Eli Rubenstein: Avi Lewis’ wrongheaded defence of anti-Zionism

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Yet anti-Zionist rhetoric often treats Zionism as though it necessarily means supporting everything Israel does — good and bad. A recent Jewish Federations of North America survey illustrates this disconnect: about 80 per cent of anti-Zionist American Jews associated Zionism with supporting whatever actions Israel takes, while only about 15 per cent of self-described Zionists agreed.

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The anti-Zionist view of Zionism is actually an invented and distorted caricature — one that takes a snapshot of the beliefs of 15 per cent of Zionists and applies it to the other 85 per cent.

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This becomes particularly troubling when criticism of Israel turns into indifference toward Jewish suffering. After Oct. 7, 2023, some anti-Zionist voices were unable to condemn Hamas or express compassion for Israeli victims. Instead, they described Hamas’ brutal massacre as a legitimate form of “resistance.”

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I recently met Amit Soussana, an Israeli woman who was abducted by Hamas and held hostage for 55 days and sexually assaulted. She spoke movingly about her captivity and her belief that the outside world would care about her. After her release, however, she encountered hostility and denial.

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Her message was simple: whatever the political complexities, what happened to her happened, and people should be able to say, “This is not OK.” But after what happened to Amit and hundreds of others who were kidnapped, and after 1,200 were brutally murdered, many anti-Zionists could not say four simple words: “This is not OK.”

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By contrast, many liberal Zionists have expressed anguish over the loss of life on both sides since October 7. While condemning Hamas’ initial attack on Israel, some have also criticized the extent and duration of Israel’s subsequent retaliation, even if the two are not morally equivalent.

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At the beginning of this essay, I described two Jewish friends: the Zionist and the Bundist. In retrospect, history appears to have vindicated the Zionist’s emphasis on a Jewish homeland. Yet the Bundist dream of freedom, dignity, solidarity and equality was not without value.

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I am a non-exclusivist Zionist who believes in liberation, dignity and solidarity for all, and a national identity rooted in one’s homeland. Can we not choose the best of our Bundist and Zionist ideals?

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Can we not envision a world that supports both thriving Jewish communities in the diaspora, with equal rights and dignity for all humanity, along with a vibrant State of Israel acting as a spiritual beacon (and a refuge, if necessary) for all Jews, as well as a democratic and peaceful state that treats all its citizens justly and fairly?

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Yet some anti-Zionist Jews mourn the founding of the Jewish state and yearn for the revival of the Bund — a movement that lasted less than half a century, before being crushed under the wheels of history and perhaps the grim reality of human nature.

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It’s as if they are mimicking the Trumpian “Make America Great Again” mantra, pining for the restoration of a glorious golden era before the founding of the modern State of Israel, when the Bund will once again rival, and in some cases supersede, the Zionist foes they are so ashamed of.

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Unlike anti-Zionists, I am proud of the glorious chain of Jewish history and tradition that has existed for more than 3,500 years, one that prominently included a love for the Land of Israel and a yearning for the Jewish people’s return ever since their first exile.

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I’m also proud of the many strands and movements in Jewish history, with all their beauty, flaws and foibles. I’m proud of the rabbis, the rebels, the thinkers and some of the heretics, too.

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And yes, I am also proud of the pre-war Bundists and their commitment to Jewish dignity, freedom and brotherhood. Their idealism may, in hindsight, have been a big mistake.

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Still, it was a noble one.

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National Post

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