Dear grateful,

You asked: "What is the characteristic flaw of a Zionist for a Jew like yourself?" That question assumes there is characteristic flaw of a Zionist. I think that is a bad question because it assumes that I would regard a person who has a different opinion from mine as flawed. It also implies that Zionists are alike.

I favour democracy. That means that people with different opinions can come together and after discussion and debate reach an agreement on a course of action. If we start out with the assumption that those who disagree with the position we hold are flawed rather than simply disagree we are putting ourselves as superior to those we disagree with.

You may as well ask a Zionist, "What is the characteristic flaw of a non-Zionist for a Jew like yourself?"

All Zionists are not alike. Israel has a number of Zionist political parties with different agendas. Some Jewish scholars support Zionism, and some don't.

When a religious person refers to a heresy that generally means that a co-religionist has an opinion with which the person disagrees. I would rather not talk of heresy and flaws.

Catholicism has a Pope who puts out magisterial rulings that apply to all Catholics. However, there is no central authority among Jews. The Talmud contains records of various discussions on religious questions among scholars. There is no person who can say one recorded opinion is more valid than another recorded opinion.

I have stated my opinion and speak only for myself. I believe that we may create democratic governments that do not distinguish among the citizenry on the basis of ethnicity and religion.

Other Jews believe that anti-Semitism is so ingrained in western society that a Jew cannot expect continual fair treatment and must have a separate state. They point at what happened in Germany under the Nazis.

Their fears override their hopes. My hopes override my fears.

Maybe they are right. Maybe I am right. I honestly don’t know. We differ, but that does not mean that one of us is flawed.

David F,
Thanks for the thoughtful response. I agree that when it comes to the question of a Jewish state then Jewish opinion may be justifiably divided depending on, as you put it, a balance between fear and hope.

However, when you quoted Rabbi Hillel you were referring to the consequences of the Zionist project for other human beings (i.e., the treatment of the Palestinians). As I read it you were saying their treatment is wrong and violates the law upon which all other righteous and ethical conduct is founded: “What is hateful to thyself do not do to another. That is the whole Law, the rest is Commentary”

I do not think anyone here would say this principle is a matter of opinion: it is profond guidance to good character and conduct. Individuals that persistently violate this principle must be devoid of compassion for other human beings, to say the least. They are seriously flawed individuals.

A settler was interviewed after occupying the house of a Palestinian family and asked how he could justify his actions before "world opinion". His reply was that "They will not stop us. We are the chosen people and the world knows that."

I would seriously like know how they justify themselves before God. They have all the trappings of the religious and pious but their conduct is evil.

To me these people are just as vile as the Karajites or their Christian counterparts. They are very flawed human beings.

I wish you well and salaams

Dear grateful,

I have the same opinion of the particular settler as you have. However, I don't think all settlers behave that way, all Zionists are not settlers, and all Zionists would not occupy the homes of a Palestinian family.

To equate that settler with all Zionists is like equating all Palestinians with terrorists or suicide bombers.