Judaism Is Zionism: Celebrating the New Focal Point of the Jewish People

Dear Friend of FLAME:

Zionism has become both the anchor and driving energy of the Jewish people.

A new book—“Judaism 3.0: Judaism’s Transformation to Zionism” by Gol Kalev—makes a startling and blindingly obvious observation: The ideas, symbols and practices of Judaism, over the millennia, have faded and are falling to the side.

But Kalev offers good news: These elements of Judaism have been replaced by a new idea—and its realization—as powerful as any of those that preceded it. Judaism 3.0 is the age of Zionism.

This message has particular meaning for American Jews, who have exhausted most of the energy that once held them together and are now diminishing in numbers and their Jewish identity.

Kalev’s book is not an advocacy rant. He’s not trying to convince anyone to become a Zionist. He’s also not arguing that traditional expressions of Judaism are inferior or outdated.

Rather he is describing an historical phenomenon—how the Jewish people have evolved over time to reach a new pinnacle today . . . in possession of the miraculous state of Israel.

Kalev, in “Judaism 3.0,” describes the history of the Jewish people as having two previous iterations.

Judaism 1.0 was the Biblical period, when almost all Jews lived in the land of Israel, practiced animal sacrifices and made pilgrimages to Jerusalem three times a year.

Following the destruction of the second Temple, the Jews in exile reinvented themselves. This became Judaism 2.0—the Rabbinic period, when rabbis refined and codified Judaic practice, and Jews lived and worshipped—isolated in their communities—with little intermarriage.

Judaism 2.0 worked for several thousand years, until recently it started fraying.

The Jewish “community” of the Rabbinical period has dissipated. In the last 150 years, nearly 90% of Jews migrated to somewhere else—mostly from Europe to America and Israel, mostly from Africa and the Middle East to Israel.

The Jewish religion, once observed devoutly by every Jew, is now only regularly practiced by a small percentage—just about 20% of American Jews and fewer than half of Israeli Jews. Synagogue membership among the non-Orthodox in the U.S. is declining, and 67% of those who don’t attend services say “I’m not religious.”

Kalev describes American Jewry as “evaporating”—American Jews are losing their Jewish identity and their reasons for being Jewish.

In fact, Judaism is one of many identities for most American Jews—including memberships in clubs, alumni associations and political parties, as well as sexual identities. Jewishness is often not even their primary identity

No wonder intermarriage among American Jews is estimated at 50-70% and among non-Orthodox at 60-80%. What’s more, the birth rate of American Jews is 1.9 children—just below replacement level and well below the American average of 2.3 children.

Thus, by most standards, American Jews are a dying breed. Kalev doesn’t mean this as a condemnation—it is simply a fact . . . one that American Jewish leaders have been fighting, and lamenting, for decades.

Yet even as Judaism and Jewish identity has declined in the U.S., the State of Israel was born in 1948, motivated largely by secular Zionists.

Just as Jewish religiosity has declined in the U.S. and other parts of the world, so the religious are also a shrinking minority in Israel.

Zionism has injected a new spirit—admittedly a secular spirit—into Judaism, and just in time.

Today almost half of all Jews live in Israel. The Jewish birth rate is about 3.1 children—higher than most industrialized countries. By 2040, some two-thirds of Jews will likely live there.

Israel is an economic powerhouse. As the “start-up nation,” it boasts the highest number of new business launches per capita in the world. Israel’s per-capita GDP is the 30^th highest in the world, and its per-capita income is 27^th highest, ahead of Canada, France, and the UK. It is ranked as the 8^th most influential country in the world.

Israel is also a leader in medicine, cybersecurity, military technology, culture, food and entertainment (witness Fauda, Shtisel and Tehran).

Despite these secular achievements, though, Israel is still the home of the Jewish people. It has more observant Jews than anywhere in the world.

But Kalev’s point is not to put American Jews—or religious Israelis—on the defensive. On the contrary, he believes the religious values and observance of Judaism 2.0 are core to the soul of Judaism, even as they lose their centrality in Jewish life.

There will always be observant Jews—especially the Orthodox. They should worship in peace and preserve this heritage. But we’d be mistaken, Kalev notes, to think religious ritual will ever regain primacy in Judaism.

Kalev also asserts that even Jews who strongly condemn Israel for its perceived policies toward the Palestinians are supporting the new importance of Zionism. For these critics, Israel remains a focus—and often the central or only locus—of their relationship to Judaism.

The Zionist idea of Jews as a nation is of course not new. The Torah refers often to Am Yisrael—the People of Israel. Even Hitler persecuted us as a people—“secular and atheist Jews were slaughtered alongside religious Jews.”

Today, European anti-Semitism has shifted from the declassè street- and salon-level Jew-hatred to the ever-so-slightly more nuanced anti-Zionism—simply anti-Semitism redirected to the world’s only Jewish state.

Kalev believes Zionism gives Jews—and especially American Jews—a spirit and a platform that can accommodate secularism and revitalize Judaism.

Like the U.S., Israel is a liberal democracy founded on religious ideals. Israel supports women’s rights, gay rights, abortion rights. It hosts one of the world’s most diverse collections of racial, ethnic and religious groups.

Finally, Judaism 3.0 is dynamic. The return of Jews to our homeland has transformed the land and it transformed us, from victims and supplicants into creators of a better world.

We’ve come a long way, but no Zionist claims we’re done. We see Israel’s shortfalls, and they are painful. But we remain fierce to survive and determined to continue the inspiring journey.

For all its imperfections, Israel still strives to be—and become—a light unto the nations. As Zionism’s founder Theodor Herzl said, Zionism “will not stop being an ideal even after we arrive in the Promised Land, because in Zionism” is embedded “not only the aspiration to the Promised Land . . . but also the aspiration to moral and spiritual completion.”

Kalev concludes the book “Judaism 3.0” with the promise that “ Zionism is the return to Judaism.” His book makes a good case for it.

I hope you’ll take a minute, while you have this material front and center, to forward this message to friends, visit FLAME’s lively Facebook page and review the P.S. immediately below. It describes FLAME’s new hasbarah campaign—“The Palestinian Catastrophe”—which exposes the false narrative of “Nakba Day,” commemorating Palestinians’ missed opportunity for independence.

Best regards,

James Sinkinson, President
Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME)

P.S.

U.S. Representative and “Squad” member Rashida Tlaib has introduced a bill that would make Palestinian Nakba (“Catastrophe”) Day a national observance. The resolution promotes the false narrative that Israel’s statehood in 1948 prevented Palestinian Arabs from achieving independence. I think you’ll agree that truth is the only antidote to this lie. FLAME’s new hasbarah message called “The Palestinian Catastrophe”—shows it was in fact Arab refusal to accept the U.N. proposal of two states for two peoples that created the problem. I hope you’ll review this convincing, fact-based paid editorial, which recently ran in the Washington Post, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Houston Chronicle, Los Angeles Times and other media nationwide. It spells out how it was actually Arab states who stole the land designated for Palestinians. This piece will also be sent to all members of Congress, Vice President Harris and President Biden. If you agree that this kind of public relations effort on Israel’s behalf is critical, I urge you to support us. Remember: FLAME’s powerful ability to influence public opinion—and U.S. support of Israel—comes from individuals like you, one by one. I hope you’ll consider giving a donation now, as you’re able—with $500, $250, $100, or even $18. (Remember, your donation to FLAME is tax deductible.) To donate online, just go to donate now. Now, more than ever, we need your support to ensure that the American people, the U.S. Congress and President Biden stay committed to fighting antisemitic actions by individuals, politicians and commercial companies. As of today, more than 15,000 Israel supporters receive the FLAME Hotline at no charge every week. If you’re not yet a subscriber, won’t you join us in receiving these timely updates, so you can more effectively tell the truth about Israel? Just go to free subscription.