Zionism can – and must – be about liberation of Jews and Palestinians | Jo-Ann Mort

We are entwined and must be liberated together. We must work to end the war and bring safety and security to both peoples

Karl Marx’s father, Heinrich, converted from Judaism to Protestantism in 1817 – later converting his eight children – because had he not done so, he would not have been allowed to practice law in Prussia. He wasn’t alone in having to change or disguise his Judaism so that he could earn a living. There was practically no other way for Jews living in Europe in the 19th century to be part of the business class without renouncing their religion.

This practice actually harkened back for eons, at least two millennia to be precise, as Jews in Europe found other ways to live, always squeezed out of mainstream society, and especially so with emerging nation states (in contrast to when the Habsburg empire controlled much of Europe, where many Jews resided, and was more hospitable to Jews). Even farther back, during the Spanish Inquisition that began in the 1400s, at least 600,000 Jews either fled or hid their identities in response to new royal edicts. Russian-controlled Jewry was forced to settle in what became known as the “pale of settlement”, today’s Ukraine, but still this didn’t save them from state-sponsored pogroms and ostracism. These are just some historic examples about why Zionism evolved.

The State of Israel will be open to the immigration of Jews from all countries of their dispersion; will promote the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; will be based on the precepts of liberty, justice, and peace taught by the Hebrew Prophets; will uphold the full social and political equality of all its citizens, without distinction of race, creed, or sex; will guarantee full freedom of conscience, worship, education, and culture; will safeguard the sanctity and inviolability of the shrines and Holy Places of all religions; and will dedicate itself to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.

Jo-Ann Mort is co-author of Our Hearts Invented a Place: Can Kibbutzim Survive in Today’s Israel? She writes frequently about Israel for US, UK and Israeli publications

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