In my possession, I hold a snapshot dated 1908, picturing my great-grandma, Perla Rozenblum, at the age of 18, standing beside Theodor Herzl’s grave, the founder of contemporary Zionism, who passed away in 1904, together with a cluster of companions. These friends from Poland, all of Jewish faith, somehow ended up in Vienna. But how, I am uncertain. Back then, forty years prior to the establishment of Israel as an independent nation, the nuances of Zionism were not as clear-cut as they are today. By definition, Zionism stands for the right of Jewish self-governance in their historical birthplace and religious epicentre.
Herzl’s vision of Zionism did not confine it to becoming a state nor restrict it exclusively to Jewish people. Rather, it was, in Howard Jacobson’s phrase, a hundred unique dreams.
Before the atrocities of the Holocaust unfolded in Lodz, both Perla and her spouse, Dawid Lasocky, passed away. Meanwhile, my grandpa, Pawel Rozenfeld, Perla’s son-in-law, did not strongly subscribe to Zionism. A secular Jew, he envisaged his descendants’ future deeply embedded in Poland. This was despite the increasingly violent and legally enforced anti-Semitic behaviour in 1935.
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A considerable number of Jews chose to bid Poland farewell, leading to a scattering of Polish Jews before the war in locations such as England, France, America, Palestine and other nations. Those who sought sanctuary in Palestine were not all ardent Zionists; a significant portion sought protection within their community. However, for my grandfather Pawel, his hope deceived him, when the Nazis, after occupying Poland, murdered him in November 1939.
A fresh surge of anti-Semitism has emerged globally since October 7. My family’s history has acquainted me with factors that amplify anti-Semitic feelings and the swift rate at which it exploits negativity. The ongoing war has incited anti-Zionist sentiments which have subsequently led to the widespread vilification of Jews around the world.
The mounting dislike towards Israel particularly Zionist ideologies has sparked protests throughout Ireland. These are often labelled as anti-Semitic expressions by critics, a claim fervently refuted by the demonstrators themselves. A chilling historical reference was evident on a placard at the University College Dublin that asserted the campus as a ‘Zionist-Free Zone’. Echoing the sinister term ‘Judenfrei’, which was propagated by Reinhard Heydrich (key planner of the Holocaust) to identify regions in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe that were free of Jews due to deportation and manslaughter.
A similar sentiment was conveyed by the students’ union at Trinity College, affirming that Zionists were unwelcome. At such a tense juncture, precautions were taken to ensure the safety of Jewish students, providing them with a ‘safe room’. The current crisis compelled lost Jews who were shunned and scorned, often for affirming their Zionist tendencies, to seek solace in contemporary Zionism, which has been a sanctuary despite its implausible nature.
Consider the song ‘Palestine’, sung by folk singer Christy Moore and penned by Seattle-based Jim Page, that frames Zionists as the ones who disrupted a peaceful 1,000-year co-existence between the Jews and Arabs. It plays into a distorted historical narrative, presenting Zionists as the lapping waves of a flood invading homes and lives.
The reality was that the Zionists included Jews ostracised in pre-war European societies and survivors of the Holocaust; an ordeal that my own family experienced. Middle Eastern Zionists, on the other hand, were ousted from Arab nations. This mirrored the Palestinian Nakba period between 1946 and 1980, seeing the displacement of approximately 850,000 Mizrahi Jews. These Jews came as refugees, rather than colonisers.
The lyrics of the offending song insinuated the stereotype of Jews’ financial control and allegiance to Israel. It serves as a testament to the persisting anti-Semitic tropes associating Jews with dual-loyalties and age-long conspiracy theories on money.
The analogy of Israeli actions towards Palestinians to the “jackboot”, featured heavily in a song, is proving deeply unsettling. It poses as an unjustified parallel to the Holocaust, thus downplaying its severity and stripping Jews of the utmost suffering in their remembrance, thereby fuelling additional animosity towards all Jews, irrespective of their political beliefs.
Two years ago, Christy Moore approached me ahead of the release of his song 1942, presenting stories of Jew deportees to Auschwitz. He sought approval to ensure he wasn’t unintentionally undermining delicate feelings. His action was appreciated, especially when he proposed to put up this song to support my campaigns.
Subsequently, I felt compelled to write him a letter expressing my disgust at the “Palestine” song lyrics. It puzzled me that he asked for endorsement for the initial song but not for the latter. In his reply, he was both polite and open, informing me that he was requested to perform the song at a show to support Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), after an Israeli bombing resulted in the death of three MSF doctors. He also shared how he was labelled both an anti-Semite and a Hamas sympathiser – a claim I didn’t endorse.
Even so, I believe that the song isn’t distasteful to Hamas. Christy bypassed my queries. His song had prompted me to consider leaving Ireland. Despite my concerns, he continues to play “Palestine” and wished me well.
Unquestionably, Zionism, like any nationalist movement, comprises a biased and racist component. It’s estimated that this represents around 7 per cent of Israel’s populace. The sustained expansion of settlements in the West Bank is not only unjustified and illegal, but also morally abhorrent.
Regrettably, the onslaught against Zionism now appears to have merged with full-fledged anti-Semitism. Why can Jews not be permitted to express their identity through their historic linkage to their homeland? As Howard Jacobson once said, “The Jews are the most racially victimised population in history. Denying them the right to their identity is itself a racist act. Anti-Zionism is effectively racism”.
It’s not uncommon these days to see Zionism equated with Nazism, a comparison I find quite unsettling. The homeland of approximately half the global Jewish population is Israel – a place I fervently hope continues to thrive. Above all, I yearn for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza, the safe recovery of the kidnapped individuals, and the end of all local skirmishes. Also, it is my belief that a balanced and enduring peace deal which adequately serves both Israeli and Palestinian interests, built on the foundation of a two-state solution, is achievable. This, however, certainly does not bear any resemblance to being a Nazi. The modern form of anti-Semitism is now taking the guise of anti-Zionism.
Oliver Sears, Holocaust Awareness Ireland’s founder, states the above.