Torah Zionism
TORAH ZIONISM In 1975 the United Nations General Assembly voted to determine that Zionism is a form of racism. The UN revoked the declaration in 1991. For years I wore a button that announced “I am a Zionist.” If an anti Israel vote were to be taken today it would doubtless pass with a far larger majority and be sponsored by more than the Arab League and the Muslim majority countries. And an “I am a Zionist” button would be provocative even in NYC. The State of Israel faces an existential crisis and difficult choices. The idea of Zionism has a history that is relevant to such a choice. I am a born and bred Zionist. My father, Rabbi Alexander S Kline, HUC 1933, was a Zionist when being so was a career liability. Journals and books labeled “Palestine “ were on tables and shelves as I grew up in Clarksdale, Mississippi. We sang Hatikvah, in Ashkenazic pronunciation at Shabbat services. At age 1...