What I mean when I say I am a Jewish anti-Zionist

a letter to my beloved Jewish community

In the spirit of my own deep reflection and teshuva -

with the intention of entering 5785 with courage and clarity, to lovingly say what is true -

in the midst of escalating violence -

I offer this letter to my Jewish community, with deep warmth and love. Shanah Tovah.

Meredith

---

I believe that Judaism and Zionism are not the same thing, and are not inherently intertwined.

There are Jewish Zionists

There are Jewish Anti-Zionists

There are Christian Zionists

There are Israeli Anti-Zionists

Judaism existed for centuries before Zionism became a movement. Our tradition exists beyond our relationship to one geographic place.

Right now, people are using the words "Zionism" and "Anti-Zionism" to mean very different things, and it's confusing and triggering.

So I want to be clear about how I am using these terms:

I understand "Zionism" to mean the belief that the country of Israel must exist as a Jewish ethno-state, in which Jewish safety and human rights are held above others. 

Based on this definition, I am an anti-Zionist. 

Anti-Zionism is also a term that people assume means many different things, so I'll be precise again: As an anti-Zionist, I do NOT believe that Jews should be expelled from the land currently known as Israel. I believe the only way forward is for Jewish and Palestinian people to be able to share this land as equal citizens, equally deserving of safety and freedom. I don't pretend to know the path to this future. I don't think anyone does yet. But I feel sure that it's not through the continued bombing and genocide of the Palestinian people. 

I believe that Jewish safety can never come at the expense of Palestinian people or any other people, and that a Jewish "homeland" can not come at the expense of making others homeless. I also believe that my homeland, as a Jew of the diaspora, is right here where I have put down roots, and that I can build safety around me through solidarity with Jews and non-Jews. My identity as a Jew is not centered around the land of Israel.

I realize that the Z words are triggering and confusing at this moment, and I've spent a while purposefully avoiding them for this reason, while I got clear on what I personally understand them to mean. I do think it's important to be clear and precise, and aware of who we are speaking to: as I write this letter primarily to my Jewish community, I want to make clear that I am anti-Zionist and that I don't think Israeli people should be removed or sacrificed. I love Israeli people the same way I love American people, even though we also have a dangerous government. I can love Israelis and be anti-Zionist the same way I can love my American friends while also fighting against White Supremacy in our country.

The reason I've decided to claim the word "anti-Zionist" right now, and to use it unapologetically, is because I am clear that whatever I do or don't say right now, whatever terms I do or don't use, someone will feel upset. And in this moment, I am willing to risk the discomfort of my fellow American Jews in order to be loud and clear that I believe in the humanity of Palestinian people. This should not be controversial to say, and yet it is, and so as an American Jew I will say it loud and clear, over and over.

As an anti-Zionist, I am not choosing between my love of Israeli and Palestinian people - I am choosing both, all people. I believe it's the only way to choose both.

It's okay if your definitions of these words are different from mine - maybe we agree more than we expected on what we actually believe. I am committed to having difficult conversations with my beloved Jews, with those whom I'm in deep relationship with - to mending the fabric of our deeply torn Jewish community. And in the meantime, as we do this slow, difficult, loving work amongst ourselves, I will loudly and clearly proclaim myself an anti-Zionist: 

I will continue to join voices in saying NOT ANOTHER BOMB and FREE PALESTINE

I will pressure our government to stop using our tax dollars for genocide

I will continue to fundraise for mutual aid to Gaza and the West Bank, and share my public grief and support for Palestinian people

I will continue to create space on the land I steward for Jews to gather, celebrate, grieve and heal. Space for us to remember and reimagine our tradition before and beyond Zionism, grounded in this very specific place, in the spirit of Diasporism and Doykeit.

I will not throw anyone in my community away, or lose sight of our full humanity - I will continue to do the work I need to do to stay close, stay present, and reach for my fellow American Jews in this devastating moment. Let us move together towards a better future.

With love,

Meredith