Changes

===Herzl===

===Herzl===

The first Zionist Congress met in Basel, Switzerland in August 1897, attracting 204 Jews from 15 countries. Under the leadership of [[Theodor Herzl]]  (1860-1904),  it resolved that "Zionism aims at the creation of a home for the Jewish people in Palestine to be secured by public law," and encouraged organized emigration and colonization. Herzl formed the World Zionist Congress, making it an effective worldwide political movement.  Despite opposition from assimilationist Jews and internal divisions the Zionist organization gathered strength.  After Herzl died in 1904, the leadership of the movement passed to the "practicals," notably Dr. [[Chaim Weizmann]], who argued that Zionism should concern itself with the Jewish cultural renaissance and gradual settlement efforts in Palestine as well as with diplomatic efforts to create a legal foundation for the settlements. In 1905 one faction withdrew when the majority rejected a British proposal for establishing a Jewish homeland in [[Uganda]], Africa.   

The first Zionist Congress met in Basel, Switzerland in August 1897, attracting 204 Jews from 15 countries. Under the leadership of [[Theodor Herzl]]  (1860-1904),  it resolved that "Zionism aims at the creation of a home for the Jewish people in Palestine to be secured by public law," and encouraged organized emigration and colonization. Herzl formed the World Zionist Congress, making it an effective worldwide political movement.  Despite opposition from assimilationist Jews and internal divisions the Zionist organization gathered strength.  After Herzl died in 1904, the leadership of the movement passed to the "practicals," notably Dr. [[Chaim Weizmann]], who argued that Zionism should concern itself with the Jewish cultural renaissance and gradual settlement efforts in Palestine as well as with diplomatic efforts to create a legal foundation for the settlements. In 1905 one faction withdrew when the majority rejected a British proposal for establishing a Jewish homeland in [[Uganda]], Africa.   

===Settlement in Palestine===

===Settlement in Palestine===

A second, much larger wave of settlement began after the revolutionary upheavals in Russia in 1905.  Most settlers supported socialist versions of Zionism, both Marxist and non-Marxist. They pioneered a new type of settlement, the '''kibbutz''' (or "kvutzah"), a cooperative in which land was owned and worked communally by the Jewish settlers. These idealistic immigrants had an influence on the development of Zionism and the state of Israel far out of proportion to their numbers. The immigrants were aided by the Jewish National Fund (Keren Kayemeth), established by the Zionist Organization to buy land in Palestine as the inalienable property of the Jewish people. By 1914, 12,000 Jews were cultivating 100,000 acres in 43 agricultural settlements. The total Jewish population was 100,000. Zionists idealized the muscular young Jews tilling the soil of the Holy Land; the heroic self image of the brave pioneer stood in stark contrast to Gentile stereotypes of the feminized Jewish weakling or the avaricious Jew-as-money changer.

A second, much larger wave of settlement began after the revolutionary upheavals in Russia in 1905.  Most settlers supported socialist versions of Zionism, both Marxist and non-Marxist. They pioneered a new type of settlement, the '''kibbutz''' (or "kvutzah"), a cooperative in which land was owned and worked communally by the Jewish settlers. These idealistic immigrants had an influence on the development of Zionism and the state of Israel far out of proportion to their numbers. The immigrants were aided by the Jewish National Fund (Keren Kayemeth), established by the Zionist Organization to buy land in Palestine as the inalienable property of the Jewish people. By 1914, 12,000 Jews were cultivating 100,000 acres in 43 agricultural settlements. The total Jewish population was 100,000. Zionists idealized the muscular young Jews tilling the soil of the Holy Land; the heroic self image of the brave pioneer stood in stark contrast to Gentile stereotypes of the feminized Jewish weakling or the avaricious Jew-as-money changer.

1947 the UN recommended the ending of the British mandate and the partition of the country into Arab and Jewish states; Jerusalem was to be internationalized. Zionists reluctantly supported this proposal, while Arabs rejected it. Fighting broke out and on May 14, 1948, the British high commissioner departed, and the same day the Vaad Leumi declared the independence of the State of Israel, which was quickly recognized by both the United States and the Soviet Union. The next day five Arab countries launched a military attack against Israel. But they were quickly defeated, allowing Israel to annex half of Jerusalem and half of the territory allotted to the Palestinian Arabs, while [[Jordan]] annexed the remainder of Palestine except for the Gaza Strip, which was occupied by Egypt.  

