How Zionism went from a political philosophy to a loyalty test
A political philosophy cannot survive as a slogan. And no government should be able to hide behind a word that once meant liberation.
Zionism began as something very specific: a political movement declaring that Jews, a stateless and persecuted people, deserved political self-determination in what they viewed as their historic homeland. It was heatedly debated and fiercely opposed, even by Jews, but it was fundamentally about survival and sovereignty.
Today, the word has ceased to func…
