Reclaiming the noble description of God’s holy city.
As Jews across Europe come under increasing fire, and the scandal of anti-Semitism continues to wreak havoc in Britain’s Labour Party, there is an ever-present danger of misunderstanding as to what it’s all about.
Why have Jews, and Israel in particular, become the focus of so much vilification? And what on earth is ‘Zionism’, a catch-all word generally being used in a disparaging way by opponents of the Jewish state?
Among the many unsavoury allegations of anti-Jewish sentiment surrounding Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn, he was recently cited as having said in a 2013 speech that Zionists in the UK had “no sense of English irony”, which critics said implied they weren’t fully British.1
Quite apart from the patent untruth of Corbyn’s nasty slur – for British Jews have surely been the most loyal of minorities, contributing hugely to our success in so many fields, not least the economy – let’s take a moment to unpack what exactly is meant by ‘Zionism’.
It’s a form of insult for some – we get that – meant as a kind of synonym to describe a ‘racist’ people accused of stealing Palestinian land. But the reality is very different, and we need to rescue the term from the skewed meaning it is often given in common use.
A Most Noble, Holy Concept
In truth, Zionism is among the most noble, holy concepts found in the English language (or any language) and those who take up its cause should be justly proud of doing so. For it is essentially a biblical reference to the place where we go up to meet with God to worship him.
Specifically, it refers to Jerusalem, God’s dwelling place on earth, also known as the “city of the Great King” (Ps 48:1f). It is a very special domain which God himself has chosen as a “resting place” (Ps 132:13f). So to use it as a form of insult virtually amounts to blasphemy because it involves denigrating something sacred to the Creator.
In the time of Jesus, Jews were expected to make a special pilgrimage to attend three major feasts a year – all in Jerusalem – when they would sing about going “up to Zion”. The Book of Psalms is strewn liberally with joyful expressions of the holy wonder of these regular journeys. The city is built on mountains, including Mt Zion, at an elevation of nearly 3,000ft, which thus requires a stiff climb of some 4,000ft within the space of just 30 miles from the Dead Sea – which, at 1,200ft below (normal) sea level, is the lowest point on earth.
Zionism is among the most noble, holy concepts found in the English language
Zion describes the City of Jerusalem (Isa 40:9) and the nation of Israel as a whole (Zech 9:13; Isa 60:14). And it is a place God loves (Ps 87:2f), having first assumed significance when King David brought the Ark of the Covenant into the stronghold of ‘Zion’, also named the ‘City of David’.
Similarly, Zion-ism is a longing expressed by Jews dispersed around the world for a return to their ancient land, encapsulated in the late 19th Century by Theodor Herzl and his Zionist movement that propelled the initial waves of Jewish immigration to the Holy Land. For Jews everywhere, it is like returning ‘home’, even if (as in most cases) their ancestors have been exiled for nearly 2,000 years. It is a divinely appointed location, and Jews have a divine right to live there.
And so ‘Zion’, as a homeland for the Jewish people, has also come to describe their right to self-determination in the re-established State of Israel. After all, Jews have prayed towards Jerusalem for thousands of years. Even the Western Church, which has somewhat lost sight of its Hebraic roots, has traditionally built its altars facing east – towards Jerusalem!
Gentile Zionism
But there are also Christian Zionists, who support Israel’s right to exist and make every effort to help them in any way they can, including sourcing the documents and finance to enable persecuted Jews to make ‘aliyah’ by becoming Israeli citizens.
Christians United for Israel, noting the Church’s “deafening” silence on the anti-Semitism scandal, points out that an attack on Zionism is also an attack on Christians.2
Remaining silent because of fears of engaging in what is deemed a ‘political’ controversy “could be one of the biggest mistakes by the church so far this century” because it is central to Christian faith and theology and “has consequences that may only be realised when the church becomes the next target of the same ‘flames of hatred’ that have reappeared throughout Europe”.3
An attack on Zionism is also an attack on Christians.
Loving Who God Loves
In answer to the first question posed at the beginning of this article, well that’s a big subject that would best be tackled another day. But, in short, it is just because Jews are God’s chosen people that they are so reviled. It is a fit of jealousy on the part of all who rebel against God’s choice.
But those who love God will love whoever he loves, especially Israel, “the apple of his eye” (see Zech 2:8).
References
1 Metro, 31 August 2018.
2 Reclaiming the definition of “Zionism” – and why it should matter to Christians. Christians United for Israel, 4 September 2018.
3 Ibid.
