the Meaning(s) of Zionism

A few months ago, I heard a podcast on APM Speaking of Faith called “Curiosity over Assumptions” - about a new partnership called New Ground in Los Angeles. This partnership is between Muslim and Jewish Americans, coming together to talk and build real relationships both within and between their communities. (Listen to the podcast here).

As part of this initiative, New Ground focused on the linguistics and terms that Jews and Muslims use, particularly in talking about Israel and Palestine. There are certain words that trigger emotions in this conflict. Think of terms like occupation, settlement, 1948, 1967, colony, apartheid, anti-semitism.... to the very names of the places themselves: Israel, Palestine.

A word that New Ground talked about is Zionism. As a factual term, Zionism broadly refers to the Jewish nationalist movement formally started by Theodor Herzl in the late 1800s, calling for Jewish self-determination and the creation of a Jewish State. Today, 62 years after the establishment of Israel in 1948, Zionism means vastly different things to different people – including within the Jewish community. It particularly means something different to most Muslims and Arabs.

In the United States, New Ground is tackling this issue by talking with young Muslim and Jewish people and calling on them to think critically about their perspectives, while challenging them to form relationships and encounter the “other” in a real way. Examining a term like Zionism brings to light the difficulty of communication – of not shying away from the 'elephant in the room' (the Israeli-Palestinian conflict).

For many Jewish people, both in America and in Israel, the term Zionism symbolizes the longing for a homeland, for belonging. It can also mean safety, security... after decades and centuries of moving from country to country. It could mean unity, a movement of Jewish people coming together. Perhaps most of all, Zionism for many Jews means hope.. for the future of the Jewish community.

For many Muslims and Arabs, also from around the world, Zionism means colonization, imperialism and conquest. It symbolizes the force that killed Arabs, that forced them from their land. Zionism is the idea that de-validated Arab and Muslim ties to the Holy Land. When used in political speeches in the Arab world, Zionism is usually used as a profusely negative term – the 'Zionist entity' being a derogatory term for the State of Israel.

Words like Zionism mean so much in forming the identity of Muslims, Arabs, Jews, Israelis, Palestinians, and even Christians in this conflict. The huge gap in meaning for a word like Zionism make communication nearly impossible to achieve between the two sides. I think addressing these terms and confronting the real meanings behind these words could have a breakthrough effect in communication – allowing people to understand and see the emotions that tie people of many religions and cultures across the world to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I hope to address this issue at NYU in the coming year, and learn more from organizations like New Ground that are pioneering this approach. Personally, I also need to keep examining my own interpretations of words used in this conflict, and be aware of the meanings and emotions that I attach to them.