Opinion: This is what a Zionist looks like

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Oct. 7, 2023 was a nightmare from which we still have not woken up. Hamas’ cold-blooded murder of 1,200 men, women and children, hostage-taking and rape was an attack on Israel, but also on humanity. Since that day, though, the very idea of Israel has come under attack: from those we know are our enemies, and those we had thought were our friends.

But Israel is not just a country, and it is not just an idea. It is a dream, a Jewish dream, that has been a core part of our religion for over 2,000 years. There are countless debates within Judaism as to how that dream should be expressed. As the saying goes, “two Jews, three opinions,” and this piece is only my own. But over 90 per cent of Canadian Jews agree that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state. That basic stance is Zionism.

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This past year, I have heard Zionism wrongly defined as anything from supporting the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, to settler colonialism, to wanting to wipe out the Palestinian people. Sadly, this reminds me of when feminists were derided as “Femi-Nazis” and “man-haters.” In response, many of us would proudly say, “This is what a feminist looks like.” I am motivated to do the same for Zionism today.

Zionism is a positive vision; one can be both Zionist and pro-Palestinian, Zionist and pro-peace. Many of us who mourn Oct. 7, who fight against antisemitism and call for the hostages’ return, also oppose the Netanyahu government (as countless Israelis also do). Many of us have advocated for years for a two-state solution, for civil and human rights. Our vision of Israel is inspired by its Declaration of Independence in 1948, which says: “(Israel) will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture. …”

Like any country, Israel has fallen short. As I write this, we have just observed the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation; as Canadians, we surely know that we have our own profound failures. But the need to do better does not negate one’s right to exist.

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This is why I am a Zionist:

I am a Zionist because Jews have lived in the Land of Israel continuously for almost 3,000 years. It is our homeland. The Hebrew which I speak to my Israeli friends and relatives is the same Hebrew of my prayers, is the same Hebrew found on ancient artifacts excavated in the land. Even when we were exiled, even when our spiritual and political centre was destroyed, we turned our buildings and our bodies, our hearts and our prayers, toward Israel.

I am a Zionist because we know all too well what it means to have the borders slammed shut when we are most in need. This is why Temple sponsored Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s, and Syrian refugees just seven years ago. With violent antisemitism on the rise outside of Israel, even a country under attack feels relatively safe. After millennia of powerlessness and persecution, we need to know that in an hour of need, somewhere will take us in.

I am a Zionist because almost half the world’s Jewish population lives in Israel. Judaism is not just a religion; we are also a people. Like any people, we are connected to each other by bonds of kinship and care. When a protester chants, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” I wonder: What happens to those 7 million Jews? To Jews who survived the Holocaust, Jews who were forced
out of Arab lands, Jews who were airlifted from Ethiopia, smuggled out of Syria, freed from Russia, Jews who — like my wife’s family — have lived in Jerusalem since 1492, when they were expelled from Spain?

Finally, I am a Zionist because I believe in the dream of Israel, however imperfect the reality may be. When I am in Israel, I am inspired by the breathtaking diversity of its people, by how Jewish culture is part of every day, by the courage of those who live under fire and nevertheless are dedicated to coexistence and peace. I don’t ask you to agree with me. But I ask you to understand that, like all peoples, my people have the right to self-determination and dreams.

I am a Zionist and a loyal Canadian. I am a Zionist and a proud progressive. I am a Zionist and a faithful Jew. This is what a Zionist looks like.

Lisa Grushcow has been senior rabbi of Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom in Westmount since 2012. She is a graduate of McGill and Oxford.

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