The relationship between Reconstructionist Judaism and Zionism dates to the founding of the Reconstructionist movement by

Mordecai Kaplan Mordecai Menahem Kaplan (June 11, 1881 – November 8, 1983) was an American Conservative rabbi, writer, Jewish educator, professor, theologian, philosopher, activist, and religious leader who founded the Reconstructionist movement of Judaism al ...

. Kaplan was a strong supporter of the

Zionist movement Zionism is an ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the Jewish people, pursued through the colonization of Palestine, a region roughly co ...

and thus the Reconstructionist movement has historically supported Zionism. All rabbinical students of the

Reconstructionist Rabbinical College The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) is a Jewish seminary in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. It is the only seminary affiliated with Reconstructionist Judaism. It is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Assoc ...

are required to spend a summer studying in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. In recent years, due to the political liberalism of the Reconstructionist movement, some individuals affiliated or formerly affiliated with the movement have begun to become more critical of Zionism. Unlike Orthodox and Reform Judaism, the Reconstructionist movement has never historically had a significant

anti-Zionist Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the Palestine (region) ...

faction. According to Reconstructionist rabbi

David Teutsch David A. Teutsch is professor emeritus at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College where he was president from 1993 to 2001 and the founding director of the Center for Jewish Ethics. He is also the editor-in-chief of the Reconstructionist ''Kol H ...

, the movement has displayed a "striking uniformity" of loyalty to Zionist principles throughout its history.

History

Reconstructionist Judaism developed between the 1920s and 1940s, officially branching off from the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

movement in 1955.

has been a central issue of importance to Reconstructionist thought ever since the publication of Kaplan's 1934 work '' Judaism as a Civilization''. Kaplan's conception of Zionism as a movement to rebuild a contemporary Jewish ''civilization'' in

Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine. The definition ...

was distinct from the more common conception of Zionism as a movement to create a Jewish

nation state A nation state, or nation-state, is a political entity in which the State (polity), state (a centralized political organization ruling over a population within a territory) and the nation (a community based on a common identity) are (broadly ...

. Reconstructionist rabbis Rebecca Alpert and

Jacob Staub Jacob J. Staub is a rabbi, author and poet. In 1977 he was ordained as a rabbi at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. He was Academic Dean of the College from 1989 to 2004, and the editor of the Reconstructionist magazine from 1983 to 1989. I ...

have emphasized that the Reconstructionist belief in the "civilizational character of Judaism predictably has led us to Zionist conclusions". A "Zionist to his core", Kaplan's support for a Jewish state in the Land of Israel was based around promoting

Jewish peoplehood Jewish peoplehood (Hebrew: עמיות יהודית, ''Amiut Yehudit'') is the conception of the awareness of the underlying unity that makes an individual a part of the Jews, Jewish people. The concept of peoplehood has a double meaning. The firs ...

, and his Zionism was not necessarily nationalist or religious in nature. Citing the prophet

Isaiah Isaiah ( or ; , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "Yahweh is salvation"; also known as Isaias or Esaias from ) was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named. The text of the Book of Isaiah refers to Isaiah as "the prophet" ...

's proclamation that "from Zion shall go forth Torah", Kaplan believed that the return of a "reconstructed"

Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

to a secular

Jewish state In world politics, Jewish state is a characterization of Israel as the nation-state and sovereign homeland for the Jewish people. Overview Modern Israel came into existence on 14 May 1948 as a polity to serve as the homeland for the Jewi ...

in Israel was of supreme importance to Reconstructionist Judaism. According to Reconstructionist rabbi Amy Klein, the movement does not believe that the Land of Israel was the

Promised Land In the Abrahamic religions, the "Promised Land" ( ) refers to a swath of territory in the Levant that was bestowed upon Abraham and his descendants by God in Abrahamic religions, God. In the context of the Bible, these descendants are originally ...

for the Jewish people. In 1967, Rabbi Kaplan called for a "spiritual Zionism" rather than a

political Zionism The common definition of Zionism was principally the endorsement of the Jewish people to establish a Jewish national home in Palestine, secondarily the claim that due to a lack of self-determination, this territory must be re-established as a ...

. In 2014, the Reconstructionist rabbi Brant Rosen resigned from his position at the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation (JRC) in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

, citing criticism of his pro-Palestinian activism. Rosen went on to found the independent anti-Zionist congregation Tzedek Chicago. In 2022, Rebecca Alpert delivered a talk titled "Reconstructionism Without Zionism." A supporter of pro-Palestinian activism, Alpert described herself as a "Zionist who is working for the Zion that Kaplan envisioned", but acknowledged that in the current political climate she would be considered an anti-Zionist. In the same year, a series of conversations sponsored by five Reconstructionist synagogues was held called "Expanding the Reconstructionist Conversation on Israel/Palestine". The series highlighted criticism of the Israeli government for its "oppression of the Palestinian people" and included both Jewish and Palestinian speakers. Zoom events were held by all three of Canada's Reconstructionist synagogues ( Or Haneshamah in Ottawa, Congregation Darchei Noam of Toronto, and Congregation Dorshei Emet of

Hampstead, Quebec Hampstead is an on-island suburb of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is an independent municipality bordering the municipality of Côte Saint-Luc and the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough of Montreal. History The Town of Hampstead w ...

) as well as by two in the United States, Mishkan Shalom of Philadelphia and Gates of Heaven Synagogue in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

. At the 2023

World Zionist Congress The Zionist Congress was established in 1897 by Theodor Herzl as the supreme organ of the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organization (ZO) and its legislative authority. In 1960 the names were changed to World Zionist Congress ( ''HaKongres ...

, the Reconstructionist movement endorsed the passage of several successful resolutions that supported the recognition of non-Orthodox conversions in Israel, supported LGBT inclusion, and opposed altering the Israeli

Law of Return The Law of Return (, ''ḥok ha-shvūt'') is an Israeli law, passed on 5 July 1950, which gives Jews, people with one or more Jewish grandparent, and their spouses the right to Aliyah, relocate to Israel and acquire Israeli nationality law, Isra ...

law. During the mid-2020s, the Reconstructionist movement retains its support for Zionism, but a significant number of Reconstructionist Jews and rabbis have played visible roles in anti-Zionist and pro-Palestinian activism. Tensions over Israel and interfaith marriage lead to the forming of Beit Kaplan, a group of "Classical Kaplanian" Reconstructionist rabbis who support Zionism and oppose interfaith marriages among rabbis. Deborah Waxman, the leader of Reconstructing Judaism, has responded to controversy over Israel by reiterating that the Reconstructionist movement supports progressive Zionism, the existence of the State of Israel, and the two-state solution. However, Waxman stated that Zionism would not be a "litmus test" for Reconstructionist students and rabbis and has encouraged dialogue with anti-Zionist Reconstructionist rabbis involved in anti-Zionist organizations such as

Jewish Voice for Peace Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP; ) is an American Jewish anti-Zionist and left-wing advocacy organization. It is critical of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, and supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign ag ...

(JVP). JVP's Rabbinical Council has a large number of Reconstructionist rabbis.

References

External links

THE ZIONISM OF THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY: 1902-1948
Berman Jewish Policy Archive {{Zionism

History

See also

References

External links