The Futility of Talking About "an Exodus From Zionism"

 An Exodus From Zionism?

A recent article in The Guardian by Naomi Klein was entitled “We Need an Exodus from Zionism.” I am not quite sure what the phrase “exodus from Zionism” means, but it expresses the discomfort that many Jews feel over the actions of Israel’s government in Gaza and the actions of settlers in the West Bank. I share that discomfort. I believe that Israel is doing things that are completely unacceptable, but talking about an exodus from Zionism will not help.

The idea that we need an exodus from Zionism also has nothing to do with the debate over whether the United States should continue to support Israel militarily. That is a legitimate debate, and American citizens must decide what is in the best interest of our country or in the best interest of world peace. Questioning our connection to the State of Israel is a perfectly legitimate thing to do.

Zionism Has Already Achieved Its Goal

An exodus from Zionism would in any case be meaningless because Zionism has already achieved its goal. Zionism as a movement and an ideology had as its goal the establishment of a Jewish state in what was first the Turkish province of Palestine and later the British Mandate. The state of Israel exists today, and therefore the Zionist Movement achieved its goal. As a movement and an ideology, Zionism has no further purpose. Abandoning Zionism would be an empty gesture.

Most Israelis Are Descendants of Refugees

There is another way to interpret Klein's demand for an exodus from Zionism. Perhaps, she means that we Jews should stop supporting the State of Israel because it should not exist. In this view, the Zionist movement was always illegitimate, and the State of Israel is nothing but a European colonial enterprise. The Jews in Israel are like the French in Algeria or the British in Kenya, and they should go back where they came from.

The problem with this idea is that it is false.  Unlike the French or British colonial settlers, almost all Israelis are the children or grandchildren of refugees. More than half of them are not even descendants of Europeans. They are the children or grandchildren of refugees from Muslim countries in the Middle East and North Africa. They have no other homeland to return to. So, they will not be going anywhere.

Israel Exists

The State of Israel exists, and its people have no other homeland. An “exodus from Zionism” will not change that reality. Israel, like every country, has a history of violence. No country that I know of came into being in a morally pure way. We Americans should be especially aware of that because our country came into being through the extermination of the people who were here before us. Nevertheless, the United States is now our homeland, and we have no other. Naomi Klein is Canadian, and her country has a similar history. Yet, she does not claim that the U.S. or Canada should not exist.

So, talking about an “exodus from Zionism” is pointless. Zionism has already achieved its goal. Israel exists and will continue to exist. Its people have nowhere else to go. Individual Jews in the diaspora must decide for themselves what to do and what to feel about Israel. I cannot support the actions of the government of Israel or the war in Gaza. I think that what the extremist settlers in the West Bank are doing is terrorism. It is unacceptable. On the other hand, I do support liberal and progressive movements within Israel. Others may take different positions. Talking about an exodus from Zionism achieves nothing.