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/loselyconscious]

There was an antizionist denomination of Judaism, it was called Reform Judaism. The first statement of principle of Reform Judaism in the US explicitly rejected Zionism 

[u/acacia_tree → u/loselyconscious]

Reform Judaism still exists. I grew up Reform and still practice it. Originally it completely rejected Zionism but the major Reform institutions became Zionist in the middle of the 20th century. The American Council for Judaism is the only anti-Zionist Reform institution that still exists and upholds the Pittsburg definition. They’re currently going under a rebrand and revival.

[u/loselyconscious → u/acacia_tree]

Yes of course it still exists, but they are no long anti-zionist.

[u/acacia_tree → u/loselyconscious]

One Reform institution is still anti Zionist and never stopped being anti-Zionist. But the URJ is Zionist

[u/loselyconscious → u/acacia_tree]

I would not really call ACJ a reform institution. I also find the Pittsburg Platform to have about as much prospect for a political revitalized anti-Zionism as Haredi anti-zionism does