Forming a Anti-Zionist Denomination of Judaism

[u/NAHTHEHNRFS850]

Seeing the stickied post regarding people seeking out progressive (particularly anti-Zionist) Jewish services, I wanted to talk about the formation of a progressive anti-Zionist Jewish denomination.

While there are progressive denominations of Judaism (e.g. Humanistic), these denominations don’t explicitly render themselves as anti-Zionist in the fact that they don’t declare “that there should not be a Jewish state”.

A new denomination such as this would need to remove practices phrases, statements and literature making overtures to the Holy Land and focus on community and belief in God. I see this as parallel to how some branches of Humanistic Judaism avoid using theonyms (names associated with God e.g. Joshua).

Thoughts?

[u/allneonunlike]

We don’t need to strip that material from the canon, we just need to make it clear that it’s a spiritual metaphor. Jews spent 2000 years using “next year in Jerusalem” as an allegory rather than a plan to commit genocide and enshrine an evil apartheid state, the problem isn’t in the literature.

[u/specialistsets → u/allneonunlike]

It's not traditionally seen as a metaphor, all Orthodox Jews literally believe that the Temple will one day be physically rebuilt in Jerusalem in a messianic era. "Next year in Jerusalem" is said at Passover and Yom Kippur because those holidays are seen as uniquely incomplete without the associated Temple practices.

[u/malachamavet → u/specialistsets]

Also, even not taken metaphorically, the idea of a state is completely divorced from the idea of physically being somewhere. I can want to move to Paris without wanting to conquer France etc.

[u/NAHTHEHNRFS850 → u/allneonunlike]

The Canon is a reflection of what is valued and what isn't. If the land is not seen as central to one's faith in HaShem, then it shouldn't be needed.

This is aside from the fact that the traditional biblical narrative records the Conquest of Canaan, and particularly the genocide of the Amalekites.

[u/allneonunlike → u/NAHTHEHNRFS850]

I wish I had an answer to the biblical conquest and genocide content, it’s honestly always been too much for me to be able to engage with the religious aspect of our culture, even decades ago. I couldn’t stomach talking about the killing of the firstborn at Passover as a kid, I feel sick thinking about Amalek being part of the canon knowing that it’s the explicit justification for the genocide and ecocide taking place in Gaza. I say with hope that we lived for 2000 years without using Torah as a playbook for mass murder, but I honestly don’t know how the faith can survive this. I’ve never been a particularly observant person, and hope others who are more plugged in to that aspect of Jewishness have answers for you.

[u/NAHTHEHNRFS850 → u/allneonunlike]

Thanks for taking the time to respond to me. I really appreciate it.

Contrary to what people may think in this forum, I'm not some rambling pile of chaos.

I'm just trying to help get to a solution that people can support without suffering existential dread or from dehumanizing others.