Conflating Judaism, Zionism and Israel

Ben Kepes writes:

I’ve been thinking about that old, and admittedly not very good, joke recently after being asked to speak with Radio New Zealand about the US strike on Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities.

I agreed to the interview on behalf of the New Zealand Jewish Council. As readers will know, I have no trouble talking. But when I sat down for the interview, I had to express my confusion about why I had been asked.

Yes, I’m Jewish. But the idea that Jews are collectively responsible for actions taken by the United States, ostensibly in support of its ally Israel, feels like quite a few degrees of separation from the role I actually hold. That role is, quite clearly, to advocate for the safety and security of Jews living in New Zealand.

Over the past few years, however, we’ve seen a growing conflation of Judaism and Zionism, as if they are one and the same.

A quick explainer for readers. Zionism is a school of thought that affirms the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish homeland and to exercise self-determination. The vast majority of Jews around the world are indeed Zionists. Being a Zionist doesn’t mean one supports every action by Israel; rather, it is simply, and seemingly innocuous opinion that Israel has a right to exist. Shouldn’t be contentious, but those the the times we live in.

Either way, believing in Israel’s right to exist is very different from being responsible for the actions of the Israeli state. To conflate Judaism, Zionism, and the policies and actions of the Israeli government is a step too far.

Ben is absolutely right here. This is why Peter Davis was so wrong when he basically said hatred against Jews was to be expected because of the actions of the Israeli Government.

Let me give a few numbers.

• There are around 16 million Jews in the world. That btw is less than 1% of the number of Christians or Muslims.
• Of the 16 millions Jews in the world, I’d estimate around 15.1 million are Zionists. That simply means they support the right of Israel to exist as a majority Jewish state. This is based on polls showing around 90% of Jews outside Israel support the right of Israel to exist, plus say 99% of Israeli Jews
• Of the 15.1 million Zionist Jews, around 7.2 million are Israeli citizens
• The 7.2 Jewish Israelis make up around 73% of Israel along with 2.1 million Israeli Arabs and 550,000 other Israelis.
• The Israeli Government is made up of 34 Ministers drawn from six parties from the 120 members of the Knesset.

To be clear, I’m a New Zealand citizen. I proudly hold a New Zealand passport. I am not an Israeli citizen. I do not vote in Israeli elections. And while I’d like to think I’m important, I have no special access to the Israeli government and certainly no ability to influence its decision-making.

Of course, I have opinions about what’s going on in the region, just like I have opinions about the war in Ukraine, the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, and the atrocities committed by the Syrian regime. But having opinions and being held responsible for them are two different things. I can’t imagine a world in which Iran, a country currently led by a leader who has vowed to end Western civilisation, has nuclear weapons. But there is nothing I can do to influence that.

Sadly far too many people do use their disagreement with the actions of the Israeli Government to demonise Jews.

The 16 million Jews in the world disagree on almost everything. There is an old saying that if you have two Jews you’ll get three opinions. You have Orthodox Jews, Progressive Jews, Secular or Cultural Jews. Some are liberal, some are conservative etc etc.

The 15 million Zionist Jews also disagree on almost everything except that Israel has a right to exist, as a Jewish majority state. But within that you get little agreement. Some support the 1947 partition borders, some support the 1948 borders, some support the 1967 borders, some support 1979 borders, some support the 2004 borders etc etc. Most support a two state solution. There is no one view amongst Zionist Jews except that Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish majority state. On everything else, massive disagreements.

The 7.2 Jewish Israelis also disagree on many many things. Around 1 in 4 support Likuk. Around 48% support government parties and 42% opposition parties. Some support the actions of the Government in Gaza, some do not. Some supported the initial response, but now think the war should end. Many Israelis are European, but significant numbers come from Ethiopia and India. Many come from other Middle East countries such as Turkey and Iraq. Some support the new settlements, some do not.

It ia also worth reflecting that there are fewer Jews alive today than there were in 1939, despite the global population having more than tripled. Lest we forget.