I am a Zionist, right?

This week and last week have been comprised of conversations, resolutions, votes, debates and speeches about Zionism: its past and most importantly, its future. (I have been a delegate for Mercaz USA to the World Zionist Organization General council meetings.)Whatever a Zionist is, I am. I have certainly drank from the proverbial Kool Aid when it comes to Israel. Israel's existence is so important to me as a person and is important to the Jewish people. Plus, Israel contributes so much to the world at large in terms of inventions and scholarship and does so many great humanitarian things like flying in to help the victims of tsunamis and earthquakes. Yet, the terms Zionism and Zionists have been used by those around the world who hate us and scapegoat us. It seems to me that the younger generations today may view these terms with ambivalence now; perhaps they are antiquated ideas. We have a state, so Zionism must be over. People may wonder how they can support a country that is portrayed so horribly in the news, that is so vilified in the United Nations and blasted erroneously in the New York Times?

This is a place of inherent contradictions, where corruption occurs yet the society at large works hard to eliminate it, where Israel is supposed to be a place for all Jews but not all Jews are recognized as such nor do liberal movements have much standing at all. But ultimately, Israel is the place for which our hearts have yearned for thousands of years and has been a haven for Jews especially after the Holocaust. It is difficult for me to imagine a world without Israel and honestly, without the safety it provides me, even from where I live in America.

Being here reminds me what a miracle the creation of the State of Israel was and continues to be. There is so much work to be done here: women's issues, poverty, religious pluralism, Israeli-Palestinian issues, ongoing security. At times it seems so overwhelming. But if we really are a people who love peace and pray for peace three times a day, we will never stop dreaming that it is ultimately possible. And therefore, as a glass half-full optimist, I would also consider myself, a Zionist.