Zionism, A Historic Subject Very Few Know About

 Nadene Goldfoot                                              

Alfred Dreyfus, born October 9, 1859, died July 12, 1935.  Dreyfus was arrested, cashiered from the French army and imprisoned on Devil's Island in French Guiana. Eventually, evidence emerged showing that Dreyfus was innocent and the true culprit was fellow officer Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy.  

"A young French-Jewish captain named Alfred Dreyfus was on the French General staff in 1894, and someone accused him of selling secret documents to Germany, which he hadn't done.  He was found guilty, and faced life imprisonment.  The fact that he was Jewish made him a suspect.  Anti-Semitism was flourishing.  A descendent of his was Julia Louis Dreyfus on the Seinfeld show who played the part of Elaine. One needs to read the reams of material on anti-Semitism that Jews have had to deal with since the Greek and Roman days that have continued. The Dryfus Affair was just the cog that turned the wheel in doing something about it by the Jews.  Enough was Enough!!!

On 5 January 1895, Dreyfus was summarily convicted in a secret court martial, publicly stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island in French Guiana. Following French military custom of the time, Dreyfus was formally degraded (cashiered) by having the rank insignia, buttons and braid cut from his uniform and his sword broken, all in the courtyard of the École Militaire before silent ranks of soldiers, while a large crowd of onlookers shouted abuse from behind railings. Dreyfus cried out: "I swear that I am innocent. I remain worthy of serving in the Army. Long live France! Long live the Army!" 

After obtaining better  counsel, he was found innocent in 1906 and was freed , but the "Dreyfus Affair" caused a lot of friction in France.  Most of the country would not accept the thought that prejudice had been the cause that had condemned him. 

                                           The Dreyfus Tower on the Pointe des Roches, Kourou 

Dreyfus' prison sentence on Devil's Island had taken its toll on his health. Alfred Dreyfus was on Devil's Island from April 13, 1895 when 36 years old, to June 9, 1899 when he was 40. He was imprisoned there for a total of 1517 days or 4 years and 2 months.                              

                          German, American and Foreign Views

It was the "penal colony of Cayenne (French: Bagne de Cayenne), commonly known as Devil's Island (Île du Diable), a French penal colony that operated for 100 years, from 1852 to 1952, and officially closed in 1953, in the Salvation Islands of French Guiana."

He was granted retirement from the army in October 1907 at the age of 48. As a reserve officer, he re-entered the army as a major of artillery at the outbreak of World War I. Serving throughout the war, Dreyfus was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

   Theodor Herzl was a reporter for the Vienna Frie Presse at the time.  A non-religious Jew, he saw the plight of Dreyfus as a Jewish citizen of France but denied citizen respect and protection.  He decided that it was time that all Jews needed their own homeland.  He realized how they could be attacked and accused of crimes at anytime like Dreyfus was. The poor guy wasn't even versed in his own Jewish history, as he didn't know what the Jewish Homeland was !   

In the Bible, "Zion" primarily refers to a specific location: the city of Jerusalem, specifically a hill within it, or the entire Land of Israel. It also symbolizes God's presence, the spiritual heart of Israel, and even a unified, righteous society. In modern times, "Zion" can also refer to the Jewish people and their homeland. The RETURN, talked about in the Bible and has happened,  has brought together 

Jews from every corner of the world.  They strive 

to be that unified, righteous society even though they've been attacked since their 

inception, now on seven fronts.  England said they would help create our Jewish

 Homeland, then gave away all the land in 1921 except about 10% of it which the 

Jews then named, Israel.   

Herzl started the Zionist movement, which meant that he and others urged Jews to return to Palestine after our 2,000 years of absence from there.  Palestine, renamed that in 135 by the Romans who had forced the Jews out, had never been completely devoid of a Jewish population.  We had always maintained a small one, but most of us were outside of the area and living in pockets throughout the world with many in western and eastern Europe.    

Herzl had wanted a Jewish state backed by international agreement.  The problem for him was where to establish a homeland.  He thought of Africa or other less populated countries, but soon realized that only what was being called "Palestine," a small territory once a part of the original kingdom of Israel, could satisfy the Jewish soul, because that was the chosen home for Jews according to our religious beliefs.  Everyone yearned and prayed to return there.  We would be passionate about protecting Israel if given the chance.

Chaim Azriel Weizmann (November 27, 1874-November 9, 1952 in Rehovot, Israel)  was a Russian-born (Belarus)  Israeli statesman, biochemist, and Zionist leader who served as president of the Zionist Organization and later as the first president of Israel. He was elected on 16 February 1949, and served until his death in 1952.  

Mention "Zionism" and you find many people hating the idea, but they have no idea what is means or stands for;  it's just that they've heard their friends hate it.  

It's a movement for (originally) the re-establishment and (now) the development and protection of a Jewish nation in what is now Israel. It was established as a political organization in 1897 under Theodor Herzl, and was later led by Chaim Weizmann.

What did these 3 men have in common?  All 3 were reform Jews or Jews who had not practiced their Judaism, especially Herzl and Dryfus.    Yet they realized that Judaism was at the base of the feelings people had of hatred for them.  They saw that they were people without a country, and that being a religion only was not enough protection from the world. They knew enough about their religion to not want to give it up for another.  

In Support of Zionism:

Various notable figures have expressed support for Zionism, viewing it as a national liberation movement and a means for Jewish people to have a homeland and escape persecution. Supporters include Israeli figures like General Yigal Allon, Ambassador Abba Eban, Prime Minister Golda Meir, and President Chaim Weizmann, who emphasized the historical connection of Jews to the land. U.S. figures such as Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, Presidents John F. Kennedy and Joe Biden, and Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. have also expressed support. Other notable supporters include Nobel laureates Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russell, and French President Emmanuel Macron. Even historical figures like Emir Faisal and Winston Churchill expressed sympathy and support for the Zionist movement. Israel is the only Jewish-majority country and the only explicitly Judaic country in the world.

   Jews in Judea and Samaria on Jerusalem Day (May25-26, 2025) recalling their history there.  Yes, Israeli Government Actions: The Israeli government has recently approved the establishment of new communities and housing units in Judea and Samaria, viewing this as strengthening the Jewish presence in the area and providing a security buffer, but they've waited through the Oslo Agreement not to do anything but in their own allotted section since it's divided into areas A,B and C.  The Palestinians just keep attacking and will not agree to any peaceful agenda.  Mandate for Palestine: Some interpretations of the Mandate for Palestine (1922) granted the Jews a right of "close settlement" in the region, which included Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. This is viewed by some as necessitated for the Jewish people to achieve self-determination in their ancestral homeland.

In Opposition to Zionism:

Simone Rimmon Zimmerman (born November 30, 1990) is a Jewish American activist who is opposed to the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. She is the founder of the lobby group IfNotNow.  She's got the idea that Zionism means taking over by force, land Palestinians are living on.  She's wrong.  That's another step that isn't taken, though that's exactly what the Palestinians have tried to do all along to the Jews.  In the USA, people that did that were called "Squatters." They had just squatted on the land without buying it.  Jews had bought and paid for the land they could find in Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel).  

Critics argue that Zionism and the establishment of Israel resulted in the displacement of Palestinians.  There is the fear that Jews will kick them out of the land.   Opposition also comes from various groups, including some secular and socialist Jews, certain Orthodox Jews who believe a Jewish state can only be re-established by the Messiah, and many Palestinians and Arabs who view Zionism as a colonial project. Christian Zionists have also faced criticism from some religious leaders.   It was the Arabs who left not being able to keep the land they had bought from the Ottoman Empire that Jews had bought land from, paying their high prices, as to Jewsthe land was holy land.  

Neutral or Critically Engaged Perspectives:

Some individuals have held more nuanced views. Edward Said opposed Zionism but advocated for a binational state with equal rights for both Jews and Palestinians. Hannah Arendt critiqued political Zionism but supported Jewish political agency and Israel during conflicts, while having reservations about certain policies. 

These examples represent a range of perspectives on Zionism, and it is important to note that many individuals hold complex views that may change over time. 

The Jewish population in Israel is approximately 7.2 million, representing about 73.2% of the total population. This figure includes those living within the borders of the State of Israel, as well as a significant number residing in Judea and Samaria.