Rabbi Alissa Wise, founder of the group Rabbis for Ceasefire, told Boorstein, “Zionism means one thing and it means the policy of Jewish supremacy in Israel.”
This is nonsensical in about a thousand different ways, but for our purposes: No, Zionism doesn’t have a different definition just because you don’t like its adherents. Zionism is the Jewish right to self-determination. What people do with that right is a separate discussion.
Rule 5: Zionism has nothing to do, intrinsically, with other people. Life has to do with other people. People have to do with other people. Zionism is not defined by those its adherents come into contact with. Your behavior can certainly affect the way others feel about Zionism. But it is not a peace plan, it is not a Road Map, it is not a treaty. It is not a sandwich. Zionism is a right. And if history is any guide, subjecting Jewish rights to public referendums isn’t a great strategy.