I’ve been a proud Zionist all my life.  My great-grandmother, who I knew, was a Zionist.  My grandparents were Zionists.  On a visit to Israel a number of years ago, I went to the JNF building and found the books that had their name in it for their support of JNF back in the 60s.  My parents were Zionists.  I grew up filled with a love for Israel and a strong belief in the importance of a Jewish homeland. 

All four of my grandparents went to Israel.  My parents went to Israel.  My in-laws went to Israel.  My brother and sister-in-law have been to Israel.  My sister and brother-in-law have been to Israel.  My wife has been to Israel and this last trip was my 22^nd trip to Israel.  The proof is in the pudding as they say.

On this recent trip, while sitting in the back of the bus with one of the participants, he posed an interesting question to me.  “Why do we still call it Zionism?”   After all, Zionism is the belief that the Jewish people should have their own state and be able to have their own self-determination.  We have that.  We have had it for 76 years.  In 1776, the Americans were revolutionaries.  We no longer call ourselves revolutionaries nor have we for more than two centuries.  We are patriots because America is a country, and we no longer have to fight for our freedom from another country’s rule.

In 1948, in the former home of Mayor Meir Dizengoff, David Ben Gurion declared independence for the State of Israel.  While we have fought many wars since then, from that point forward the Jewish people have had a state.  We have had our homeland.  We have had self-determination.  So why are we still calling it Zionism?  Shouldn’t we just be patriots as well?  Haven’t we accomplished the goal of Zionism, the creation of a Jewish homeland?

It is a question I find myself struggling with for many reasons. While we have a Jewish homeland, the State of Israel, there are so many people and countries that want to eliminate our homeland and right to self determination that we must always be vigilant. So while we have our Jewish state and self determination, we cannot afford to sit on our laurels. We must continue to fight to maintain it. As a Zionist, I fight for our homeland and won’t let it be deligitimized. Today, more than ever, that is critical. The United Nations, UNRWA, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) are actively working to eliminate our homeland. If we are merely patriots, do we lose the urgency needed to defend Israel? Do we forget how long it took us to have our homeland after the Romans sent us into exile? Do we lose the passion of Zionism when we become Patriots? I don’t have the answers but I do have the questions.

On the flip side, we have our country. We have the right to self determination. Do we really need to be fighting for something that we already have? Defend it as patriots, yes. The Zionist dream is real and has been for 76 years. We accomplished the goal of Theodore Herzl. His radical idea, “the restoration of the Jewish State”, has come to pass. Are we using a word that we don’t need to? Are we creating challenges for ourselves because of that? Is it time to change the paradigm, to not live in fear that we will not have a Jewish state, because we actually have one?

As a Zionist, that word ties me to generations of my family. It ties me not only to my Great-great-grandparents and the time of Herzl but to ancient Jews and receiving the Torah. It is being a part of the Jewish people. Generations upon generations. When I was recently in Israel, walking on 2,000 year old streets, looking out at where King David’s castle was, praying at the Kotel, the base of Temple Mount, it all came together. My ancestors from thousands of years ago stood where I was standing.

In May, when I stood on top of Temple Mount, it was a connection to the Temple built by Solomon and then rebuilt and modified by King Herod.

At Passover every year, we remember that God took us out of Egypt. Not just our ancestors but us. We were all at Sinai for the giving of the Torah. Judaism isn’t about what happened to others. It’s about what happens for us. So yes, the Zionistic dream of Herzl has been attained. But Zionism remains for all of us to defend. To fight for. To advocate for. Our history shows us that if we take it for granted, we will lose it.

After lots of thinking about the word Zionist and comparing it to Patriot, there is no question in my mind that Zionist is the right word. Our homeland is too precious to be diluted. As I watch so many Jews not understand the importance of Israel, having never been to Israel, not seeing the historical connection and minimizing what Israel means to Judaism and the Jewish people, I am not sure the fight for Zionism will ever be over. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to those who came before us and fought for Zionism and for the existance of Israel. They are giants on who’s shoulders we continue the fight.

I won’t change from Zionist to Patriot. I won’t stop advocating for Israel and the Jewish state. And I won’t stop being public with my Jewish identity and passion for Israel. Each trip I video walking the streets to show those who have never been what it’s really like. I post images and tell stories. Zionism is more than a national identity. It is core to the Jewish people. From Abraham to Moses to Joshua to King David to King Solomon, from the Mishkan to the First Temple to the Second Temple. If you don’t believe me, take a trip to Israel and see it yourself.

Am Yisrael Chai!