JustASC

The debate over who’s “pro-Israel’ continues. Here’s yeshiva principal Yotav Eliach’s “Litmus Test for Zionism“:

Until now, those who opposed the Jewish state’s basic policies were outsiders, if not outright enemies of the Zionist cause. But now we have Jewish groups who place the primary responsibility for the Mideast peace impasse on Israel, and call for a return to the pre-‘67 borders. They claim to be enlightened Zionists and call for the tent to be expanded to include them and their point of view.

I would propose a simple litmus test for organizations seeking to be defined as “pro-Israel,” and that would be the readiness to affirm each clause of Israel’s Declaration of Independence, including: that the Jewish people are a nation, rooted historically, religiously and culturally in the land of Israel; that Zionism is Jewish nationalism; and that Israel was re-established, not established, as a Jewish state in 1948.

When I checked the Web sites of J Street, and the other sponsors of the recent J Street conference in Washington — including Americans for Peace Now, New Israel Fund, Israel Policy Forum, the Shalom Center, Brit Tzedek V’Shalom, and Ameinu — only Ameinu had a clear, unambiguous statement of belief in Israel as a Jewish state.

Ameinu’s national president, Ken Bob, responds in “Big Tent Zionism Includes Progressive Wing“:

When Rabbi Eliach and others try to expropriate the word “Zionism” and the phrase “pro-Israel” for their own exclusive use, they are doing a disservice to the Jewish people. At a time when the campaign to delegitimize Israel’s very existence is growing on campuses and in communities around the world, progressive Zionist groups are often best equipped to combat these attacks. We can address the erroneous claims of those trying to delegitimize Israel by using language and arguments that are understood by this audience. Seeking to place progressive groups outside the accepted Jewish community is short-sighted and damaging to the overall pro-Israel objectives. Instead, we should encourage all of our fellow Jews to connect with Israel in the context of our community.

While I am not a big believer in litmus tests as proposed by Rabbi Eliach, in the interests of maintaining the aforementioned big Zionist tent, I would suggest that we take a look at the Jerusalem Program, the official document of the Zionist movement, for guidance. In addition to statements about Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the importance of aliyah and the Hebrew language, and the struggle against anti-Semitism, comes a clause stating that at the “foundation of Zionism is strengthening Israel as a Jewish, Zionist and democratic state and shaping it as an exemplary society with a unique moral and spiritual character, marked by mutual respect for the multi-faceted Jewish people, rooted in the vision of the prophets, striving for peace and contributing to the betterment of the world.”

This statement includes the definition of Israel as a Jewish state, which is clearly a Zionist tenet. It also includes the requirement that Israel be a democratic state, thus dictating the enactment of the two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. The demography of the region, with close to equal numbers of Jews and Arabs between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, leaves no room for other alternatives. Following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Bar-Ilan speech in support of a two-state solution last year, this is recognized as the Israeli consensus position and a critical part of fully realizing the Zionist dream of a Jewish, democratic state.