The End of Anti-Zionism
You’re probably reading this because you were excited by that title—”The End of Anti-Zionism.” I mean, what decent person wouldn’t want to see an end to such a misleading and hateful ideology. To read a blog reporting that the end had come would certainly be a rewarding read.
Imagine the end of hatred toward those who support the Jewish right of self-determination and freedom for Jewish people to live in their land without fear of terror attacks. How about an end to Israel being called a nation of racists, no better than Nazis, or an apartheid state? Consider the end of Israel being condemned for defending itself when rockets fall from the sky on innocent civilians.
We would celebrate such an end.
Sadly, that’s not the end I’m talking about. After all, it’s quite obvious anti-Zionism is not ending. On the contrary, it’s on the rise across a wide number of very disappointing demographics, including Protestant/Evangelical denominations that have stood strongly for Israel in the past. When I say the “end” of anti-Zionism, I mean an eventual outcome, a place to which all roads lead, a goal, the aim. That inevitable endpoint is the promulgation of anti-Semitism.
I won’t say it’s the “purpose” of all anti-Zionists because there are many well-intentioned (and completely illogical) Jews who proudly call themselves anti-Zionists. As an all-too-easy case in point, take Sarah Silverman, a raunchy, crude, and very outspoken anti-Israel Jewish actress, who recently and confidently stated, “I agree 100 percent that criticizing Israel is not antisemitism.” By the way, she has over twelve million “followers” on Twitter.
The short-sightedness, or better phrased, pure blindness of that statement is terrifying. It may NOT be anti-Semitic to criticize Israel. I am a Jewish man, and even I don’t believe in some policies or practices occurring in Israel. But anti-Israel/anti-Zionists seem to miss a really important realization in their predictably vitriolic and quite often baseless criticisms of Zionists and/or Israel.
Most of the world does not, or will not, make that distinction. In other words, make no mistake, when they hear “Israel,” they hear “Jews,” and that is not going to go well for the Jewish people, whether you’re for or against Israel.
Anti-Semitism is a worldwide epidemic, and amazingly, it continues to spread. It’s not surprising. We know that the Jewish people and Israel are not destined to win popularity contests as the world moves toward a much-needed redemption. I don’t think it is Sarah Silverman’s desire, or other Jewish anti-Zionists’ for that matter, to see their fellow Jews terrorized or killed. I hope I’m correct in assuming that they don’t want to see swastikas painted on synagogues, Jewish tombstones defaced, and fathers in religious Jewish communities beaten up in front of their children by anti-Semitic thugs. As a matter of fact, Ms. Silverman went on to say, “I’m fine with BDS (Boycott-Divest-Sanction) as long as it’s clear that you are boycotting a government and not a people. When that line gets muddy, that’s when it’s a little scary as a Jew.”
To which I say, welcome to the horror show, Sarah, because the rest of the world has a very hard time understanding that, and the inability to distinguish between “a government and not a people” is partially, if not mostly, to blame for fueling Jewish hatred around the world.
Not surprisingly, social media is at fault for much of the propagation of anti-Zionist rhetoric. Truth (and by that, I mean factual information) has become surprisingly irrelevant on these platforms. The terrifying result is a generation of young people (actually, I’ll just leave it at generations of people) who have turned against Israel, and I’m afraid, ultimately, against the Jewish people. Most people outside of Israel are not interested in learning the sensitive political intricacies or digging into something like the official charter of Hamas, which includes this quote in Article 13, “There is no solution for the Palestinian problem except by Jihad. Initiatives, proposals, and international conferences are but a waste of time, an exercise in futility.” In case you forgot, jihad’s primary meaning is an armed struggle against unbelievers.
No, facts and information are much less relevant for people today. Conclusions about how to feel about Israel are made based on gut-wrenching (and often misleading) photos posted on Facebook and Instagram of wounded children or “innocent” neighborhoods destroyed. There are tragic consequences in war. No one denies that, but telling half of the story is also a tragedy with tragic consequences for worldwide Jewry going forward.
Anti-Zionism provides an easy source of fuel for the anti-Semitic animals hiding under their rocks around the world. When they see a world turning against Israel, they know it’s only a matter of time before some strategic posting and propaganda can be the fuel to light the torch of hatred toward the (choose your favorite dishonest term) “apartheid,” “Nazi,” “racist” state of Israel. That hatred, in turn, can be redirected upon the people of Israel—Jews, inside or outside the land. That is irrelevant to the anti-Semite. Hating Israel is a means to an end, the first domino that needs to fall. It’s easy to knock the rest down from there.
For several years now, it’s been apparent that a louder voice of objection must be raised to educate and awaken the sleeping Jewish world about the danger of dismissing, excusing, and normalizing anti-Zionism. It is not a passing fad. It has an endpoint, and we’ve discussed that here.
My continued hope is that my Gentile brothers and sisters who share a love of Israel and the Jewish people will also help to sound the alarm that anti-Zionism is in large part nothing but a mask. I’ll reframe what I said above— make no mistake; when the world hears anti-Zionist lies about “Israel,” it translates to lies about “Jews.” Even if some of our own Jewish community does not see it, it will raise the tide of anti-Semitism occurring around the world. The Jewish people are thoroughly outmanned and outgunned, and we need the educated, rational, informed, truthful, and loud voice of our brothers and sisters from the nations, those who have been brought near to the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2), to stand with Israel and the Jewish people on every platform from which your voice may be heard.
Am Yisra’el Chai!
First Fruits of Zion
