Israeli president calls on Jews to reclaim Zionism

Israeli President Isaac Herzog called on the Jewish people of the world to work together to reclaim the term “Zionism”, which he insists means “responsibility”.

In an impassioned plea to the more than 1 400 delegates from 40 countries who attended the 2022 World Zionist Conference in Basel, he said reclaiming Zionism was the combined “mission of our generation”.

Speaking at the gala event on Monday night, 29 August, that marked the end of the 125th anniversary of the first Zionist Congress held in 1897, he said, “Zionism, both historically and in its modern form, means responsibility. Responsibility that we must bear with pride and etch on our hearts from generation to generation, forevermore.”

The only way the Jewish people can address the issues, hardships, and dilemmas relating to Zionism is together, Herzog said.

“Not just because our past was shaped thus, but because this is the only way, and the safest and most responsible way in which we may build a prosperous and promising future for our people and our state, for future generations, and for Zionism,” Herzog said.

He spoke of how ridiculous it was that a “major social media company had considered treating the word ‘Zionist’ as a term of abuse”.

“About a year ago, there was a discussion about whether the word ‘Zionist’ should be censored on social media for fear that it was being used as a term of antisemitic abuse against Jews and Israelis, or whether, to quote the counter argument, the word ‘Zionist’ was a term of legitimate criticism of Israeli policy,” said Herzog. “I heard about this discussion, and was appalled. I was appalled because, inconceivably, at no point did anyone suggest that ‘Zionist’ might actually be a positive term!

“We must fight this antisemitic and anti-Zionist approach. History has already shown what dark depths it can reach,” Herzog said. “We must reclaim the term ‘Zionism’ for ourselves, with our heads held high and our backs straight, as an expression of our own national identity, traditions, hopes, pride, enlightened values, justice, and commitment to tikkun olam.”

Herzog repeated the need to breathe new meaning into the Zionism, that of responsibility. “Responsibility for our deep-rooted Jewish identity as individuals; responsibility for our cohesion as a diverse, opinionated people, whose deep and binding connection to its ancestral land, Zion, finds expression in the name ‘Zionism’; responsibility for the existence and prosperity of the Jewish and democratic state of Israel, the ultimate sovereign and political expression of the Zionist movement; and no less importantly, responsibility for the fact that we’re part of the family of nations, in an effort to help solve the greatest challenges of humanity, bequeathing tikkun olam to the whole world.

“Therefore, from a Jewish and Israeli perspective, Zionism means populating the land of Israel and building Israeli society; it means fortifying Israeli democracy, with a proper culture of debate and discussion; and the perpetual pursuit of peace and coexistence with members of all people and faiths living in Israel and the whole Middle East.

“It means guaranteeing aliya to the state of Israel, the beating heart of the Jewish people and their firmest foundation; it means fostering Jewish identity among all our nation’s communities, bolstering mutual responsibility in the Jewish world across its many stripes; and of course, the security and prosperity of diaspora Jewry.

“From a universal perspective, our generation’s Zionism is expressed in its essential contribution to building whole worlds of intellect and culture across the world,” Herzog said. And, it means “fighting to solve the global climate crisis; extending assistance to people in disaster zones; providing economic, medical, and welfare support for those who need it; and waging an all-out war on hatred and violence”.

“That is to say, modern Zionism gives us our sense not only of a shared fate but also a shared destiny, as long as it remains anchored in our deepest roots, weaving together the inseparable threads of peoplehood, land, and state.”

He look back at what Theodor Herzl had done 125 years ago, saying that he “was Zionism’s greatest instigator”.

“He translated Jewish identity into an effective political doctrine, and he opened up the possibility for Jews to experience their identity as an independent political community, as a state,” Herzog said.

World Zionist Organization Chairperson Yaakov Hagoel said, “Herzl’s vision included not only the establishment of a Jewish state in the land of Israel, but also the establishment of a model Zionist, leadership committed to creating a better world. Herzl’s vision spoke of the establishment of Jewish leaders who would lead the Jews of the world to one national home. Exactly 50 years after the establishment of his dream, the state of Israel was established.”

Herzog said Herzl sought to create a new space for the Jewish people, “a space that was at once political, diplomatic, territorial, and cultural. A space in which the Jewish people could continue arguing, debating, and making decisions about their great dilemma between normality and individuality, but without the fear that had haunted this polemic until then – fear of antisemitism and persecution on the one hand, and fear of assimilation to the point of the erasure of identity, culture, and spirituality on the other. In other words, Herzl transcended the debate about individuality and created the infrastructure for something more existential – independence!”

As a result of the threat of anti-Israel demonstrations, the Swiss government allocated more than SF5 million (R86.9 million) towards security for the gala event.

Guy Parmelin, a member of the Swiss Federal Council and the former president of the country, said, “Bilateral relations between Israel and Switzerland are excellent. We enjoy close co-operation in agriculture, business, and science. We both invest in education, in creating knowledge and something new for the world.”

“In the Swiss government’s view, only a negotiated two-state solution can bring about a just, lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”

Beat Jans, the president of the Government of the Canton of Basel, said, “Peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians remains a remote prospect. Current events in particular have made this clear. Still, setbacks and disappointments shouldn’t discourage and prevent us from continuing to peruse dialogue and search for sustainable solutions. Basel remains a constant partner in providing dialogue and exchange on the path towards peace.”