Zionism is a modern nationalist political movement rather than a religion. Therefore, Zionism does not believe in Judaism in the same way that a religious person believes in their religion. Nevertheless, Zionism is deeply rooted in Jewish history and religious traditions, and Jews differ sharply on the way Judaism and Zionism are linked. Zionism emerged in the late nineteenth century, influenced by the rise of European nationalism as well as the ancient Jewish religious connection to Zion and Jerusalem.
The idea of the return to the land appears in the Bible, in religious rituals, and in rabbinic writings. There are three main currents of thought regarding the relationship between Zionism and Judaism.
The first views them as inseparable, as they are the essence of Judaism itself.
The second sees them as distinct, arguing that Judaism, as a religion and ethical tradition, predates modern nationalism by thousands of years.
A minority believes that Zionism contradicts Judaism because they believe that only the Messiah can restore Jewish sovereignty over the land, and therefore a secular state established by force or politics is religiously illegitimate.
In general, many Zionists are religious Jews whose Zionism is rooted in Judaism. Others are secular but support Jewish national self-determination for historical, cultural, or security reasons. Because Zionism is a political ideology, not a religious doctrine, the most accurate way to understand it is that it draws on Jewish religious texts, symbols, and history but is not fundamentally identical to them.
Theodor Herzl’s Zionism was primarily a nationalist political project based on the premise that Jews were a persecuted people in Europe in need of a nation-state. Palestine was chosen because it was the “historical homeland” and held religious significance for Jews.
Although Herzl was not a religious figure, he used Judaism to achieve political goals. Despite Herzl and most of the founders being secular, they used Old Testament texts, the story of the “chosen people”, and the divine promise of the land to justify the political right to a Jewish state on land inhabited by other people.
Christian Zionism is a movement within the conservative American Evangelical Church that views Israel as the fulfillment of biblical prophecies. It wields significant influence on American politics, particularly within the Republican Party’s stance toward Israel. Christian Zionism is based on a literal interpretation of the Old Testament, believing that the return of the Jews to the Promised Land is a prerequisite for the Second Coming of Christ, followed by the “Rapture” and periods of tribulation, which will then be followed by a thousand years of peace. Consequently, these evangelicals do not see Jews as fellow believers, but rather as instruments in God’s plan for the return of Christ, after a mass conversion to Christianity or the destruction of the world.
Herein lies the tragedy, the divergence from the traditional Jewish perspective, and the profound, unspoken theological tension between the two sides.
The Christian Zionist vision anticipates the Battle of Armageddon, a major war in Palestine between the forces of good (Christ and the army of believers) and the forces of evil (an alliance of infidel nations), ending with Christ’s victory and the beginning of his thousand-year reign. This cannot be achieved without the gathering of Jews in Palestine, setting the stage for the Battle of Armageddon, the return of Christ, and the end of the Jews. However, the Jewish perspective differs. They see their existence as religiously Jewish not as the end of the story, but as a temporary phase that will lead, after a major war at the end of time, to the victorious emergence of the people of Israel, led by the Jewish Messiah who will come for the first time to establish a Jewish kingdom over all nations and subjugate the Gentiles.
Herein lies the contradiction - each side uses the other to achieve its goal, which ultimately is the annihilation of the other. On a different note, the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new Supreme Leader of Iran, succeeding his father, simply means that the dangerous situation in the region will continue.
By Ahmad alsarraf
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email: [email protected]
