PROGRESSIVE ZIONIST
ENGAGEMENT WITH ISRAEL

by KENNETH BOB

D avid Ben-Gurion, who later became the founding Prime Minister of Israel, was the leader of the Labor Zionist movement that led the pre-state Jewish Palestine community and provided the core values to the emerging state. It was not a coincidence that when it was necessary to establish communities to define and protect the future borders of Israel, the socialist kibbutz and its cooperative cousin, the moshav, were the chosen formats. In short, at the time of the establishment of the state and for years to come, progressive Zionism was synonymous with Israel. Progressive Zionists fully supported the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine that recommended the division of Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab.

These founding pioneers would find it inconceivable that, today, many in and out of the Jewish community identify Zionism exclusively with right-wing political views that oppose a two-state solution and view ideological settlers living in far-flung West Bank settlements as today’s true Zionist pioneers. This perception is propagated by the right in both Israel and the Diaspora. In the United States, some American Jewish organizations and leaders actively promote the delegitimization of progressive Jewish and Zionist organizations, suggesting that expressing views in opposition to Israeli government positions is equivalent to being anti-Israel and disloyal to the Jewish people. Synagogues have been threatened with withdrawal of financial support for holding events that promote views critical of official Israeli government policy. Jewish Community Centers have drawn criticism for screening films about the challenges faced by Israeli Arab citizens.

The left, however, is not blameless in this situation. There has been a tendency to cede the field to the right and opt out of the Zionist debate. Young Jews, turned off by the image of a theocratic, recalcitrant Israel, are developing new forms of a communal Jewish identity that avoid the “Z word” and relegate Israel to a minor role in their lives. The recent Repair the World study on young Jewish adults showed that while a large majority of respondents engage in some sort of volunteer activity, only 1 percent of respondents cited Israel or Middle East peace as the primary focus of their volunteer work (Chertok, F., Gerstein, J., Tobias, J., Rosin, S., & Boxer, M. Volunteering + Values: A Repair the World Report on Jewish Young Adults, 2011).

This trend, if not addressed, could have a far-reaching impact on the future of Israel-Diaspora relations and American Jewish support for Israel.

The American Jewish community has to acknowledge and embrace the fact that the Middle East conflict is complicated, and it has to affirm that one can be a Zionist and disagree with Israeli government policies. The same is true about the concerns for the strength of Israel’s democracy and the discouraging state of religious affairs in the country. To be a Zionist means to celebrate the successes of Israel and to try to help fix that which needs repair. Instead of ignoring these differences of opinion within the community, financial and logistical communal support should be provided to initiatives that address these issues.

This is important not only to ensure long-term, ongoing Diaspora engagement with Israel, but also because the very people who are disengaging from Israel are critical to a central communal initiative currently underway. There is a consensus in the organized American Jewish community regarding the need to combat the campaign that questions the legitimacy of Israel. These attacks, by and large, emanate from the left and include no small number of Jews.

Who better to fight this battle than progressive Zionists who speak the language of the left? To enlist their active involvement, those leading the charge both on a national level and in local communities must be willing to support those who employ effective language and tactics, even if it creates discomfort or conflict with more right-wing members of the communal coalition.

The question remains: How do we create a personal connection for liberal American Jews with Israel today?

One approach is to develop opportunities for Diaspora Jews to engage with the progressive activists of Israel. The good news is that there are a large number of Israeli grass-root activists who share liberal values with their Western counterparts and who are engaged in a wide range of areas that can capture the imagination of young adults — and older adults as well. These include groups that:

  • address the social and economic rights of Arabs in Israeli society;
  • work towards government recognition of the Jewish liberal religious streams;
  • meet the needs of the LGBT community in Israel;
  • deal with the social gap and growing economic insecurity;
  • continue the co-existence work between Palestinians and Israelis;
  • defend the human rights of all Israeli citizens and residents;
  • establish urban kibbutzim drawn from participants in Israeli and Diaspora Zionist youth movements who work in the field of education as the new pioneers of Israeli society.

There are a variety of structures that can be utilized to enable engagement between these Israeli and Diaspora cohorts.

They can include service-learning programs for Diaspora groups visiting Israel as well as scholars-in-residence from Israel visiting the Diaspora. Bidirectional internship placements can be facilitated between groups so that each can learn about the mission and organizational culture of their counterparts. The Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization could recruit shlichim (emissaries) and teachers from among the ranks of these Israeli social activists. Their interaction with the local Jewish communities where they work could serve to expand the picture Diaspora Jews receive of the reality in today’s Israel.

The massive social justice protests in Israel this past summer reinforce these potential opportunities. The societal problems that were exposed by the activists can be framed as challenges to young adults in the Diaspora. Instead of ignoring the protests, as most American Jewish organizations did, the Jewish community should engage with Israelis involved in the struggle and look for the partnership opportunities they present for the global Jewish community.

Progressive Zionism, a world view of how Jews can realize their national aspirations in a socially just manner, is as relevant today as when Ahad Ha’am, Berl Katznelson, Ben-Gurion and others brought these ideas from Russia to then Palestine. The 21st Century version of this ideology, linking tikkun olam, Jewish values and Zionism with reaching a secure and just peace with Israel’s neighbors, can and should be an important part of the Diaspora Jewish community’s connection with Israel. ■

Kenneth Bob is the national president of Ameinu, the progressive Zionist organization (www.ameinu.net). He serves in a variety of communal roles, including as a member of the World Zionist Organization Executive and as a member of the Jewish Agency Board of Governors.

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