Zionism

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Pronunciations

Zionism (ZAI-uh-NIZ-m) listen

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Definitions

  • n. "A worldwide political movement that worked toward the establishment of a Jewish homeland" (JPS).

  • n. The belief that the Jewish people has the right to a Jewish state in the land of Israel.

Example Sentences

  • "Arabs and Palestinians generally oppose Zionism, as the explicitly Jewish character of the Israeli state means that Jews have privileges that others don’t." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • English

Etymology

  • Zion + -ism

      • Who Uses This

      • Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
      • Israel: Diaspora Jews who feel connected to Israel and have spent time there
      • Non-Jews: (words that have spread outside of Jewish networks)

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa
      • Australia / New Zealand

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).

Notes

  • See also Zionist.

    Definitions of Zionism vary widely.

    The Jewish English Lexicon is not a political entity, and this entry is purely meant to be a description of how Zionism is defined, not how the Jewish English Lexicon or any of the people working on it think it should be defined.

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