ABSTRACT
Zionism is a complex movement of competing-and sometimes contradictory-ideological positions. However, the vast majority of Zionists view it as a movement of Jewish national self-determination and self-expression that has aimed to establish and maintain a Jewish and democratic state in the ancient homeland of the Jewish people. This state is to serve as a modern expression of the political identity that has historically stood alongside religion as a cornerstone of Jewish life. Alan Dershowitz (2003) has called this “the consensus view of Zionism.” Zionist education in this view has a twofold mission that is central to Israeli citizenship education. In Israel it seeks to foster awareness among young Jewish Israelis of their historic connections to the land of Israel, upon which Jews claim the right to national self-determination in that land, and their obligations toward, and interdependence on, Jews around the world. In the Diaspora it is about awakening within young Jews an awareness of this collective aspect of their heritage and encouraging them to make their life in Israel or to visit and maintain an ongoing relationship with the land, country, and people of Israel.
