What is Zionism ?
Judaism is a faith. Jewishness is an identity.
Zionism is a political ideology.
Criticizing Zionism is not antisemitism—just like criticizing American foreign policy isn’t anti-Christian.
Zionism isn’t Judaism. And opposing Zionism isn’t antisemitism.
Judaism is a diverse, rich faith tradition. Zionism is a 20th-century nationalist project. Criticizing a political ideology that enforces occupation and inequality isn’t bigotry—it’s integrity.
We reject antisemitism and we reject injustice against Palestinians. These two convictions do not contradict—they are deeply aligned.
You can love Jewish people and stand with Palestinians. You can condemn antisemitism and critique occupation. You can honor the trauma of the Holocaust and still say: never again must mean never again—for anyone.
Zionism is a political movement that began in the late 1800s, calling for the establishment of a Jewish homeland—originally proposed in various locations, but eventually centered on Palestine. After the Holocaust, global sympathy (and colonial strategy) helped push the creation of the modern state of Israel in 1948. Here’s the problem: Palestine wasn’t empty. People lived there—Muslims, Christians, and Jews. Zionism, in practice, meant creating a state for one group by displacing another. That’s not a moral critique—it’s a historical fact. Nearly 750,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes. Entire villages were erased. That legacy continues today in land seizures, checkpoints, and apartheid laws.
Let’s talk about the fruit. Modern political Zionism was born in 19th-century Europe, not the pages of Scripture. The state of Israel was established through war, displacement, and colonial alliances—not through divine fiat. There was no heavenly scroll descending from the clouds. There was a British mandate and military force.
If the modern state of Israel was supposed to reflect God's character, then where is the justice for the oppressed? Where is the mercy for the stranger? Where is the love for enemies?
Jesus didn’t teach "might makes right." He taught "blessed are the peacemakers." So why are so many evangelicals cheering on bombings, blockades, and apartheid walls?
Let’s be crystal clear: Antisemitism is evil. Always. Everywhere. Jewish people have suffered unspeakable persecution for centuries—from pogroms to the Holocaust. That history matters. Their safety matters. Their humanity matters.
And while we’re naming injustices, we also must say this clearly: Islamophobia is real, and it is deadly. Demonizing Muslims—especially Palestinians—as inherently violent or suspicious is not just false, it's racist and it’s fueling hate, war, and silence in the face of suffering. The same fear and racism that once turned Jewish refugees away is now turning Muslim victims into villains. That, too, must stop.
Christian Zionism claims to “bless Israel” by offering unwavering support for the modern state of Israel.
But let’s be honest: Christian Zionism isn’t really about Jewish flourishing. It’s about end-times timelines. It teaches that Jews must return to the land of Israel, rebuild the Temple, and kickstart a chain of apocalyptic events—including war, mass destruction, and ultimately the conversion or destruction of most Jewish people.
That’s not love. That’s exploitation wrapped in a flag and a Bible verse. It’s antisemitism dressed up as theology.
What About Spiritual Zionism?
Some people—especially Jewish Israelis and Messianic believers—define Zionism not as a political project, but as a spiritual longing. A return to the land promised by God. A way of preserving identity, faith, and safety after centuries of exile and persecution.
We hear that.
We honor the pain and history behind it.
We know the Holocaust, pogroms, and centuries of anti-Semitism still shape that longing.
But here’s the problem:
When that longing becomes land seizure, checkpoints, and military occupation, it stops being spiritual—and starts becoming harmful.
True spiritual connection to a land should never require another people’s displacement.
God’s promises were always tied to justice, compassion, and humility.
If your theology requires bulldozers to be fulfilled, maybe it’s not God’s plan—but human ambition.
Love > Fear
It’s easy to see how fear is driving what’s happening in Israel/Palestine.
After centuries of Jewish persecution—including the Holocaust—many Israelis carry deep generational trauma. The fear of being hunted, displaced, or killed again is real.
But fear, when left unchecked, becomes policy. You can see it in the walls, the checkpoints, the airstrikes.
“Never again” should mean never again for anyone.
But fear has a way of making us repeat the very things we once survived.
What does Scripture say?
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.”
—1 John 4:18
“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
—2 Timothy 1:7
The Bible is clear: fear is never the path to justice.
Fear punishes.
Fear controls.
Fear builds walls.
But love sets captives free.
Love tells the truth.
Love heals what fear breaks.
If we follow Jesus, we don’t build theology—or military policy—around fear.
We build it on love.