GLH+P4+2014-15+Judaism+and+Zionism

Judaism and Zionism Amanda Marks Aim Judaism is a religion that believes that there is a God and his laws are laid out for people in a script called the Torah. The followers of Judaism are known as Jews and are often recognised by the Star of David. Zionism is the a belief in the Jewish religion that states, “...national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel” (“Zionism”1). The purpose of Judaism and Zionism is to give people a new perspective on the world and God. God is a being that is believed to be the creator of man and many people have different views on God. Judaism is one of the ways to attempt to understand God more clearly. Zionism plays a part in Judaism because most Jews are supporters of the idea of returning to their homeland; the opposition in Zionism comes when proposals in order to accomplish it are released. An article on Zionism states, “... almost all Jews are Zionists. Where we differ is over when and how to make aliyah (going up) to Israel. Some Jews believe that we have to create and maintain the State of Israel by our own efforts. Others believe that God is working through these efforts” (Rami 1). These differences in opinion throughout Judaism is what gives both Judaism and Zionism an implicit outlook. There are no set ways to the two concepts because of the confusion and uncertainty that is caused among their people.

Estefania Camacho Garcia Audience Judaism and Zionism both have devout followers, but both groups are in conflict due to their opposing beliefs. The Encyclopedia Britannica states “Zionism strives to create for the Jewish people a home in palestine secured by public law” (“Zionism” 1). The Jews are a monotheistic religion with the Torah as its holy scripture. They believe between the covenant of God and his Children of Israel. Their purpose is to study the commandments of the Torah and to Jews their actions are valued over their beliefs. According to “Jewish Population”, Judaism has about “13 to 14 million followers” (Rich 1). The majority of Jews reside in Israel. Zionism is the national movement for the Jewish people to move back to their homeland; this is a nationalistic movement. Zionism blossomed as an effect spread of anti-semitism. Another effect is that from zionism the Israeli state was created. This affects the followers of Judaism because there is a new Israeli state. The Zionist state is not to be confused with the Jewish state. A problem that has risen is that people assume Judaism and Zionism are the same, when in reality they are not. This bothers the Jews and they are offended. The relationship between both groups is that without Judaism there is no Zionism but Judaism does not need Zionism. This problem has affected both followers of the groups because they do not like the principles of the opposing group. This causes the followers of each group to hate and despise each other. From a religious standpoint this is not promoting what God set out for people to complete. Instead of love there is hate between both groups.

Kailie Szewczyk Historical The followers of Judaism and Zionism are heavily involved in an ongoing dispute with each other because their titles and beliefs are used interchangeably and, frankly, should not be. While many believe that these two practices share qualities such as their basic principles, quite the opposite is true. Many Rabbis have come forward from an authoritative position to convey their frustration with the Zionist movement, including Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss. He expressed, “The very concept of Zionism was a refutation of the traditional Torah belief in exile as punishment and redemption and as dependant on penitence and Divine intervention” (1). People who too quickly assume that Judaism and Zionism are interchangeable do not realise that even the basic beliefs of Zionism greatly oppose those of Judaism. The land of Israel was created so that the Jewish people would be able to live in this sacred land. However, the Zionists possess the goal of removing the the Jewish population from Israel. An article titled “What is Zionism?” explicitly states, “The reason for this is that historically, Zionism has been a movement dominated by secularist Jews” (1). In addition, Jews are too often blamed for the actions of the Zionist government. People that choose not to believe in the Jewish religion or are against the beliefs that the religion stands for simply created Zionism to express their dissatisfaction. Because of the actions taken by the Zionists against the Jewish population, Judaism has developed a strong hatred for Zionism and its followers.

Megan Nickerson Cultural Judaism is one of the oldest religions that includes those who worship God and secular people living in Israel who still identify as “Jews”. A widely-accepted set of beliefs in Judaism include Rambam’s thirteen principles of faith. These principles of faith are, “ [|God] exists, God is one and unique, God is incorporeal, God is eternal, prayer is to be directed to God alone and to no other, the words of the [|prophets] are true, [|Moses] ' prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets, the [|Written Torah] (first 5 books of the Bible) and [|Oral Torah] (teachings now contained in the [|Talmud] and other writings) were given to Moses, there will be no other Torah, God knows the thoughts and deeds of men, God will reward the good and punish the wicked, the [|Messiah] will come, and The [|dead] will be resurrected” (“What do Jews Believe?” 1). In addition to this list of principles, it is also believed by some that Jews must return to the homeland of Israel. This belief is referred to as Cultural Zionism. According to “Cultural Zionism”, “Belief that successful settlement and re-population of the land of Israel required revitalization of Jewish culture and Hebrew language” ( Isseroff 1). Cultural Zionism is based on the ideas of Ahad Haam and [|Eliezer ben Yehu] da and creates conflict between various cultures. Those who believe in Zionism believe that the land of Israel is meant to be “cultural and spiritual center for Diaspora Jewry” (Isseroff 1). Conflict is created between cultures because Israel is considered “holy land” in many religions and therefore is thought to “belong” to many cultures. Not all people of the Jewish faith believe in Zionism and many want to practice Judaism without the conflict that surrounds Cultural Zionism.

Works cited: Isseroff, Ami. "Cultural Zionism." Cultural Zionism. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. Rami, Rabbi. "What Is Zionism?" Rabbi Ramis Guide to Judaism. N.p., 27 July 2014. Web.07 Oct. 2014. Rich, Tracey R. "Judaism 101: Jewish Population." Judaism 101: Jewish Population. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. Rich, Tracey R. "Judaism 101: What Do Jews Believe?" Judaism 101: What Do Jews Believe? N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2014. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Zionism (nationalistic Movement)."Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014. Weiss, Yisroel Dovid. "Zionism and Judaism – Let Us Define Our Terms."Zionism and Judaism. Neturei Karta International, 2003. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. "What Is Zionism?" Home. True Torah Jews, 2007. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. "Zionism: A Definition of Zionism." A Definition of Zionism. N.p., 2014. Web. 06 Oct. 2014.