Israel and the Jews...are they the same thing?

This article is lengthy for a reason. While not all points are able to be put down on paper, hopefully it will stir the reader to do their own research (see References below as a suggested starting point) on both sides of the debate and be able to come to a more informed conclusion for themselves.

There is much going around in our Evangelical churches and mainstream media regarding the nation of Israel and the people of the Jewish faith. Some of it is from the standpoint of prejudice and ignorance. But much of it is from the heartfelt conviction of the people being caught in the midst of a battle that is not of their own doing.

And it is heart wrenching to behold.

I step warily into this controversy with great trepidation. It is not one that is meant to cause division, nor to create quarrels with those who hold great convictions to their claim.

But I step into this to provide another viewpoint – one I have heard over the course of decades that is largely not discussed today.

History…

The history of Israel begins in the Torah’s first five books, tracing back to around 586 BC. Originally in Canaan, modern-day Israel, Abraham, the Father of Judaism, was chosen by God to lead a new nation. His son Isaac and grandson Jacob, later called Israel, laid the foundation of faith.

After enslavement in Egypt, the descendants of Jacob formed the nation of Israel, centered around worship at the Temple. King Solomon built the first Temple around 1000 BC, destroyed by the Babylonians in 568 BC, and replaced by a second Temple in 516 BC under Persian rule.

Throughout history, the Israelites faced enslavement, Temple destruction, and territorial expansion dictated by God’s guidance through priests and prophets.

Judaism…

Judaism as we know it emerged around 70 BC with Rabbinic Judaism after the Roman destruction of the Second Temple, shifting from a centralized worship to local synagogues. By the 6th-7th centuries, Jews dispersed across the Roman Empire and beyond, forming cohesive communities worldwide.

The ancient Israelite nation split into North and South around 931 BC, but both maintained shared culture and identity. Over centuries, their land was conquered by Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Crusaders, Mamlukes, Ottomans, and others, until Ottoman control ended in 1917.

In 1917, the Balfour Declaration expressed support for a Jewish homeland, leading to British control of Palestine. The League of Nations approved this in 1922, upsetting Arab residents. Britain administered the area until 1947, when Israel declared independence after WWII, with territory divisions favoring Zionist claims.

This dispossession sparked ongoing conflicts and hostility among local populations.

Zionism – what is it and why is it important to understand?

Zionism is a political movement advocating for the Jewish return to their biblical homeland in Palestine, a goal rooted in their diaspora experience. In 1894, the false treason accusations against French soldier Alfred Dreyfus sparked Jewish outrage and a renewed desire to re-establish their homeland.

Theodor Herzl, inspired by the Dreyfus Affair, authored “The Jewish State” and organized the political organization called the Zionists, named after the Jewish word for Jerusalem. The first Zionist Congress was held in Basel, Switzerland, and later became the first president of the Zionist Organization. He is considered the founder of that political movement.

The Balfour Declaration…

When Balfour presented his proposal to supply their wishes, the Zionists were overjoyed. They had achieved their political dream of a national homeland.

But the creation of that nation-state didn’t settle well with those in and around that region who had lived there for well over 1,000 years by that time.

Nevertheless, those Jewish people who sided with this dream state began to move into the area of Palestine and establish their homes there. The tensions began to rise as the Arabs, Muslims, Orthodox and others began to feel the pressure mounting from what they saw as an invasion from foreign people.

By then the United Nations had approved the Israeli nation and divided Palestine into two sections – Palestine and Israel. The Jewish population saw this an an invitation to come back “home”.

But it was not so for all…

However, many Jewish refugees from her community, living in England, were rejected by Israel

Many years ago, a Catholic acquaintance from the Middle East shared her perspective, highlighting how American views often distort understanding of the region. She recounted her family fleeing Iraq during Saddam Hussein’s rise, a turbulent time. Her observations revealed that Saddam’s leadership was unexpectedly stable and even welcoming to Catholics—contrary to Western narratives—until his removal triggered further chaos.

She also shed light on Israel’s founding: established as a Jewish homeland to ensure survival, as envisioned by Herzl. However, many Jewish refugees from her community, living in England, were rejected by Israel for being “not Jewish enough,” a detail scarcely acknowledged in mainstream discussions.

The Rule of Return…

I was puzzled, so I researched. She was right: there’s a clear bias about who’s deemed “Jewish enough” by Israeli authorities. The Law of Return has been repeatedly amended to restrict citizenship, especially as more dispersed Jews were denied entry. In 1970, it was amended to require at least one Jewish parent, usually maternal. Since then, restrictions have tightened further, excluding those from the land under UN Mandate, individuals without historical ethnicity, and even converts from generations ago.

What about Palestine?

The complexity of this landscape has understandable caused great angst amongst those who live in Palestine. There is an increasing pressure to remove those people from a land they were promised by the original agreement from the UN.

Britain was a main player is all of this as they had the duty to control the division of land between Israel and Palestine since 1919. But all control has become irrelevant today as the Israel nation seeks to occupy the entirety of the Palenstinian landscape from “river to sea”.

