From Zionism To Activism

By Avigail Abarbanel

“My family were very Zionist, but when you grow up in that environment, you do not recognise it as Zionism. They were deeply loyal to the state of Israel. It took me a long time to understand what Zionism is and to form my own view of it.

You are effectively traumatised by the state and by the education system. From a very young age you are exposed to images of the Holocaust, with the message: if you were living then, this would be you. So remember, the state of Israel is what keeps you safe. In Israel, the entire population lives in fear; people are kept in a constant state of fear. Zionism is a state ideology, which means it permeates every aspect of life. In kindergarten you are already exposed to the Zionist narrative as a toddler. You encounter it again in primary school and in secondary school. When I was growing up, and still now, Palestinians are compared to Nazis. They are not seen as human beings. The vast majority of Israeli Jews support the Zionist project. Israel is in a state of collective mania.

It is not simple to confront this. When you realise that a group is doing deeply harmful things, that it is profoundly unwell and immoral, killing people and acting in ways that are essentially genocidal, you are forced to choose between loyalty to your group and your own values. At one point I realised I had to make that choice. I went home and told my husband, “We have to get out of here.” I did not want to live in fear.

I renounced my Israeli citizenship in 2001. I feel liberated. Leaving was not only about renouncing citizenship; it was about mentally leaving the mindset of Zionism. That has been profoundly liberating. It was regarded as a major betrayal to want to leave. My family were horrified. They said, “You cannot leave. You will never have any friends. They will come after you.” Those were the messages I received, and I am not exaggerating.”

– Avigail Abarbanel (Former Israeli, Human rights activist). Follow Avigail’s Substack