Judaism and Zionism - What is the connection?

The topic of Zionism is one of the complex topics to deal with due to its wide coverage. The current state of war state in Israel races its background in 1897 when the Zionist movement was established to protect the Jewish religion as well as to encourage the Jews to settle in Israel (Eisen, 2011). Despite the fact that the Zionism fought to bring about the settlement of the Jewish in Israel and to allow the Jewish to carry on with their daily activities, it is essential to indicate that Zionism was influenced by other factors besides the driving force revolving around Judaism. 

Secular Aspects 

Firstly, Zionism has from the past demonstrated both the religious and secular aspects while dealing with Jewish matters. Initially, the movement started as a means of protecting the Jewish religion and way of life, and as the war and crusades increased the movement was seen to focus on acquiring national sovereignty. From this point of view, the Zionist was fighting for the Jewish to acquire and settle in their homeland which they believe was their land as indicated in the Bible. Additionally, the literature indicates that before 1930, most of the Jewish religious leaders opposed the Zionist movement as they believe that violence was not the right way to acquire their promised land. As they considered the act as blasphemous as they believed that it was the duty of their God to fight for them to acquire the land (Isaacs, 2011). The movement was started in 1897, and until 1930, the Jewish leader's leaders were not is support of the movement, this implies that the movement was established and operated suing approaches that did not support Judaism but rather supported other factors among the Jewish people such as their freedom to settle in their motherland. From this point of view, it is evidence that the Zionist movement was reinforced by other social, political, cultural as well as economic forces among the Jewish population (Eisen, 2011). 

Diversity of the Goals of the Movement 

It is also important to indicate that the movement core founders were extreme nationalist such as Jabotinsky, religious, cultural, and social Zionist (Isaacs, 2011). In this case, the main focus of the movement can be viewed from a different perspective such as cultural or social as rather than from a religious point of view. It is from the leaders that one understands the source of violence in Israel to originate from other sources rather than Judaism. In this case, if the movement were meant for Judaism, the majority of the founders of the movement would be Jewish leaders. It is also from this perspective that the violence experienced in Israel cannot be solely attributed to Judaism but rather other factors were also inclusive, and this explains why Jewish with different ideologies formed the movement. 

Additionally, the establishment of motion was significantly shaped by other forces in Europe. Over time the goals and the objectives of the Zionist movement revolve due to the variation in circumstance experienced in Europe such as social, cultural, national, colonialism as well as assumed favors that were granted to individuals based on their country of origin (Beinart, 2014). In this case, the Zionist movement reacted to protect the Jewish in achieving their sovereign nation which is Israel as well as ensuring that the Jewish from exile were treated in the right way without being discriminated (Almog et al., 1998). Additionally, while evaluating the risk circumstances one realizes that the violence experienced in Palestine was not as a result of the Judaism religion but rather other driving forces. Such as the willingness of the Jewish to acquire freedom as a nation as well as to enjoy equal rights as other individuals without facing discrimination that arisen from an individual's background. 

Importantly the establishment of the Zionist movement was primarily facilitated by the anti-Semitism, whereby, the Jewish people were subjected to harassment as a result of their origin and religion (Isaacs, 2011). In this case, the religion, as well as their origin, played a significant role in shaping the violence and destruction of peace experience in an attempt to regain equal treatment for the Jewish which is more political rather than religious. During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the Jewish people were subjected to suffering ranging from prosecution, massacre, limitation from accessing public utilities as well as being expelled and forceful conviction with adequate evidence (Almog et al..1998). The hatred and unjust treatment of the Jewish were initially attributed to religious factors but the reasons for the unfair treatment changed with time and after the French Revolution, it was established that the Jewish were subjected to unfair treatment because they were not fully assimilated into the European's culture (Beinart, 2014). From this perspective the Zionist movement was political as well as social rather than religious, this is because the movement was established to fight for the Jewish lives as well as equal treatment by stopping the Semitism that was being experienced in Europe. 

Political Factors 

Additionally, the Zionist movement which leads to violence was as reinforced by political forces as one of the core founders Theodor Herzl engaged in numerous actions and brings about sovereignty for Israel as an independent nation from Palestine. In 1897 under the leadership of Herzl, the Zionist movement engages in the First Zionist Congress which was held in Basel in Switzerland (Kimball, 2011). The movement was established in 1897 and the same year the movement engaged in a political activity which was the Zionist Congress. Therefore, this is a clear illustration that the movement which advocated on violence approach in solving the Jewish problems was not based on Judaism factors but rather political interests among the Jewish people. Herzl viewed the Jewish problem as complex and problems that would be solved suing a political approach. The complexity of the Jewish problems pushed him to a meeting held in 1897 with significant others such as the Turkey Sultan Kaiser Wilhelm, the then ruling king of Italy, the Catholic Pope Pius X, as well as a Russian Prime Minister (Isaacs, 2011). It is during this meeting that the agendas of the Zionist movement were first considered in the internal political policies. From this point of view it is evidence that the movement actions were not based on Judaism. But instead, other factors facilitated the establishment of motion such as the political interest of the people of Judah in gaining their nation which in Israel and allowing the immigration of the exiled Jewish back into their nation which they believed was their ancestral land. 

