Page 11 - Jewish News_may2021

FEDERATION NEWS May 2021 11

CRConnect: Is Zionism a form of racism?

By David Millstone
srael as a modern state was found- concerned that world opinion would be Zionism as racism, introduced in 1965, Return” makes Zionism racist,
ed on the basis of the Zionist dream focused on the U.S. as well. Wanting to found its way into Resolution 3379 in since non-Jews are not accorded
Iof the late 19 century, advanced move the focus off itself, the U.S. at- 1975. automatic citizenship, are specious
th
and promoted by Theodor Herzl. For tempted to put the Soviet Union on the When Resolution 3379 was ad- as Israel has regular procedures,
Herzl, Zionism was a nationalist move- hot seat for its persecution of its Jew- opted, it adversely impacted how Is- similar to many other countries,
ish minority. To do so, it proposed the
Pensacola cemetery ment for the establishment of a Jewish addition of antisemitism as a form of rael was treated in not only various for non-Jews to obtain Israeli cit-
UN bodies, but by other international
izenship.
homeland in the historic land of the
Staff Report Jewish people – Eretz Yisrael or the Robert and Esther Heller bodies as well. Resolu- ‹ Israel is a multi-ethnic and
multi-religious country.
Land of Israel. His dream was built
tion 3379 was revoked
upon the need to protect the survival onnect in 1991. However, it ‹ Israel has welcomed Ethiopian
onnect
of Jews, not only physically, but reli- CRC resurfaced in 2001 in Jews, Indian Jews, North African
giously and culturally. Durban, South Africa, Jews, Jewish refugees expelled
Today, there are two antithetical when Israel was sin- from Arabic and other Moslem
views of Zionism – one is that Zionism gled out in the World countries, European Jews – a di-
is racist and the other is that anti-Zion- racism. Russian treatment of its Jewish Conference Against Racism. Today verse group of Jews.
ism is both antisemitic and racist. This minority was becoming a big issue in there are groups on both the right and In conclusion, the arguments that
article will explore how the concept the 1960s. In response to the U.S. pro- left which continue to promote the con- Zionism is a form of racism are con-
of Zionism as racism developed, and posal, the Soviets developed a strategy cept of Zionism as racism. trary to the evidence. Support of the
why, in this author’s view, it is simply that proposed including Zionism as a An analysis of Zionism leads to the concept calls into question the whole
wrong. form of racism under CERD. opposite conclusion: Zionism is not a legitimacy of the State of Israel. Zion-
On November 10, 1975, the UN Arab countries immediately sup- form of racism. ism cannot be a form of racism when it
General Assembly passed Resolution ported the Russian proposal. (The ‹ Zionism is a national liberation does not deny or denigrate other races
3379 declaring “Zionism is a form of proposal to declare Zionism as racism movement of the Jewish people, or religions, when it welcomes a racial-
racism and racial discrimination.” The occurred two years prior to the Six- just as there was a general upsurge ly diverse Jewish population, and when
resolution was passed 37 years to the Day War when Israel captured the West of national consciousness and as- a diverse non-Jewish population can
day after Kristallnacht. Bank, Gaza and the remainder of Jeru- piration that overtook most other and have become citizens.
The concept of Zionism as racism salem.) The Arab logic went something people starting in the mid-1800s. For more detailed information and
was not new. It had its roots in geo- like this: ‹ Zionism is incompatible with rac- original source material, visit the Fed-
political struggles when the UN was • Racism is illegal ism – it is rooted in principles of eration website at jfedsrq.org/crcon-
debating and negotiating the Interna- • Zionism is racism freedom, democracy, equality and nect. The issue of whether Zionism is
tional Convention on Elimination of • Israel is a Zionist state social justice. a form of racism is closely tied to the
All Forms of Racial Discrimination • Therefore, Israel is illegal ‹ Zionism promotes the Jewish con- question of whether Israel is a colonial
(CERD), adopted in 1965. The African The goal of the Arab countries in nection to the land of Israel going state, the issue to be explored in the
nations wanted the focus of CERD to having Zionism declared as racist was back to biblical times. June issue of The Jewish News.
Read the current and previous be on racial discrimination, with par- to delegitimize Israel. For the Soviet ‹ It does not denigrate other reli- Any opinions expressed in this article
Union, its strategy worked. The refer-
ticular focus on apartheid in South
are those of the author and not nec-
gions or nationalities.
editions of The Jewish News Africa. Because of the racial discrim- ences to all “isms” other than racism ‹ Arabs living in Israel have rights essarily those of The Jewish News or
of citizenship and equality.
at jfedsrq.org/jewish-news ination in the United States that still were removed from CERD before ‹ Arguments that Israel’s “Law of The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-
its passage. However, the concept of
existed in the mid-1960s, the U.S. was
Manatee.
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