Zionism: The Soviet view the most reactionary variety of Jewish bourgeois nationalism. Zionism became widespread during the 20th century among the Jews in thecapitalist countries. Today it is a nationalistic ideology, represented by a ramified system of organizations and a policy expressing theinterests of the Jewish big bourgeoisie, which is closely linked with the monopolistic bourgeoisie of the imperialist states. Modern Zionism ismilitantly chauvinist, racist, anticommunist, and anti-Soviet. Zionism emerged as a political trend in the late 19th century. Its function was to distract the Jewish toiling masses from the revolutionarystruggle and to maintain bourgeois dominance over them. To attain these aims, the Zionist ideologists advanced plans for solving the “Jewishquestion” by creating a “Jew state” with the aid of the great powers. This idea was set forth in Der Judenstaat (The Jew State; 1896), publishedby the Austrian journalist Theodor Herzl, a Zionist ideologist. At the first Zionist Congress, held in Basel in 1897, the World Zionist Organization(WZO) was founded. It proclaimed that the official goal of Zionism was to “create for the Jewish people a home in Palestine secured by publiclaw.” The ideology of Zionism is highly eclectic. It utilizes many dogmas of Judaism but also includes theories of bourgeois nationalism and socialchauvinism, transformed by Zionist ideologists. Zionist ideology maintains that the Jews in various countries constitute an extraterritorial “singleworldwide Jewish nation.” The Jews are a “distinctive,” “unique” people, a people “chosen by god.” All peoples among whom the Jews live are inone way or another anti-Semites. Anti-Semitism is a “permanent” phenomenon, and assimilation, or the merging of Jews with the surroundingpopulation, is “unnatural and sinful.” The Jews have “historical rights” to the “lands of their Biblical ancestors” (Palestine and its adjoiningregions, where they must gather and build a “purely Jewish” and “egalitarian state.” Zionist ideologists seek to prove the “unbreakable bond of Jews throughout the world” with Zionism, to which they must subordinate their owninterests, wherever they may be. The politicized dogmas of Judaism state that the Jews are “chosen by god” and have a messianic task tofulfill. These dogmas, and Judaism’s mythical thesis of the Jews’ “uniqueness,” are constituents of the extreme nationalism, chauvinism, andracism inherent in Zionist ideology and practice. The ideologists of Zionism maintain that the “Jewish question” is “eternal,” “unique,” and beyond class considerations. Zionists utilize everymeans to propagandize the false idea of class peace between toiling Jews and the Jewish bourgeoisie (“all Jews are brothers”). All forms ofclass struggle among Jews are proclaimed to be national treason. The Zionists have always made use of demagogy and tactical maneuvers intheir efforts to conceal the antipopular, reactionary essence of Zionism, alleging that Zionism is the “national liberation movement of Jewsthroughout the world.” After the state of Israel was formed in 1948 on part of Palestine’s territory by a resolution of the United Nations, Zionism became Israel’s officialideology. Its main goals are to secure the unconditional support of Israel by the world’s Jews, to gather the world’s Jews in Israel, and toinculcate a Zionist spirit among Jews in various countries. Zionism seeks to expand Israel to the boundaries of the “Greater Land of Israel.” Tothis end, Zionists evoke the thesis of “eternal anti-Semitism,” a situation which they often deliberately instigate. Zionism is the basis of Israel’s government policy. Zionists have proclaimed the state of Israel to be the homeland of all Jews, wherever they liveand whatever their attitude toward Zionism. The Twenty-eighth World Zionist Congress, held in Jerusalem in 1972, adopted, in violation ofinternational law, a resolution on the collective obligation of all national [Zionist and pro-Zionist] organizations to aid the Jewish state under anycircumstances and conditions, even if this means opposing the respective authorities of the countries with a Jewish population. Zionism’s main policy has always been one of struggle, both open and covert, against socialism, the international communist and nationalliberation movements, and the Soviet Union and other socialist countries. Immediately after the victory of the October Revolution of 1917 inRussia, Zionism unleashed an active struggle against the new Soviet state. After World War II (1939–45), amid a further intensification of theoverall crisis of capitalism, the anticommunism and anti-Sovietism of international Zionism assumed still broader dimensions. The shift in thealignment of forces in the world in favor of socialism, the successful resolution of the national question (including the Jewish question) in theUSSR, and the Soviet Union’s consistent support of the national liberation struggle of the Arab peoples have given rise to intensified anti-Sovietand anti-communist Zionist propaganda and activity. International Zionism strives to undermine the moral and political unity of the peoples of the socialist countries and to prevent citizens of Jewishnationality from participation in building socialism and communism. Zionism seeks to subvert the relaxation of international tension and inparticular the incipient normalization of Soviet-American relations. As a shock detachment of imperialism, colonialism, and neocolonialism,international Zionism opposes the national liberation movement of the peoples of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In the Near East, the Zionist ruling circles of Israel conduct a policy of aggression and of continuous territorial expansion at the expense