Additionally, in 1903, the Zionist movement also under the leadership of Herzl also engages in another political affair which involved supporting the British government in settling the Jewish people in Uganda under the British leadership as they were the colonizers of Uganda (Beinart, 2014). In this case, the Zionist movement act was political rather than religious. It is also this perspective that one realizes that the goals of the movement were wide to incorporate other factors besides religion where were viewed as necessary in enabling the Jewish attain their nation as well as to enable the Jewish in other states such as the US to freely immigrate to their homeland. 

Jabotinsky a key figure in the Zionist movement who joined the movement in 1903, advocated for a solution to the Jewish people using state and military approach (Kimball, 2011). In this case, Jabotinsky together with Herzl approaches was political rather than religious. It is also important to indicate that Jabotinsky political agenda in the movement was marked some political milestones experienced in the Zionist movement which brought about violence. Such as the establishment of Jewish self-defense army in Russia, establishment of the Jewish Regiment under the British army, as well as the establishment of a long-term Jewish armed force which received guidance from the British army (Beinart, 2014). Based on this date, the Zionist movement goals and objectives were on political rather than Judaism factors and therefore, the violence experienced in the reconstruction of Israel can be attributed to the political forces behind the movement's actions. 

Cultural Factors 

The views of the Zionist founders in developing a nation that the Jewish people would identify with is viewed as cultural rather than religious (Isaacs, 2011). In this case, the founders of the movement wanted to reconstruct and gain sovereignty of a nation in which all the Israelites including those in diaspora would identify with. The need to belong to people was, therefore, a major driving force behind the establishment of the movement. From a broader perspective, the Jewish in other nations were relatively many while compared with those in Israel and therefore it was difficult to bring all the Jewish in Israel as they were scattered all other the world. Also, Israel was small in size to accommodate all Israel might, hence, reconstructing a nation where the Israelites would be identified with some a cultural aspect. Additionally, the literature indicates that the spiritual and cultural Zionism aimed at providing the Jewish in the West of Europe a culture based on their homeland as they found it difficult to integrate the liberal culture. Also to the East Europe Jewish, the culture provided them with a nationalist culture that enables the people in the East of Europe to continue practicing the Jewish way of life despite being in a different region of the nation (Kimball, 2011). 

Economic Factors 

Economic factors were also influential aspects that facilitated the violence approach represented by the Zionist in the quest for a better life for the Jewish living their motherland as well as those abroad. Facts indicated that the Jewish in foreign nations were subjected to social oppression as a result of their identity which was significantly shaped by their source of origin. In this case, the Jewish abroad were subjected to unfair treatment when working as they were paid relatively low while compared with the citizens of the settled nation (Beinart, 2014). In this case, the Zionist movement aimed at improving the lives of the Jewish in the diaspora which involved economic empowerment and advocating for better payment systems for the Jewish in both Israel and other nations. Additionally, in 1967, Israel took over the West Bank and Gaza which is an economic milestone for the Zionist (Isaacs, 2011). In this case, targeting and taking over the leadership and operations of the Gaza and West Bank was a key activity in bringing about economic stability for the Jewish and Israel as a nation. 

Conclusion 

Despite the fact that the Zionism movement attributes its roots from the love of the mountain Zion and the need to protect the Judaism religion and way of life, it is evidence from the above discussion that some other factors such as political, cultural, economic as well as social factors. These factors played a significant role in shaping the activities and the violence that the movement advocated for. By analyzing the activities of the movement, it is clear that after its establishment in 1897, numerous political activities were carried out in the movement which in turn questions the movement agenda in Judaism. Also well as the role of Judaism in shaping the violence that was experienced in an attempt to settle the Jewish in Israel and reconstruct the nation (Eisen, 2011). It is also important to indicate that the Jewish leaders were against the violence approach applied by the Zionist activities from its establishment in 1897 to 1930; this is evidence that the Zionist violence was not majorly influenced by Judaism but rather other forces influenced the activities of the movement. Finally, since the reconstruction of Israel, most of the Jewish including those in foreign nation identity as and recognize the Zionist in the sense that they support Israel as a nation which in turn have positively impacted Israel political as well as financial well- being. 

Reference 

Almog, S., Reinharz, J., Shapira, A., Merkaz Zalman Shazar., & Tauber Institute for the Study of European Jewry. (1998).    Zionism and religion . Hanover: Brandeis University Press in association with the Zalman Shazar Center for Jewish History. 

Beinart, P. (2012).    The crisis of Zionism . Carlton, Vic: Melbourne University Publishing. 

Eisen, R. (2011).  The peace and violence of Judaism: from the Bible to modern Zionism . New York: Oxford University Press. 

Isaacs, A. (2011).    A prophetic peace: Judaism, religion, and politics . Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 

Kimball, C. (2011).    When religion becomes lethal: The explosive mix of politics and religion in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam .