Tag Archives: Zionism

The Oslo process that resulted in the signature of the “Declaration of Principles” on the White House Lawns on September 13, 1993, was in many ways a point of singularity in the history of Zionism, after which everything was qualitatively different from that which it was before.  It was a …

Maligned, misunderstood, and derided, provocative, emotive and polarizing.  Often condemned, just the mention of the word Zionism is enough to raise the blood pressure of many. This often results in both pro and anti-Israel activists engaging in a battle of words. Frighteningly, this battlefield has expanded way beyond the Social …

The Arab-Israeli conflict traverses decades, manifests in regular wars, terrorism and endless political skirmishes in international forums.  It is also a battle to establish narratives – victims and aggressors, Davids and Goliaths, oppressors and oppressed.  Language and the meaning given to basic concepts form a key part of this battle.  …

In their zeal to avoid accepting any kind of Zionism ever, anywhere, any time or any place, the anti-Zionists (yeah, lets call them antisemites for short) are turning themselves inside out and devouring their own in their desperate attempt to not only deny any legitimacy to Zionism, but to avoid …

Antisemitism spread through the left like a tsunami through city streets. It may have entered via radical minority groups on the fringes, but as it hit the shore, there were no defences in place. Nothing to stop anti-Jewish sentiment moving from constituency to constituency. For decades, the mainstream has flirted …

Zionist Federation of New Zealand working with the community to sustain Jewish identity, reinforcing relationships with Israel, and to foster a positive understanding of Israel and Zionism. 30 January 2019 Media Statement. It is with great disappointment that a mere two days after the world commemorated the International Holocaust Remembrance …

I was contacted today by a representative of Im Tirtzu advising me, and asking me to share with the community and readers, the  initiative that Im Tirtzu are doing ahead of Tu Bshvat (on January 21) in the event that it might be of interest. Tu Bshvat is the ‘New …

This is a timely repost of an excellent article………..   Mahmoud Abbas completed his PhD dissertation for Lumumba University in Moscow in 1982. For years I have been reading that this piece of writing – which to the right is the original cover – entitled “The Other Side: The Secret …

January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, declared so by the UN. On this day we remember the six million Jewish victims, and millions of other victims, brutally murdered in a systematic, evil slaughter, ethnic “cleansing” or genocide. But let’s remember something else.  The UN has proven itself to be …

I have just returned from over a month in Israel with my family over the Jewish Holidays. In my head, I had been planning to write a piece about some reflections I had relating to Israel, Theodore Herzl and whether the Zionist dream had been fulfilled. Whenever we visit Israel …

I remember the day when, as a child, I walked into an elevator with my sister and parents, and as the doors were closing, my sister decided to test out whether the doors would open up if she stuck her arm through them.  They didn’t.  There was a moment of panic …

On Saturday, 12th August in Charlottesville Virginia, a group of people descended on the city to demonstrate and stop the city’s officials from removing the monument of Robert E. Lee, a confederate soldier.  Spotted within their ranks were KKK members, white nationalists or whatever that means, neo Nazis, antisemites. etc.  …

 I am a Zionist. If I announced that, on walking into a party in New Zealand, I would quite likely get a worse reaction than if I declared that I am a P-addicted, ISIS sympathising prostitute. It’s not the kind of thing that one can state in polite company, at …

29 July 2017 saw an anti-Israel rally in Auckland’s Aotea Square that had been billed as “Alaqsa solidarity rally” to protest against Israel’s “security measures that require Palestinians to enter through metal detectors to go pray” (sic). These measures were removed by Israel before the day of the rally, after …

A Muslim friend recently asked “how can we discuss Zionism away from Judaism?” I offered to meet with her and explain it. As the offer has not thus far been taken up, my response to the question has now been put into writing. There is a great deal of innocent …

Sneakers put out to dry. Wet and full of sand, they looked tired. My heart almost bursts to see them. They tell a story people who live elsewhere wouldn’t recognize – but most Israelis would. Those who don’t have this story in their own home know the story well. Across …

This is not about Linda Sarsour. This is about Jews who are afraid to identify themselves as Zionists.  This is about people worldwide who hear the word “Zionist” and think about tanks vs “freedom fighters,” “occupiers” vs “oppressed” people. This is about women who are put off by the title …

In one of the most polarizing trials in Israeli army history, 20 year old Sergeant Elor Azaria, who shot and killed a wounded Palestinian terrorist in Hebron, was found guilty of manslaughter. Three judges presiding over the military court ruled that he had violated the ‘Purity of Arms doctrine’ of …

Martin Luther King Jr. fought for the rights of the black minority in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. His passionate words inspired many people to move for equal rights for all Americans. As the last MLK Day of the first Black US President is celebrated, and in the aftermath …

In July I went on a life-changing trip to Israel. This was my fourth trip to Israel, but I have not been there for 17 years. I have written in the past about other aspects and experiences of this trip.  I have not focussed on Israelis themselves, Israeli society, and …