Reclaiming Zionism: Why “Zionist” Must Never Become a Dirty Word |
At the ADL’s Never Is Now summit, the American Zionist Movement is drawing a line in the sand — and asking every proud Jew to stand behind it.
I sat down with Mark Levenson, President of the American Zionist Movement, and Herbert Block, its Executive Director, on the sidelines of the ADL’s flagship Never Is Now antisemitism conference. What followed was one of the most frank, urgent conversations I’ve had about Jewish identity, the battle for language, and why now — more than ever — being a proud Zionist is an act of resistance.
Scroll through any social media feed today and you’ll see it: “Zio” hurled as a slur, “Zionist” weaponized as a slander, and a growing generation of young Jews quietly afraid to use the word their grandparents wore as a badge of honor. The American Zionist Movement — an umbrella body for 51 national Jewish organizations — has decided enough is enough.
The ADL’s Never Is Now conference, the world’s largest annual gathering dedicated to fighting antisemitism, was the perfect stage for this conversation. Against a backdrop of rising Jew-hatred and sustained pressure on Israel’s legitimacy, AZM’s leadership arrived with a clear message: reclaim the word, reclaim the movement, reclaim the future.
“Zionism, unfortunately, has become a dirty word — and we need to make it a good word again, a wonderful concept, like it always was when we were growing up.”
— Mark Levenson · President, American Zionist Movement
I opened by noting what many in our community feel but few say aloud: that “Zionist” has been so thoroughly smeared on social media that some Jews flinch at the label. Mark Levenson, who became AZM president on December 8th — the day after the first anniversary of the Hamas massacre — did not flinch for a moment.
── The Interview: Embracing Zionism
AARON HERMAN | Journalist
When you hear the word “Zionist,” for some people it’s a dirty........