Zionism

Abstract

Zionism is an international movement comprising political, cultural, and social ideologies which calls for the return of Jewish people to a homeland. The term “Zion” is derived from ancient biblical sources and embodies a yearning for a return to a lost place of origin: “Weeping, we sat by the rivers of Babylon, thinking of Zion” (Psalms 137:1). With that said, the actual term “Zionism” was not coined until 1890, when Nathan Birnbaum began to formulate ideas concerning “political” Zionism which he felt were the direct result of anti-Semitism.