Linking Zionism to Responsibility

Today The Jewish Forward published an editorial article, "Let My People Go" by David Chinitz, that I read on Kumah - Home of Neo-Zionism and the Aliyah Revolution: The Real Jewish Conspiracy. The article and the blog post articulate the challenge that a broad definition of Zionism presents for those who are encouraging North American Jews to make aliyah, or immigration to Israel.

Chinitz argues that there is "a Jewish conspiracy to prevent massive immigration of North American Jews to Israel," which "began when the word Zionism was hijacked by the professional Jewish and Israeli world and applied to every possible Jewish enterprise other than aliyah." According to Chinitz, broadening Zionism to include many different movements and ideas is "suppressing the notion of aliyah".

However, I would argue that directly linking Zionism to aliyah limits the appeal that aliyah can have to prospective Jewish North Americans, excluding individuals who do not wish to associate themselves with the modern Zionist movement but are passionate about the land of Israel. I wonder, is it possible, that by creating a link between Zionism and aliyah, we are actually driving young people away from making aliyah?

These days in the United States, being a young Zionist isn't very cool. If you identify as a Zionist, most people probably think that you make all your political decisions based on Israel, which includes voting for GW Bush twice, which isn't so cool in America right now, or anywhere in the world, dream about joining the IDF and want to maiming Israel's Arab neighbors. If this is what your friends and family in the United States imagine when you say you are a Zionist, you might stop identifying with the word.

However, any google savvy searcher will easily find that Zionism is a highly contested word with many continuing battles over its meaning. Constantly being thrown into new frames, Zionism has lost the strong roots and distinct meaning that Jewish people throughout history identified with. Instead of identifying as a Zionist and ascending up towards G-d via the land of Israel, Zionism seems to be linked to a heavy bundle of explanations that weight prospective immigrants down.

However, there is some hope that North Americans can be encouraged to make aliyah. Chinitz argues that if North Americans made aliyah it would help Israel economically and politically prosper. For example, he states, "If North American Jews were making aliyah, How would Moshe Safdie’s backward, environmentally unsound plan for developing West Jerusalem even emerge from committee? How could politicians behave corruptly, impervious to notions of accountability?" Although I don’t know if Jewish American immigrants to Israel would be more politically active and socially responsible, these questions are distinct because they seek to inspire a sense of responsibility in prospective immigrants, not a sense of ideology.

Leaving ideology behind is probably a good idea. Amongst my peers today, it seems as though ideology is almost as out of fashion as President Bush and the Republican party. As the New York Times reported yesterday in an article entitled "New Polls Find Young Americans are Leaning Left," young Americans are "a group whose energy and idealism have always been as alluring to politicians as [their] scattered focus and shifting interests have been frustrating." However, I see this "scattered focus and shifting interest" as a turn away from ideological participation and a sign that young people are more critical of the modern mantras they are being bombarded with. They choose to take in new ideas and new hopes for the future slowly--remembering to chew before they swallow.

If this is the case, linking Zionism to aliyah will not bring young American Jews to Israel. Instead, it will drive them away. We are smart enough to know that Birthright trips make Israel glow for ten days and that just like America, Israel has a big heavy load of issues to sort out. Instead of painting a perfect picture of Israel and using Zionism to captivate young people, why don't you show us some of Israels guts? Maybe a little view of the dirty challenges ahead, and where we can help by making aliyah, will lift the weights of ideology and connect us to Israel with a dose of responsibility--we are all in this together after all.