There are the further accusations of Hamas as being the real target, when the President of Israel lays claim to the entirety of the Palestinian territory.

Map illustrating the loss of Palestinian land from 1947 to the present, showing changes in territory, Jewish settlements, and Palestinian lands across four distinct time periods.

Much confusion ensues. And politics are at the bottom of it all, not the Jewish religion.

The Jewish people want to live in peace. Not all want to live in Israel as determined by the likes of Theodor Herzl and the Zionists.

So what really is Semitism and Anti-Semitism?

Does it refer to the nation and its people? Or does it instead refer to those who practice the religion of the Jewish Faith? Both words came about in 1880.

Semetic:

1.a. Semitic character or qualities

1.b. a characteristic feature of a Semitic language occurring in another language

2. policy or predisposition favorable to Jews

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Semitism

Antisemitism

Antisemitism is defined by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in this way:

Antisemitism is the prejudice against or hatred of Jewish people. This hatred was at the foundation of the Holocaust. But, antisemitism did not begin or end with the Holocaust. Antisemitism has existed for thousands of years. It has often taken the form of systemic discrimination against and persecution of Jews. Antisemitism has repeatedly led to serious and deadly violence against Jewish people.

Given the horrific prejudice with which the Jewish practitioners have faced over the millennia, it is understandable for a political movement arose to provide a safe harbor for these people.

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/antisemitism

So the real question becomes this…

Is antisemitism really against the Jewish people, or is it against the national political establishment we now know to be the new nation of Israel?

In the words of Mira Sucharov, Professor of Political Science, Carleton University:

…when a state – which by definition interacts with others within and outside its borders — is brought into the equation, the debate about antisemitism ceases to be about only Jews.

At its core, Zionism is a political ideology…

I understand why many Jews feel that anti-Zionist actions or statements are hateful to their identity. Most Jews have grown up believing that to be Jewish is to feel a deep connection to the state of Israel….

But to feel connected to Israel – the land, the people, the safe refuge it has served for Jews in crisis, especially but not only after the Holocaust – one doesn’t necessarily need to embrace its governing ideology.

One can seek to understand the harm Zionism has caused to Palestinians. One can try to consider alternative framings, ideologies or governing structures that would enable Israelis to thrive along with Palestinians.

So is critiquing the actions of a political leader really antisemitic?

…questioning a political leader’s actions that harm neighbors risks damaging…integrity.

One can disagree with someone’s politics but still respect their dignity and right to hold opposing views. This isn’t prejudice or bigotry. But forcing a singular way of thinking without considering multiple perspectives is oppression, not freedom. Fighting over differing opinions rand viewpoints rarely win arguments.

Yet in today’s society, questioning a political leader’s actions that harm neighbors risks damaging your integrity. Are we truly justified? Don’t other nations also face criticism for invading and claiming territories?

Yet isn’t that what is happening with Israel?

And to disagree with it or to question the action, how is that aligned with the idea of anti-semitism? It isn’t directed at the people, but at the leadership. Politics should never, in my mind, be confused with religion.

In the end…my thoughts…

When I read the Holy Books of the Christian faith, I see history. I also see trends, patterns, and symbolism.

Much of what occurred in historical reality in the Old Testament was also allegorical. In the Old Testament and in the early books of the New Testament, the Jewish religion had been taught that their Messiah was not yet here. What they were looking for was another physical King to rule a physical nation. In the rejection of that King, they continue to seek the physical manifestation of their physical King.

The wars fought by the Old Testament Israel was also a prefigure of the spiritual world in the New Testament. They showed the fight and victory of Good over Evil – but with the caveat that victory could only be achieved with great Faith and trust in God.

The conquering of the lands, therefore, while a reality historically, could also be seen through the eyes of the New Covenant as a spiritual one. It did not mean that the wars were for the capturing of land as much as it also represented the establishment and growth of the Kingdom of the Messiah – the spiritual kingdom referred to as “The Church”.

Given all that…

What if, instead of the physical nation, always desired since the time of Christ under the Roman Empire rule, and the loss of the Temple in 70 AD was not referring to the actual nation as a country being what was described, but of a drawing of the Jewish people, those who denounced and crucified Christ, into His Church? A Spiritual Kingdom that would reign forever? One that did not corrupt, but was ruled by God alone?

What if, instead of the physical nation, always desired since the time of Christ under the Roman Empire rule…

Isn’t that what the Christians are supposed to believe? That God is the King of His Church and, in the end, would draw all people unto Himself? The drawing, especially of His most beloved of children, the people of Israel – the Jewish people?

Conclusion…

This writing aims to serve as a starting point for understanding one of society’s most complex conflicts, both locally and in the Middle East. War and labels won’t resolve it. Name-calling, by adults, belongs in kindergarten.

It’s time to learn, think independently, and avoid reacting emotionally…

It’s time to learn, think independently, and avoid reacting emotionally based on media-driven narratives. Turn off the media and engage reasoned discussion.

May all those innocents and victims who are caught in the midst of this on-going conflict feel the presence of those who are trying to understand – and pray, yes pray – for the Grace and manifested help to help see them through their hardships.