Reclaiming Zionism’s voice on the left

As progressive Zionists after 7 October 2023, we find ourselves caught in an unsettling limelight, often misunderstood and grappling with a world that feels increasingly disorienting. The polarised rhetoric around Israel and antisemitism demands we confront a difficult question: how do we defend our community and our values when they seem to conflict with those of the very circles that we once called allies? This is a time to find our voice and redefine our role.

Many progressive Zionists have expressed surprise at the loss of tribal camaraderie on the left since October 2023. Yet those of us who have worked in the charity sector for years have been aware that Israel has long been an uncomfortable topic to bring up among colleagues. I say this after decades working in homelessness and youth disadvantage, both in the UK and Australia. For years, I baked for my colleagues during each Jewish festival but knew not to leave the newspaper open on Israel news, lest they actually talk about it.

In hindsight, we too carefully separated “Israel” from “Jewish” and made excuses for bad behaviour. Today, I don’t believe many progressive Zionists would comfortably excuse words of racism about or toward any other group. But when it’s a micro-aggression (a word I use deliberately), or even a blatant macro-aggression toward Jews, with Israel as the socially acceptable code word, we let it slide. Today, we still look away. We find solace over an almond chai with our Jewish friends, to avoid looking our progressive peers in the eye and calling it out.

Why?

In the past, we excused the vague discomfort with Israel for so long so we could get on with the important business of making society better for the vulnerable. In doing so, we sacrificed ourselves, a cost that seemed fair at the time. After all, we knew we had a strong community to return home to, one that supported, nurtured, and challenged us. Our kids were alright—until suddenly, they’re not.