The history of Zionism, from its religious roots to the revival of the Israeli state.

Anti-Zionists aim to destroy Israel as Israelis commemorate the country's founding 76 years ago.

Anti-Israel activists and antisemites on American college campuses are campaigning to remove Jews from their homeland, Israel, and transform the only democracy in the Mideast into an outcast state, frequently employing anti-Zionist slogans in their protests.

Some argue that Zionism, which has been met with criticism by many during today's protests against Israel, is a philosophy of action that is both biblically and politically grounded. As Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, wrote over a century ago, "If you will it, it is no dream."

The re-establishment of Israel was founded on a blend of biblical passages and modern philosophy, specifically Zionism, as explained by experts to Planet Chronicle Digital.

In 1897, at the First Zionist Congress held in Switzerland, Herzl, an Austrian-Hungarian Jewish journalist, declared the establishment of the Jewish State. If he were to say this today, he would be met with universal laughter. However, in five years, and certainly in 50, everyone will recognize the truth of his statement.

"…I will firmly plant them in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land that I have given them, says the Lord your God."

Herzl’s prescient vision about the Jewish state became a concrete reality.

BIBLICAL ORIGINS

The City of David Foundation's director of international affairs, Ze'ev Orenstein, explained the religious significance of Zionism, which is the return of the Jewish people as sovereign to their ancestral homeland, the Land of Israel, where they have had a continuous presence for over 3,500 years.

He stated that the land where the Jewish people worship the same God, practice the same faith, walk on the same hills and valleys, speak the same language, and keep the same traditions and festivals as their ancestors did thousands of years ago.

Orenstein referenced Amos 9: 14-15 in his argument for the establishment of the Jewish state in the Holy land, stating, "I will restore my people Israel from captivity; they will rebuild and inhabit the ruined cities. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will firmly plant them in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land that I have given them, says the Lord your God."

The transition from the Bible to the establishment of Israel as a state signifies the return of the Jewish people to being in control of their own fate and destiny, which can only be achieved as a sovereign nation in their homeland. This society, built with the aim of being a source of light, inspiration, and blessing, will benefit not only Israel and the Jewish people, but also the peoples of the region and the entire world.

‘Anti-Zionism’ is a transparent rebranding of antisemitism."

The return of the Jewish people to Israel as sovereign after 2,000 years of exile serves as an eternal reminder to individuals and nations that what was need not be. Despite seemingly insurmountable odds, and with equal measures of unwavering determination and unbreakable faith, good will ultimately triumph.

Critics argue that the U.N. played a key role in stoking antisemitism and anti-Israel hatred, while anti-Zionists continue to denigrate both Herzl's founding philosophy of the modern Jewish state, Zionism, and the Biblical foundation of the state of Israel.

In 1975, a significant number of U.N. member states, led by the Soviets and Arab dictatorships, adopted a resolution that classified Zionism as racism. Following the fall of the communist Soviet Union and its allies in Eastern Europe in 1991, the resolution was repealed.

INCREASING ANTISEMITISM

Eugene Kontorovich, an Israeli legal scholar, stated on Planet Chronicle Digital that opposition to Zionism implies that Jews, after gaining independence, are not entitled to maintain it. Unlike other people, Jews face global opposition to their statehood, making it challenging to distinguish 'anti-Zionism' from the centuries of antisemitism they experienced before having a state. With the majority of the world's Jews residing in Israel and being strongly connected to it, 'anti-Zionism' is merely a rebranded form of antisemitism.

The Jewish people's national independence movement, Zionism, was highlighted by Kontorovich. For 2,000 years, the Jewish people lacked a homeland and were subjected to the mercy of the nations and empires they inhabited, resulting in their minority status everywhere.

He stated that Zionism means that Jews should have an independent state in their ancestral homeland, just as many ethnic groups are majorities in numerous states, like Arabs, which have over 20 countries that identify themselves as Arab. Zionism does not require Jews to have two states, such as one for Ashkenazi Jews and one for Sephardim, but only one.

While Azshkenazi Jews trace their contemporary lineage to Eastern and Central Europe, Sephardic Jews can trace their origins back to Portugal and Spain, eventually moving to North Africa and Turkey.

The yearning of many Jews to return to their Biblical homeland is encapsulated in Psalm 126.

"A song of triumph. When the Lord freed the captives of Zion, we were like dreamers. Then our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with shouts of joy. Then it was said among the nations, The Lord has done great things for them. The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy."