# How “Anti-Zionism” Is Creating Zionists

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/how-anti-zionism-is-creating-zionists/
- Published: 2026-11-15T19:41:11+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-15T20:24:44+00:00
- Original publisher: Reason (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://reason.com/volokh/2026/11/15/how-anti-zionism-is-creating-zionists/
- Topics: Politics

## Key points

- Bottum says anti-Zionist activism has moved him towards Zionism.
- He cites incidents targeting Jewish people and institutions.
- He distinguishes Zionism from uncritical support for Israel’s government.

## Summary

Joseph Bottum says activist anti-Zionism has led him to identify as a Zionist, arguing that rhetoric against Israel can blur into hostility towards Jews. He says this matters because Jews have faced incidents in which people or institutions were targeted with anti-Zionist language, and he sees a duty to oppose antisemitism.

Bottum cites a Philadelphia restaurant labelled with an antisemitic slur, a Jewish centre’s mural in California painted over with “Zionism is not welcome”, and a synagogue in Maryland defaced with initials for an anti-Zionist slogan. He invokes George Washington’s 1790 letter affirming religious freedom, while stressing that Zionism does not require uncritical support for Israel’s government. He argues that solidarity with Jews targeted as Jews should include standing up as Zionists.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.