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A Brief Exchange About What Israel Represents
A question from four years ago is still searingly relevant
Four years ago, I had this online exchange with a Jewish friend about Zionism and Israel. I first published it here in 2019. I republish it on Medium because nothing has changed, but perhaps speaking out is one tiny step toward a better world.
In italics is his question/statement as written, grammatical errors and all, and below is my response. This brief exchange in no way solves the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, but it is the type of dialog that people need to have. The reluctance to have open, honest conversations is what keeps conflicts inflamed.
I struggle with the Israel Zionist struggle. I try to read about the conflict.
But what does Israel represent? Especially when so many people who claim to be Jewish, in my experience, are Jewish because of culture and not religion. Or race. But honestly, almost all the Jews I have met look as white as me. (Disclaimer, I have “Jewish blood”).
The Palestinian question is a relevant question. Zionism, emigrating to Israel, began, I believe, in the late 19th century. It took off after WWII and the Holocaust. The promotion of Jewish Immigration, in things I’ve read, sometimes feels like an extension of anti-semitism. Let’s get…