of theArab peoples, particularly the Arab people of Palestine. This policy made Israel an imperialist gendarme in the Near East and was the maincause of the Arab-Israeli military conflicts of 1948–49, 1956, 1967, and 1973. Zionism became one of imperialism’s chief allies in its globalstruggle against the world liberation movement. Zionism’s ideological concepts and political plans are implemented by a far-flung, highly centralized system of Zionist and pro-Zionistorganizations, directed by centers in the USA and Israel. The administrating and coordinating center of international Zionism—the WZO system—is the Jewish Agency for Israel. The Jewish Agency deals mainly with the immigration of Jews into Israel and acts as the representative ofthe WZO to the Israeli government. The World Zionist Congress is the de jure highest body of the WZO, which is directed by a group of leaderswith close ties to certain imperialist circles in the USA. The executive committee of the WZO has two branches, one in New York and one inJerusalem. The WZO directs and controls Zionist organizations in more than 60 capitalist countries. The largest are the Women’s International ZionistOrganization, the World Confederation of United Zionists, the World Labor Zionist Movement, and the Zionist Organization of America. Theformally non-Zionist World Jewish Congress (founded 1936), with organizations in 67 capitalist countries, is under the de facto control of theWZO. Directly or indirectly affiliated with these major organizations is a multitude of local Zionist and pro-Zionist organizations, societies, andcommittees, which constitute a unified system of international Zionism. The WZO possesses large financial resources, mainly contributed byJewish monopolists; some funds are collected by levying substantial dues, which are sometimes compulsory, on the Jewish population. Many means of mass information are controlled or influenced by Zionist organizations, including many publishing houses and radio, television,and film companies in the USA, Western Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Australia. International Zionism has always included a variety ofideological currents, political factions, and groups: Zionist socialists, political Zionists, spiritual Zionists, religious Zionists, general Zionists,and revisionist Zionists (today’s fascist Herut Party and kindred groups). This variety merely reflects the interests of different strata of theJewish bourgeoisie and does not alter but only masks Zionism’s basically imperialist nature. Essentially, the differences among the various orientations of Zionism do not go beyond disputes over tactics and often reflect the strugglewithin the Zionist elite for positions of influence. Marxists have always repudiated the theory and practice of Zionism. V. I. Lenin revealed the reactionary essence of Zionism, emphasizing thatits dogmas are reactionary, false, and contrary to the interests of the Jewish proletariat. He criticized the Zionists’ theses concerning theunique nature of the Jewish people, the alleged absence of class differences among the Jews, and the imaginary communality of theirinterests, explaining that such assertions aimed to distract the Jewish toiling masses from the proletariat’s common class struggle. The international communist movement denounces the anti-popular, reactionary character of Zionism and Zionist activity in all countries. Thedocument adopted by the International Conference of Communist and Workers’ Parties in 1969 appealed for “the launching of the broadestmovement of protest … against racial and national discrimination, Zionism, and anti-Semitism, which are incited by capitalist reactionary forcesand exploited by them to disorient the masses politically.” A consistent struggle against Zionism is waged in particular by the Communist Party of Israel (CPI). The CPI proves convincingly that Zionismhas always been exploited by the forces of extreme reaction and imperialism and that the ideology and practices of Zionism are contrary to theinterests of Jewish toilers throughout the world and the national interests of the people of Israel. The CPI has shown that the struggle againstZionism is a vital necessity for the people of Israel and for all progressive forces. Denouncing the allegedly classless approach of the Zionists tothe “Jewish question” the CPI proves that this question can be resolved only with the victory of democracy and socialism, as evidenced by theexperience of the USSR and the other socialist countries. The CPI advocates the brotherhood and friendship of the toilers of all countries andopposes the anti-Soviet slanderous propaganda and subversive activity of the Zionist leaders and rulers of Israel. As the overall crisis of capitalism intensifies, the crisis of Zionist ideology and the untenability of all its concepts become increasingly obvious:the overwhelming majority of Jews reject Zionist dogmas. With rare exceptions, the Jewish population of the USSR, like all the peoples of theSoviet Union and the world’s progressive forces, resolutely condemns the aggressive political course of the Zionist ruling clique of Israel. The30th session of the UN General Assembly (November 1975) classified Zionism as a form of racism and racial discrimination. The natural and objective process of the assimilation of the Jews is gaining strength throughout the world. In the Jewish communities of thecountries of the West and among the population of Israel there is an increasing comprehension that the Zionist policies of Israel’s ruling circlesmay lead the population oflsrael to a real national catastrophe.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 07:56:56 +0000
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