Zionists on zionism

More here on the 35th World Zionist Congress. The opening passage of the Proposed Resolutions document is the Jerusalem Programme 2004. I suppose it's a statement of aims. So cop this:

Zionism, the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, brought about the establishment of the State of Israel, and views a Jewish, Zionist, democratic and secure State of Israel to be the expression of the common responsibility of the Jewish people for its continuity and future.

The foundations of Zionism are:

1. The unity of the Jewish people, its bond to its historic homeland Eretz Yisrael, and the centrality of the State of Israel and Jerusalem, its capital, in the life of the nation;

2. Aliyah from all countries and the effective integration of all immigrants into Israeli Society.

3. Strengthening Israel as a Jewish, Zionist and democratic state and shaping it as an exemplary society with a unique moral and spiritual character, marked by mutual respect for the multi-faceted Jewish people, rooted in the vision of the prophets, striving for peace and contributing to the betterment of the world.

4. Ensuring the future and the distinctiveness of the Jewish people by furthering Jewish, Hebrew and Zionist education, fostering spiritual and cultural values and teaching Hebrew as the national language;

5. Nurturing mutual Jewish responsibility, defending the rights of Jews as individuals and as a nation, representing the national Zionist interests of the Jewish people, and struggling against all manifestations of anti-Semitism;

6. Settling the country as an expression of practical Zionism.

We should consider the meaning of "Eretz Israel." Most people take Eretz Israel to mean the biblical land of Israel. Literally it simply means "land of Israel." But it is taken to mean the biblical land of Israel. As it happens, just as Israel has never defined its boundaries, the biblical land of Israel's boundaries are still a moot point among religious Jews. See this from Israel Shahak:

The exact geographical definition of the term 'Land of Israel' is much disputed in the Talmud and the talmudic literature, and the debate has continued in modern times between the various shades of zionist opinion. According to the maximalist view, the Land of Israel includes (in addition to Palestine itself) not only the whole of Sinai, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, but also considerable parts of Turkey.51 The more prevalent 'minimalist' interpretation puts the northern border 'only' about half way through Syria and Lebanon, at the latitude of Homs. This view was supported by Ben Gurion. However, even those who thus exclude parts of Syria-Lebanon agree that certain special discriminatory laws (though less oppressive than in the Land of Israel proper) apply to the Gentiles of those parts, because that territory was included in David's kingdom. In all talmudic interpretations the Land of Israel includes Cyprus.

I intend to return to this because I think even the Jerusalem Programme 2004 begs many questions. It has terms it doesn't define and circular definitions. For example, it "views a Jewish, Zionist, democratic and secure State of Israel to be the expression of the common responsibility of the Jewish people for its continuity and future." But what is a zionist Israel? How does it differ from a Jewish Israel? And what's that "common responsibility" stuff all about?

Meanwhile, have a look at this zionist glossary, courtesy of the Jewish Agency for Israel.

The World Jewish Congress gathers from 19th - 22nd June 2006 in Jerusalem.