Identity Zionism as a Mature Zionist Approach to Israel Education

ABSTRACT Identity Zionism as a Mature Zionist Approach to Israel Education Israel Education should be layered, accurate, factual, historical, and able to withstand the most exacting, objective scrutiny. But Israel Education, like all forms of Jewish education, should also instill pride, foster a sense of belonging, and inspire. ,Israel Education should cultivate a sense of Jewish citizenship, urging students, in Israel and throughout the Jewish world to take responsibility for themselves and their people. To achieve that, this article advances a vision of “Identity Zionism,” emphasizing that Zionism is not just a political stance or a movement, but a journey of the Jewish soul from deep from within the Jewish soul – and tradition. This approach is historically valid – just as Theodor Herzl’s Political Zionism addressed the Jewish Problems of the 1890s – anti-Semitism and assimilation – Identity Zionism addresses the most pressing Jewish problem – and Western problem of today – what the sociologist Emil Durkheim called “anomie.” Going far beyond Israel advocacy, Identity Zionism offers Jews a sense of community and a sense of purpose, while also respecting them as individuals. In so doing, Identity Zionism resonates with some of the latest analyses of what young modern Westerners are seeking, be they Jewish or non-Jewish.