Renowned Canadian Jewish author and columnist Naomi Klein called for an “exodus from Zionism,” denouncing the ideology as a “false idol” that has strayed from the core values of Judaism, in an op-ed for The Guardian.
In her piece, Klein used biblical allegory to draw attention to the recent conflict between Israel and Gaza, condemning Zionism for turning the “transcendent idea of the promised land” into a “deed of sale for a militaristic ethnostate.”
Klein’s piece directly challenged the traditional view of Zionism as a movement for Jewish liberation, instead portraying it as an ideology that has justified oppression, colonialism, and violence in the name of Jewish safety.
The Israel-Hamas conflict is now as much an intramural affair as religious war.
We need an exodus from Zionism – by Naomi Klein
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… This shift has notably affected disciplines like American Studies, which have become distinctly anti-American, Oren continued. He also pointed out that even some Jewish academics have joined the anti-Israel chorus, failing to recognize the potential negative consequences for themselves. “They fail to see that this path also ends badly for them.”
Reflecting on Passover, Oren cited the Haggadah’s story of the Wicked Son, which he believes mirrors the stance of those who don’t identify with their own people and criticize Israel’s defenders. “It’s the best image for these people who keep saying that if you defend Israel, you’re a bad Jew. Eventually, they’ll become one of the bad Jews themselves. This movement is a deep-seated cultural trend that has taken decades to evolve, and undoing it may also take decades,” said Oren.
