ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA OP-ED   My 20 Years as a Zionist By Steve Feldman, Greater Philadelphia ZOA Executive Director (JUNE 28, 2022 / JNS) What does it mean to be a Zionist today? What is it like to be a proponent of a movement, a cause, an idea that international media, Jew-haters and others want you to believe is despised throughout most of the world, even though you know it is a righteous and noble movement, cause and idea? These are questions to consider as I reach my 20th anniversary as a “professional Zionist.” It was in July of 2002 that I began working for the Zionist Organization of America, one of fewer than five groups in America that has “Zionist” or a variation of it as an integral part of its name. BDS had yet to be unleashed. The destructive, anti-Jewish ideology of “intersectionality” was still the positive “coalition-building” that helped both Jews and our allies. Anti-Zionist/anti-Israel activities and rhetoric were unwelcome on most American campuses and in Congress. The effort to weaken and delegitimize Israel and Zionism by people who are themselves Jews was rare and its practitioners outcasts. Though Theodor Herzl’s dream that there would be an internationally-recognized Jewish state where one existed millennia ago and had to be located again—known as political Zionism—had been fulfilled more than 50 years earlier, the Zionist mission was not completed on May 14, 1948, when Israel declared its independence. I was determined to see to it that Zionism—the movement for Jewish self-determination in a nation of our own in our rightful homeland—would thrive and be perpetuated, and that support for Israel and Jewish settlement throughout Israel would be strong and secure. My determination continues. Indeed, in many respects, the persistence of opponents of Zionism, Israel and the Jewish people has compelled me to be at least as persistent as they.   Read More   Share This Email Catch Up on ZOA Webinars and More! Visit Our YouTube Channel Founded in 1897, ZOA played a key role in the Jewish State's re-establishment. Today, ZOA is the leading major American Jewish organization courageously defending Israel and the Jewish people; fighting against all forms of antisemitism, including anti-Jewish boycotts; and promoting the Jewish people's lawful right to live in and settle historic Jewish lands. ZOA exposes that a Palestinian state would endanger Israel's existence; presents the facts about the Arab/Islamic war against Israel; and combats the anti-Israel lie that Israel is an "occupier" of her own land. ZOA spearheaded long battles to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, and apply civil rights protections to Jewish students. ZOA provides free legal assistance and programs to pro-Israel students at numerous college campuses. ZOA's bold, unapologetic voice has a significant impact on public discourse and policy. DONATE NOW Copyright © Zionist Organization of America 2022, All rights reserved. Zionist Organization of America | 633 Third Ave, 31 B, New York, NY 10017 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]