Judaism vs Zionism: The Hijacking of Faith and the Politics of Empire

Judaism is not Zionism. It never was.For over a century, a dangerous myth has dominated global politics, religious discourse, and mainstream media: that the modern State of Israel is the natural fulfillment of the Jewish faith. That to be Jewish is to be Zionist. That to question the Israeli regime is to betray one’s people—or worse, to be antisemitic.Judaism vs Zionism: The Hijacking of Faith and the Politics of Empire tears through this myth with piercing clarity and moral urgency. In this bold, uncompromising work, authorMuhammad Abdelwahidunpacks the difference between an ancient prophetic tradition and a modern nationalist project. Drawing on scripture, theology, history, and contemporary witness, he exposes how Zionism—born in 19th-century Europe—co-opted Jewish identity, weaponized memory, and built a state on the displacement of another people.This book lifts up the voices the mainstream has tried to silence: Orthodox rabbis who condemned the Zionist state as heresy, Jewish philosophers like Martin Buber and Hannah Arendt who warned of its dangers, and modern movements like Jewish Voice for Peace and Neturei Karta who continue to say, “Not in our name.”For Jews, Muslims, Christians, and all people of conscience, Judaism vs Zionism is both a reckoning and a return—to justice, to truth, and to a Judaism unbound by militarism and empire.Perfect for readers of:The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestineby Ilan PappéThe Invention of the Jewish Peopleby Shlomo SandThe Question of Zionby Jacqueline RoseLiberation theology, interfaith justice work, and decolonial studiesRead more