On Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism.
Zionism is a movement centered on Jewish self-determination in the Jewish people’s ancestral homeland. The Jewish people hold an ancestral connection to the Land of Israel and have maintained a continuous presence there for over 2,000 years. Our longing to return has been with us since the exile, present in our holy texts and prayers, poetry and songs, our traditions and customs. Modern political Zionism emerged in the late 19th century, but its roots run far deeper. Our history of oppression and persecution has proven the need for Jews to live freely and securely in our homeland.
Israel is no longer just a dream Jews long for. It is a living, breathing country home to over 9 million citizens. This includes over 6 million Jews, about half of the world’s Jewish population. Many are descended from individuals fleeing persecution in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, with Israel serving as their only safe refuge.
Jewish identity and Zionism are intertwined. Israel is rooted in Jewish history, tradition, and religious life: Our holidays, agricultural calendar, language, and collective memory all follow the rhythms of the Land of Israel, reflecting its longstanding place as the Jewish people’s ancestral homeland. The American Jewish Committee’s 2025 State of Antisemitism in America survey found that over three-quarters of American Jews consider caring about Israel important to what being Jewish means to them. Not all Jews are Zionists, just as not all Jews keep Shabbat or observe kashrut, either. But all three remain core to Jewish identity.
For starters, what is Zionism?
“Zionist” and “Jew” are not necessarily interchangeable. Neither are anti-Zionism and antisemitism. Still, these terms often overlap.
Criticism of Zionism, Israeli policy, or the Israeli government is not inherently antisemitic. No one acting in good faith would argue otherwise.
However, antisemitism targets Jews both as individuals and as a collective: synagogues, Jewish organizations, and yes, even the Jewish state. Israel can be a target of antisemitism, and criticism of it crosses the line when it relies on antisemitic tropes, holds Jews everywhere responsible for Israel’s actions, or applies standards to Israel that are applied to no other country. Likewise, calls to deny the Jewish people, and only the Jewish people, the right to self-determination are often antisemitic.
At the same time, the word “Zionist” is often used as a pejorative to carry antisemitism, particularly when it becomes a substitute for “Jew.” Let’s explore…
When “Zionist” becomes a substitute for “Jewish.”
The problem arises when “Zionists” becomes a proxy for Jews. For centuries, antisemites have accused Jews of controlling banks, governments, the press, and other institutions. Claims such as “Zionists control the media” or “Zionists run the government” reproduce the same conspiracy theories about a hidden Jewish collective exercising disproportionate control over society.
The same pattern can appear in exclusionary demands directed at Jews themselves. Statements like “we don’t want Zionists here” are used to exclude Jewish students or demand that Jewish students first demonstrate that they are “not Zionists” before being accepted as legitimate participants. This is an ask for Jewish students to check their identities at the door, to disavow a belief or connection that is fundamental to Jewish identity before they are permitted to participate as equals. Jewish students should not have to pass an ideological test, prove that they are the “right kind” of Jew, or distance themselves from Israel and Zionism in order to be welcomed into a campus community.
This distinction matters particularly on college campuses, where debates about Israel and Zionism overlap with Jewish student life. New York University has explicitly recognized in its ‘Guidance and Expectations on Student Conduct’ that “Zionist” can function as a proxy for Jews or Israelis. Among the examples it discusses are excluding Zionists from otherwise open events, calling for the death of Zionists, imposing a “no Zionist” test for participation, and promoting conspiracy theories such as claims that “Zionists control the media.”
What about the term, “Zio?”
One antisemitic dog whistle is the word “Zio,” a shortened form of “Zionist.” The term has developed a documented history as a derogatory expression, particularly in extremist and conspiratorial contexts. Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke used “Zio” extensively in his political writing and broadcasting, incorporating it into expressions such as “Zio-Communism,” “Zio-economics,” “Zio-history,” “Zio-supremacism,” and “Zio-occupied America.” The term has subsequently appeared in other political and campus controversies. In 2016, the UK Labour Party’s inquiry into antisemitism specifically identified epithets such as “Zio” as having no place in Labour discourse. In 2017, organizers of the Chicago Dyke March used the phrase “Zio tears” before apologizing and acknowledging the term’s history.
Posted on X (Formerly Twitter). Screenshot from Jewish on Campus researcher.
At Jewish on Campus, we’re proud to be Zionists.
“Jew” and “Zionist” are not synonyms. Being Jewish is an identity encompassing religion, ancestry, culture, history, and peoplehood, while Zionism is centered on Jewish self-determination in the Jewish people’s ancestral homeland. Yet this distinction does not mean that Zionism is unrelated to Jewish identity: for many Jews, the Land of Israel is deeply woven into our history, traditions, prayers, holidays, language, and collective memory. We are proud to be Zionists and affirm the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in our ancestral homeland.
Our Zionism does not mean that we agree on every Israeli policy or political question, nor does it define the entirety of our Jewish identity. It is, for us, a meaningful expression of our connection to our people, our history, and our ancestral homeland. We are proud to be Jewish, and we’re proud to be Zionists.