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🇮🇱 Israel /Culture & Society

Distinction Between 'Jews' and 'Zionists' Called a Lie Masking Antisemitism

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Opinion Named sources Context piece
  • The article argues that the distinction drawn in Western discourse between "Jews" and "Zionists" is a deliberate misrepresentation, akin to separating "Christians" from "believing Jesus is the Messiah."
  • It asserts that Zionism is fundamentally the belief in the Jewish people's right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland, and rejecting this is rejecting the core of Jewish identity.
  • Recent surveys indicate that while many American Jews do not use the label "Zionist," they overwhelmingly affirm the substance of Zionism, suggesting the term itself has been redefined by its opponents.

The article contends that the prevalent distinction made in Western discourse between "Jews" and "Zionists" is a deceptive tactic, arguing that it falsely separates an identity from its core tenets. It draws parallels to absurd distinctions, such as being "fine with Christians" but objecting to the belief that "Jesus is the Messiah," or accepting "women" but not "feminists" who advocate for rights like suffrage.

I’m fine with Jews, just not Zionists.

— Common Western DistinctionThe article uses this phrase to represent a distinction it argues is a lie.

According to the author, Zionism is fundamentally the belief that Jews, like all peoples, possess the right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland. To oppose Zionism, therefore, is not to target a specific political stance but to deny this fundamental right to Jewish people. The argument posits that this denial is an attempt to remove the "Diaspora out of the Jew," stripping away a core aspect of Jewish identity and history.

I have nothing against Christians. I just can’t stand people who believe Jesus is the Messiah.

— AnalogyUsed to illustrate the absurdity of separating an identity from its core beliefs.

The piece highlights recent surveys of American Jews, such as those by the Jewish Federations of North America and AP-NORC. These surveys reportedly show that while only about a third of American Jews identify as "Zionist," upwards of 88% affirm the principle that Jews have the right to a state of their own. The author suggests this gap is not due to a decline in the belief itself, but rather a "redefinition of the term" by opponents, who equate "Zionist" with "supports whatever Israel does," a definition many self-identified Zionists reject.

Zionism is simply the belief that Jews, like every other people on Earth, have the right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland.

— AuthorDefining Zionism as the core argument of the piece.

Ultimately, the article argues that stripping the word "Zionist" of its actual meaning – the right to self-determination – leaves no substantive position other than a demand that Jews be uniquely denied this right. It frames the widespread "anti-Zionism" as a thinly veiled form of antisemitism that masks its true nature with a veneer of reasonableness.

What’s collapsed isn’t the belief – it’s the word.

— AuthorExplaining the discrepancy between Jewish affirmation of the right to a state and the rejection of the "Zionist" label.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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