Anti-Zionist Jew

There is an interesting movement taking place around the world, a movement that won’t be reported on in any mainstream newspapers. There are a growing number of Jews who – while not being against Israel in theory – are against Zionism. When a Gentile speaks out against Israel in general or the policy of the US over there, she or he is labeled an anti-Semite; however, what happens when a Jew speaks out against a section of his or her own people? When I first started writing the occasional blog or getting involved in a random conversation about being anti-Zionist, I felt like Bill Cosby when he made his infamous statement a few years ago. People looked at me – and called me – a bad Jew, a person who is against his own people. As the months wore on, I started meeting people here and there that were also Jewish and against the actions Israel is and has been taking. I began to read about surveys where large chunks – sometimes even the majority – of Israeli citizens were against most of the offensive actions Israel takes against Palestine, Lebanon, and other Arab and Muslim countries whom they view a threat. I began to meet non-Jews who were neither pro-Israel nor anti-Semite. Now there is a new book out entitled “If I Am Not For Myself: Journey of An Anti-Zionist Jew, that explains how it is possible to love one’s people while disagreeing with the policies being enacted by them. I – probably like Mike Marqusee, the author of the above-mentioned book – love people and think we are all equal, no matter what. When I see vicious acts being done to people with the same history as me, of course I feel something inside that makes me want to stop it, but at the same time, if “my people” are doing something to people of another color or who speak another language, I also feel the same sense of wanting to do something.