Is Zionism Still Alive?

Published in Koach on Campus, Spring 2000

By Todd Surden 

Marom/KOACH

Is Zionism still alive? The query quite possibly elicits more questions than it does answers. 

The 50 to 60 years prior to the founding of the state of Israel were marked by definite historical events, such as the Balfour Declaration, which propelled the ideological and political struggle over a Jewish state to its ultimate climax. Since that time, however, these moments involving Israel, the very instances which once defined Judaism to the secular world, have been few and far between. 

Most Jews have more fear about the future of the state because of politics within Israel, not from the outside international community. Zionism was once the central focus of Jews and of Judaism, as well as the basis of many Jews' system of belief and reason for being in the Diaspora. 

The sheer nature of Zionism, what many people refer to as the desire to establish a Jewish state in the land of Israel, leads some to believe that Zionism is antiquated, post-dated, and simply non-existent in the modern world. After all, the state of Israel is more than 50 years old and there is no reason to question its existence or chances for survival any longer. 

Israel is alive and well, so why center ourselves around a movement whose basic goal has already been achieved? 

Is Zionism still alive? While it is true that the state of Israel is a thriving entity and that the political and social idealism of the Zionist movement has subsided, it is unfair to refer to the movement as dead. 

Zionism has adapted itself to encompass not just the goal of establishment, but also the goals of continuation and success. It is essential for Israel to remain relevant to the modern Jew. 

It is clear that Jews all over the Diaspora possess a great love and a deep connection to the people, culture, and land of Israel. This is evident in, among other things, the trips sponsored by youth groups for teens, the large number of students who spend time studying in Israel during their high school and college years, and the birthright israel trips which began this winter. 

A large percentage of the next generation of Jewish leaders defines much of their Jewish existence by Israel and Zionism. Is Zionism still alive? Last summer, a group of university students from all over the world gathered in Israel to explore this very idea. For twelve days they studied, traveled, partied, and debated, all for the sake of answering the above question. 

While they were often dismayed by the Conservative Movement's future both within Israel and around the world, as well as the political and social sovereignty of the non-Orthodox in Israel, it was clear that they each believe in the state of Israel. Those 12 days on the MaroM/KOACH seminar, often with little sleep and little opportunity for leisure and relaxation, proved that the state of Zionism is still strong. 

While it is clear that participants left the MaroM seminar with as many questions as answers, participants left confident that everyone has a place in Israel and that Israel has a place for everyone. The Zionist movement has not given up. For the present and future generations of Jewish leaders, Zionism is no longer about the establishment of a Jewish state, it is about establishing our place within it. 

Is Zionism still alive? It's not only alive, but it's alive and kicking. Just ask the 15 participants of the 1999 MaroM/KOACH International Leadership Seminar and other members of MaroM/KOACH, the Conservative Zionist international student organization.