1947 the UN recommended the ending of the British mandate and the partition of the country into Arab and Jewish states; Jerusalem was to be internationalized. Zionists reluctantly supported this proposal, while Arabs rejected it. Fighting broke out and on May 14, 1948, the British high commissioner departed, and the same day the Vaad Leumi declared the independence of the State of Israel, which was quickly recognized by both the United States and the Soviet Union. The next day five Arab countries launched a military attack against Israel. But they were quickly defeated, allowing Israel to annex half of Jerusalem and half of the territory allotted to the Palestinian Arabs, while [[Jordan]] annexed the remainder of Palestine except for the Gaza Strip, which was occupied by Egypt.  

===United States===

===United States===

see [[American Jews]]

see [[American Jews]]

==Opposition to Zionism==

==Opposition to Zionism==

[[Image:End of Zionism equals peace.jpg|thumb|Anti-Zionist Jews]]

[[Image:End of Zionism equals peace.jpg|thumb|Anti-Zionist Jews]]

With few exceptions, Muslims around the world are hostile to Zionism and Israel, often to the point of promising the destruction of the state.

With few exceptions, Muslims around the world are hostile to Zionism and Israel, often to the point of promising the destruction of the state. The [[Palestinian Arabs]], many of whom fled during the unrest that followed the reestablishment of the Israeli state are among those opposed to its existence, as are many other [[Arabs]] who are allied with them.  

In the United States and Europe, until World War II the Reform Jews generally opposed Zionism--often denouncing it because it was the opposite of assimilation and American identity. In the U.S. opposition was centered in the American Council for Judaism. <ref> Thomas A. Kolsky, ''Jews Against Zionism: The American Council for Judaism, 1942-1948'' (1990). </ref> With the establishment of Israel in 1948 the opposition softened, and when the [[Six Day War]] in 1967 showed Israel was vulnerable to attack, most previously negative Jews became supportive.<ref>Ilan Kaisar, "Mobilizing American Jewish Liberals to Support American Zionism," ''The Journal of Israeli History'' (1994) 15:231-256; </ref>

Since the 1960s anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism formed part of a larger ideological package consisting of anticolonialism, anticapitalism, and a deep suspicion of US policies. In the eyes of members of the developing countries, Jews became a symbol of the West and legitimate targets for hatred.  

In the U.S. many leftist Jews are hostile to Israel--or, more exactly, very friendly to the Palestinian cause. In Israel a small minority of religious Jews, most prominently the [[Neturei Karta]] sect, are [[Anti-zionism|anti-Zionist]] for theological reasons.

Iran espouses the most radical anti-Israeli or anti-Zionist position in the Muslim Middle East, calling for the elimination of Israel. Drawing on anti-Jewish traditions in Shi`i Islam, Ayatollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic, maintained that Zionism is the culmination of the Jewish-Christian conspiracy against Islam and undermines its historical mission. Fusing together Islamic and European anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist ideologies, Iran became a disseminator of Holocaust denial in the Middle East and a sponsor of Western Holocaust deniers. Iran's Holocaust denial, which aims at demolishing the legitimacy of the Jewish state, denies Jewish history and deprives the Jews of their human dignity by presenting their worst tragedy as a scam<ref>Meir Litvak, “The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Holocaust: Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism,” ‘’Journal of Israeli History’‘ 2006 25(1): 267-284.</ref>

The [[Palestinian Arabs]], many of whom fled during the unrest that followed the reestablishment of the Israeli state are among those opposed to its existence, as are many other [[Arabs]] who are allied with them.  

Zionism is sharply criticized in the U.S. and Europe by non-Jews who believe that Palestinians are poorly treated by Israel.  In the U.S. other critics complain that pro-Israeli interest groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee have an excessive amount of influence over US policy.

Zionism is sharply criticized in the U.S. and Europe by non-Jews who believe that Palestinians are poorly treated by Israel.  In the U.S. other critics complain that pro-Israeli interest groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee have an excessive amount of influence over US policy.  In general, most of the left-wing parties in Europe today oppose Zionism and are hostile to Israel.

In the often tendentious debates over the Arab-Israeli question many of these so called "anti-Zionists" claim that there is a distinction between opposition to Israel and [[Anti-Semitism]].

In the United States and Europe, until World War II the Reform Jews generally opposed Zionism--often denouncing it because it was the opposite of assimilation and American identity. In the U.S. opposition was centered in the American Council for Judaism. <ref> Thomas A. Kolsky, ''Jews Against Zionism: The American Council for Judaism, 1942-1948'' (1990). </ref> With the establishment of Israel in 1948 the opposition softened, and when the [[Six Day War]] in 1967 showed Israel was vulnerable to attack, most previously negative Jews became supportive.<ref>Ilan Kaisar, "Mobilizing American Jewish Liberals to Support American Zionism," ''The Journal of Israeli History'' (1994) 15:231-256; </ref>

In the U.S. many leftist Jews are hostile to Israel--or, more exactly, very friendly to the Palestinian cause.  

