They say that Israel is never allowed to win a war. Jews generally, it would seem, are unable to ever claim public victory. But if we examine history, we can see with clarity that we are more than capable of being winners. None of these wins was more important than 1948.

It is beyond simply the war of independence. Jews were finally victorious in an ideological and political battle that had been waged in Jewish prayer and custom for thousands of years: The restoration of a Jewish state in the land of Israel. The realization of the Zionist project.

Zionism (it seems we must constantly be reminded), in its most basic form, is simply the right of the Jews to have a state in their ancestral homeland. By those terms, the movement fulfilled its mandate. It won. So let’s stop dwelling. Let’s retire the word “Zionism”. 

It is no longer useful.

Zionism is unique in that there is no other political movement still using aspirational language so long after it succeeded in its goals. Take for example the absurdity of using terms like “universal suffrage”, “abolition”, or even “prohibition” in 2026. Those movements, successful or not, have had their debates settled. Those are past-tense issues. In the American context, Prohibition was settled in the US in 1933. Just 15 years before Israel was established. Then there is a movement you’ve likely never even heard of: the Korean Independence movement. Which concluded with the establishment of the Republic of Korea, in 1948. There are very few people in the world who know enough about Korean independence to debate the dates, political motivations, or efficacy of the movement. But that’s exactly the point: the debate is settled. Despite its relationship with its northern neighbour, South Korea exists. 

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