Zionism and Israel

What is Zionism?

"The land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of Books. After being forcible exiled from their land, the people kept faith with it throughout their dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for their return to it and for the restoration in it of their political freedom." - Israel's 1948 Declaration of Independence.

• Zionism is the national liberation movement of the Jewish people that holds that Jews, like any other nation are entitled to a homeland.
• The origin of the term Zionism derives from the biblical term "Zion" that refers to Jerusalem and the land of Israel.
• Zionism is the modern expression of the ancient longing by the Jewish People to return to their homeland to live as a free people.
• Zionism encourages Jews across the Diaspora to return to their homeland so that they may live in peace and security without the threat of persecution. History has demonstrated that Jews need a national homeland to ensure their safety.
• Zionism realizes that Jews are bound together by a shared origin, religion, culture and history. All of which have roots in the land of Israel.
• Zionism is a new word that describes an ancient, unbroken relationship, the land of Israel and the Jewish people.
• The Jews who were exiled in Babylon 2,500 years ago first held o The Jewish aspiration of returning to their homeland. Over the centuries the Jews maintained a strong relationship with the land of Israel. This is demonstrated through rituals, prayer and literature.

"Zionism springs from an even deeper motive than Jewish suffering. It is rooted in a Jewish spiritual tradition whose maintenance and development are for Jews the basis of their continued existence as a community." -Albert Einstein

"Palestine is our unforgettable historic homeland. . . Let me repeat once more my opening words: The Jews who will it shall achieve their State. We shall live at last as free men on our own soil, and in our own homes peacefully die. The world will be liberated by our freedom, enriched by our wealth, magnified by our greatness. And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind." - Herzl's The Jewish State

The Jewish Claims to the Land of Israel.

• G-d promised the Land of Israel to Abraham, the Patriarch of the Jewish people.
• Jews settled and developed the land. Property derives from labor, meaning that if one toils and works the land, they are entitled to what grows or comes from it and even sovereignty over it. Before Jews returned to the Land of Israel, it was a baron and wasteland.
• The international community granted political sovereignty for Jews in Palestine. UN General Assembly voted in favour of the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine, and after Israel declared its independence almost every member state recognized it and admitted Israel into the United Nations in 1949. The Balfour declaration was incorporated into the League of Nations Mandate..
• The territory that Israel posses was acquired in defensive wars.
• As well as being the homeland of the Jewish people, Israel serves as a safe haven for Jews who have fled persecution.

Jews and Israel - A Brief History

• Jews have lived and have maintained ties to the Jewish homeland for over 3,000 years.
• The twelve tripes of Israel formed a constitutional monarchy in Palestine 3,000 years ago. King David made Jerusalem the capital. Jewish independence in Palestine lasted for over 200 years.
• After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70AD and the start of the Jewish exile there was a continues Jewish presence in the land.
• The Bar Kochba revolt was suppressed by the Romans. It was one of the stroingest uprising the Romans had to face. 580,000 Jewish soldiers perished in the fighting and 985 Jewish villages were destroyed.
• After the Romans had crushed the Bar Kochba revolt they renamed Israel Syria Palestina to deny Jewish identity with the land so that future revolts would not be orchestrated.
• It was in Palestine that the Mishna was completed and the Jerusalem Talmud was compiled.
• In the year 351 the Jews in Palestine launched another revolt against the Romans leading to heavy retribution.
• Jews fought alongside Arabs and Turks against the Crusaders. Jews defended the besieged city of Haifa almost single-handedly in 1099.
• Jewish communities flourished in Rafah, Gaza, Ashkelon, Jaffa and Caesarea especially in the 11th century.
• Starting from the 12th century after Jews were massacred by the Crusaders, Jews immigrated to Jerusalem and the Galilee where communities flourished especially in Safed and Jerusalem.
• Before the establishment of modern Zionism 10,000 Jews lived in Palestine.
• When Jews arrived to Palestin in the 19th century there land was practically empty. Only 25,000 Arabs lived there, many of whom were recent immigrants also.
  

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