I have my doubts about reaching a consensus because it requires accepting certain historical facts that some of us aren't willing to accept. However, I'm willing to try.
The following is an interview of Rabbi Yaakov Shapiro by The Palestine Pod, a podcast created and hosted by two Jewish people.
I figure the most definitive...erm...definition of Zionism is best heard from the mouths of the people it supposedly was created for.
DISCLAIMER: He is speaking from the perspective of a
Jewish Rabbi (follower of Judaism), not a Christian scholar. Also, I am only referencing certain portions of this interview and do not blindly endorse his full perspective on all matters they address.
Supercut of his full position in the first minute of the video:
"Zionism is its own religion..."
His definition of Zionism:
14:52-19:44 -
"Nationalism is another name for Zionism; Jewish Nationalism...[Zionism says] 'You are not a people enjoined by god to fulfill this religion, these religious laws. You are a nation'...But instead of creating a new nationality out of nothing...[the zionists erased] Jewish identity. 'We're going to take their history, change it a bit. We're going to take their self-image; take Jewishness'...They revised all of Jewish history. They had this nonsense [idea] that Jews for thousands of years were looking for national self-determination, which is not true. We were looking for a messianic renewal of the world...[We were never praying for the] Jerusalem we have today, [rather] a Jerusalem that's governed by a resurrected king David...where the wolf lays down with the lamb..."
He continues by explaining from his perspective that being a Jew isn't a nationality or ethnicity but an identity defined by a religion, which - from his perspective - is accurate to say as a follower of their religion. He says, "
It's difficult to believe that Ivanka Trump and Sammy Davis jr...are from the same ethnicity". He adds that Zionism manufactured the rules of Jewish ethnicity (maternal lineage argument) and that it's even difficult for zionists to wrap their heads around.
My definitions for these terms will always come from scripture, but I believe this confusion was necessary to fulfill zionists' plans.
It's an interesting interview.
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To the thread: Do we agree with this seasoned rabbi's definition of Zionism? If so, he defines it as a hijacking of identity and a departure from the Torah (i.e., laws) and from the hope for a resurrected messiah to govern them...completely contradictory to scripture, both Old Testament and New Testament.