Recently, the President of the Zionist regime, Isaac Herzog callously stated that all diasporic Jews should become ‘semi-citizens’ of "Israel". His statements exude with ignorance and myopia, given that it entails that diasporic Jews are cannon fodder for the genocidal machinery in Palestine. It is also anchored in preconceived notions that Jews living in the United States, Europe, Australia and elsewhere in the world will condone the systematic killing and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians. However, an impartial and deeper understanding of the Jewish diaspora suggests the contrary. 

While it’s true that the Jewish diaspora is not a monolithic entity with either a pervasive pro-Palestinian or Pro-Zionism outlook as Herzog implies, there is evidence to suggest that many groups do not approve of Zionism as a so-called ‘end all’ for Judaism or the establishment of a Jewish state. Take the assessments of British filmmaker Gillian Mosley as an example, who suggests that Judaism as a religion is more important than militant Zionist ideology for diasporic Jews. She argues that Judaism has been around for 2,500 years as compared to Zionism which has been around for 150 years, which makes the concept of ‘Israel’, its policies and support for its genocidal machinery, abhorrent in the eyes of diasporic Jews. 

Hence, conflating Judaism with Zionism as Herzog suggests, is inherently flawed. In the Western world, many diasporic Jews are members of progressive organizations such as the Jewish Voice for Peace in the United States. The JVP is ardently against Zionism and consistently called for an end to the barbaric killing of the occupied, Palestinian population. Similarly, the ‘Neturei Karta’ or the ‘Guardians of the City’ group in the United States and "Israel" which consists of Haredi Jews was founded in 1938 and remains active as orthodox Jews opposing Zionism. Haredis advocate for the peaceful razing of the Israeli state and firmly believe that establishing a Jewish state is equivalent to a rebellion against God. Their fiercely anti-Zionist orientation has found traction in New York City, where they are actively seen holding pro-Palestinian placards and calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine since 1948. 

Yet the presence of Haredis can easily be rebuffed as ‘insignificant disruptors’ by Netanyahu’s sympathizers who would argue that the Neturei Karta is a fringe group that has no relevance in Jewish or Israeli policy making. Yet, such rebuttals cannot explain why Neturei Karta is not in club of one. Groups such as ‘Na’amod’ for example, also exist as an organization of British Jews opposing Israeli policies of occupation, subjugation, and apartheid in both Gaza and the West Bank. Na’amod too, is not in a club of one. In Germany, a country that has gained notoriety for muzzling out pro-Palestinian narratives under the garb of ‘guilt washing’ on the Holocaust, the Judische Stimme or the ‘Jewish Voice’ of Berlin continuously employs anti status-quo narratives, conflicting with the claim promoted by Netanyahu that Judaism is synonymous with Zionism or support for a genocidal regime. Their narrative is very simple- the issue lies in ending Palestine's occupation and attention should not be diverted towards so-called policies that are aimed at dismantling Judaism or the Jewish identity. 

Members of the Judische Stimme also contend that what took place in "Israel" on October 7th, 2023, was not in a vacuum. In fact, it is the product of continuous oppression of the Palestinian population with years of systematic erosion of their land, proliferation of illegal settlements, and state-sponsored genocide. Groups such as Judische Stimme have also lambasted Western capitals such as Berlin over their complicity in providing support to the Zionist war machinery through arms sales and political support. The Judische Stimme for example, considers Olaf Scholz’s unconditional and apologetic support from Berlin to Netanyahu as criminal, deplorable, and unjustifiable. Their advocacy is anchored in reaching out to the Jewish diasporic communities in Germany to change their outlook toward the Zionist state and the effects of the Holocaust on collective consciousness. The end result is successful mobilization in the form of protests and agitations. 

Such protests were both visible and palpable across academic institutions and varsities in the United States. The protestors themselves were also not simply Muslim or secular citizens calling for a ceasefire but also consisted of Jews fed up with Zionism, the status quo, and the relentless bombardment of a besieged enclave. One such group consisting of young Jews frustrated with the overwhelmingly hawkish response from American Jewish institutions to Israeli killing of Palestinian citizens is the ‘IfNotNow’ group which campaigns against ending America’s support of the Israeli apartheid system and the latter’s deprivation of justice, equality and humanity for the Palestinian people. The IfNotNow group considers itself to be representative of the Jewish future with members hailing from Sephardic, Mizrahi, working class and disabled Jewish communities. 

Despite such incontrovertible evidence, however, the Zionist regime in "Israel" is desperately trying to conflate Judaism with Zionism through propaganda and narrative building. Such systematic campaigning cannot deny the fact that Judaism is a religion that is steeped in history and has a rich legacy while the other is a militant ideology. By doing so, however, Isaac Herzog and his cohorts are playing by the same bigotry that often conflates the followers of Islam with terrorist organizations. 

The truth is that diasporic Jews are calling for an end to Zionism worldwide which is a reality that "Israel" and its allies need to accept.