LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Zionism: Cultural Zionism
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The first criticism of Zionism is that it is immoral because it is a form of cultural nationalism. And this invokes a larger challenge: can any nationalism that acts with a preference for members of a particular cultural group be ethically acceptable? On the face of it, any national�ism violates the standard ethical view that all persons should be treated equally and impartially. For people, or for governments acting in the name of people, to grant special consideration to others who share a certain nationality but not to �foreigners� requires justification. On first view �being French� would not seem to be a morally relevant criterion for receiving special benefits. How can it be morally acceptable for people to establish a �French government� that makes precisely this distinction?
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At no time between the Roman exile and the rise of Zionism was there a movement to settle the holy landthat engaged the main body of European or Eastern Jews. The condition of Jews both in Europe and Eastern countries made such a movement unimaginable. Many... were attracted to various false Messiahs such as Shabetai Tzvi, who promised to restore Jews to their land. For most Jews, the connection with the ancient homeland and with Jerusalem remained largely cultural and spiritual, and return to the homeland was a hypothetical event that would occur with the coming of the Messiah at an unknown date in the far future. European Jews lived, for the most part in ghettos. They did not get a general education, and did not generally engage in practical trades that might prepare them for living in Palestine. Most of the communities founded by these early settlers met with economic disaster, or were disbanded following earthquakes, anti-Jewish riots or outbreaks of disease.
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A more realistic approach is particularly appropriate in assessing Zionism as a form of cultural nationalism for two reasons. First, if Zionism is flawed simply because it is a culturally based nationalism, then it is only flawed in the same way as British nationalism, Lithuanian nationalism, or, most significantly, Palestin�ian nationalism. Those criticizing Zionism on moral grounds do not intend their condem�nation to be so sweep�ing. Though Palestin�ians protest at being stateless and express an urgent desire for �a passport,� they are not indiffer�ent with respect to which passport they receive. Were the right to belong to a state based purely on a right to be part of some administra�tive unit that protects individuals, Palestinians might work to become full Jordanians or Israelis. Though the �one-state� solution (one secular democrat�ic state in all of Pales�tine) approaches this demand, it is doubtful that Palestinian national aspirations would be met if the name of the single state were �Israel� or even �Southern Syria,� if its language were Hebrew (or English), and if only Jewish holidays (or no holidays at all) were officially celebrated.
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Zionism promised national awakening and fraternal solidarity; it has produced a society of increasing inequality and of racist discrimination and cultural oppression. . Zionism promised physical security to the Jews; Israel is the most dangerous place on earth today for a Jew, and it will remain so as long as Israeli-Jewish society retains its colonial character and its function as an instrument of imperialism. [32]
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The SS was particularly enthusiastic in its support for Zionism. An internal June 1934 SS position paper urged active and wide-ranging support for Zionism by the government and the Party as the best way to encourage emigration of Germany's Jews to Palestine. This would require increased Jewish self-awareness, Jewish schools, Jewish sports leagues, Jewish cultural organizations -- in short, everything that would encourage this new consciousness and self-awareness -- should be promoted, the paper recommended.
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The speech was accompanied by a selection of posters from "Zionism: Images of a State in the Making," an exhibition by the Central Zionist Archives in Israel marking the first hundred years of the Zionist movement. Prior to the lecture, Israeli Cultural Attaché Rachel Marani announced the donation of the posters to the Library.
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Cultural Zionism