Since the [[Reformation]] an interest in "the Restoration of the Jews to their Land" has been a constant theme in many Protestant denominations. The stressed Genesis 12:3, in which God speaks to Abraham, as the scriptural foundation for their conviction:

will be blessed through you.  

This concern did not always translate into support for a specific Return to Zion. Between 1600 and the 1880s, scores of Christians advanced plans for settlement in Palestine. In a striking parallel, Jewish thinkers, beginning in the seventeenth century, advocated similar ideas and some embarked on small-scale settlement in Palestine. Among both Jews and Christians these settlement attempts increased at times of intense messianic speculation, especially around the year 1840. British, Dutch and American Protestants were involved. One specific Christian restoration plan was Laurence Oliphant's 1882 "Gilead Plan" for a large Jewish colony under British auspices in eastern Palestine. The Christian proposals seem to have had little coordination with or influence on the Jewish plans.

In Israel a small minority of religious Jews, most prominently the [[Neturei Karta]] sect, are [[Anti-zionism|anti-Zionist]] for theological reasons. After the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, three important secular Jewish groups opposed an all-Jeiwsh nation state because it was too religious. The Jewish Labor Bund retained its long-standing critical view of Zionism. Together with the Communist Party of Israel and the socialist Matzpen organization, it fought against Zionism both outside and inside Israel. The Bund challenged Israel's domination over the Jewish diaspora, its discrimination against Arabs in Israel, and its refusal to grant the Palestinians the right to self-determination. However, because of an understanding with the Communists, the Bund was not able to proclaim its ideas in the Israeli Knesset. The Bund remained a minor organization in Israel that had only limited success in the promotion of the Yiddish language and culture. The most important ideological change in the period 1948-72 was the strengthening of the right-wing and social democratic currents in the party. As regards the Bund's approach to the question of Israel/Palestine, the Bund's most significant shift was from advocating a binational federated state to advocating a federation of two nation-states.

==Christian Zionists==

 

see [[Christian Zionism]]

Until the 1940s Dispensationalists ignored the Middle East. The founding of Israel and, especially, the [[Six Day War]] in 1967 changed them radically, and they focused enormous attention on the region.  In the 1970s they became politicized and started voting along foreign policy lines, with a strong preference for [[Ronald Reagan]] and his followers.  The liberal notion that Palestinians rightfully should own the West Bank and Gaza (Judea and Samaria) is anathema to Christian Zionists.

 

===Falwell===

In 1981, the Israeli air force destroyed Osirak, Baathist Iraq's nuclear installation.  Israeli Prime Minister [[Menachem Begin]] called Reverend [[Jerry Falwell]] and asked for political support. Falwell replied, "I support Israel with all my heart." Falwell systematically rounded up evangelical support for Israel's military actions. The evangelicals from that point on increased their pressure on Congress to support Israel. Reverend John Hagee in Dallas was as enthusiastic as Falwell, and pressured Congressman [[Tom DeLay]] to join the cause, which DeLay did with enthusiasm. By 2001, DeLay was the most powerful member of Congress, and his message resonated with the Bush White House.

==Further reading==

==Further reading==

* Urofsky, Melvin I. ''American Zionism from Herzl to the Holocaust'' (1995), the standard history

* Urofsky, Melvin I. ''American Zionism from Herzl to the Holocaust'' (1995), the standard history

* Wigoder, Geoffrey, ed. ''New Encyclopedia of Zionism and Israel'' (2nd ed. 2 vol. 1994); 1521pp

* Wigoder, Geoffrey, ed. ''New Encyclopedia of Zionism and Israel'' (2nd ed. 2 vol. 1994); 1521pp

 

===Primary sources===

===Christian Zionism===

* Hertzberg, Arthur. ''The Zionist Idea: A Historical Analysis and Reader'' (1997), 648pp, major primary sources plus very good introduction

* Brog, David. ''Standing With Israel: Why Christians Support the Jewish State'' (2006) 285 pp. [http://www.amazon.com/Standing-Israel-David-Brog/dp/1591859069/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0 excerpt and text search]

* Merkley, Paul Charles. 'The Politics of Christian Zionism, 1891–1948' (1998)

* Weber, Timothy P. ''On the Road to Armageddon: How Evangelicals Became Israel's Best Friend'' (2004). 336 pp. [http://www.amazon.com/Road-Armageddon-Evangelicals-Became-Israels/dp/0801031427/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261720551&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search], somewhat hostile

*[[Menachem Begin]]

*[[Menachem Begin]]

*[[Liberal Christianity#Liberal Christianity's Anti-Zionism]]

*[[Liberal Christianity#Liberal Christianity's Anti-Zionism]]

== External links ==

== External links ==