Defining Zionism
Zionism is the movement supporting the establishment—and, post-1948, the protection—of a Jewish homeland, now the state of Israel, ensuring its security in light of historical persecution.
Why Israel Generated a Movement
It is unfortunate that, unlike other established nations, Israel’s history of persecution and existential threats to its very existence has led to a movement focused on its protection. Again, this is not common. Other nations do not typically generate movements devoted to securing their continued existence once their state has been established—at least not in the same way that the historical vulnerability of Israel gave rise to Zionism. The reason is that few peoples, if any, in recorded history have experienced such a long and persistent pattern of displacement, persecution, and attempts at destruction.
Can you name any with such a pedigree? I cannot. But even if one could, this would not render the underlying principle inert.
A Long Pedigree of Persecution
Across recorded history the Jewish people have faced repeated attempts at domination, displacement, or destruction. Among the powers involved were the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Philistines, the Greeks, the Romans, and in the modern era the Germans under the Nazi regime. Alongside these historical conflicts, antisemitism has appeared across many cultures and societies throughout history.
Even Christian History Is Not Exempt
Christians must also be included in this history in a certain sense. This is not necessarily the same form of antisemitism that later developed in modern racial theories, but it can represent a similar pattern of persistent hostility. From the time of the early church through the medieval period, the Crusades, and even into modern theological discussions, many Christians have adopted forms of supersessionism or replacement theology. These views hold that the Church has taken over the promises originally given to Israel to the exclusion of any promises remaining for ethnic Israel.
Once ethnic Israel is no longer recognized in this way, the door can open to other forms of antisemitism that might otherwise remain closed. While this essay is not intended to address that theological debate, it is worth noting that such perspectives have at times contributed to the rejection or marginalization of the Jewish people within Christian thought.
In this sense, even within Christian history one can find examples of pressures placed upon Jewish identity and nationhood.
The Extraordinary Survival of a People
In addition to these repeated historical pressures, the Jewish people experienced something even more unusual: a long period of diaspora. From their four-hundred-year sojourn in Egypt, through their captivities in Assyria and Babylon, and following the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD by Titus and the further dispersions of the second century, the Jewish people lived for nearly two millennia without political sovereignty in their ancestral homeland.
Yet throughout this time they preserved a continuous religious and ethnic identity, cultural memory, and historical connection to the land of Israel. Very few peoples—if any—in recorded history have maintained such a distinct national identity over so long a period without territorial sovereignty and later reestablished a state connected to their ancient homeland.
Zionism as an Ideological Response
Because of this long and unusual historical pattern, many people—both within Israel and outside of it—have believed that the Jewish people must create alliances and shared commitments in order to maintain the strength and resolve necessary to protect their homeland. Zionism therefore emerges as an ideology that necessitates a multilayered network of political support, alliances, and advocacy surrounding the continued security and existence of Israel.
Where Theology Interacts With Zionism
For some supporters of Zionism, such as myself, the idea is strengthened and interacts with the belief that there is a biblical promise concerning the land of Israel. That belief does not create Zionism, but it can nuance and reinforce it to varying degrees by placing the political conviction under a theological umbrella.
More on that later.
Separating Theology from Political History
My purpose here is simply to attempt to briefly separate the idea of Zionism from theological systems—whether dispensationalism or any other religious creed—that may later interact with the issue.
A Response to an Unusual Historical Reality
In this way, Zionism can be understood not merely as a political ideology, but as a historical response to a uniquely ubiquitous and persistent pattern of persecution and vulnerability experienced by the Jewish people throughout history.
