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Zionism Is a Pillar of Jewish Life in America

(Israel Hayom) William Daroff - America's new national strategy to combat antisemitism puts the weight of the federal government behind the fight to combat antisemitism, demonstrating that this fight is not just a Jewish priority, but an American priority. The report also distinguishes an essential fact of contemporary Jewish life and identity: that there is an intrinsic link between the Jewish people and the State of Israel. By recognizing and celebrating "the deep historical, religious, cultural, and other ties many American Jews and other Americans have to Israel," it acknowledges our community's long-standing affirmation that Zionism is inherent to our identity as American Jews. At its core, Zionism is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people. It emphasizes that Jews, like any other people, have a right to self-determination in the land of our ancestors after facing 1900 years of oppression and violence in Europe and the Middle East. While the American Jewish community is grateful for the opportunities and freedoms afforded by our country, we simultaneously maintain a steadfast connection to the Land of Israel, our heritage, and our brethren abroad. We also see Israel's existence as an essential contributor to our people's safety and well-being in a modern world still plagued by antisemitism. Judaism and the Land of Israel are tightly intertwined. Israel is the birthplace of our Jewish identity, language, culture, and religion, and the modern Zionist movement is the actualization of the longstanding Jewish aspiration to return to and be free in the Land of Israel. For millennia, Jews pray in the direction of Jerusalem and for their people's return to Zion. As U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis reasoned over 100 years ago, "the highest Jewish ideals are essentially American," and "to be good Americans, we must be better Jews, and to be better Jews, we must become Zionists." To a supermajority of American Jews, Zionism lies at the heart of what it means to be Jewish and American. The writer is CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
2023-07-27 00:00:00
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