The Z Word: Reclaiming Zionism: Jewish Quarterly 260

by Adam Kirsch

In the aftermath of October 7, Zionism has increasingly been used by critics of Israel as a term of derision. From university campuses to TikTok and Twitter/X, the term is employed as a self-evident slur that presumes that Zionists are racist and supremacist.


Yet, as Adam Kirsch writes in this groundbreaking essay, the challenge for Jews today is not merely to counter attempts to distort and corrupt the meaning and origins of Zionism. The Jewish people, he argues, do not need to defend the term – they need to reclaim it.


The Z Word reckons with the current trajectory of a in an age in which Jewish existence is under threat, the promise of Zionism is essential.

66 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 22, 2025

About the author

Adam Kirsch is the author of two collections of poems and several books of poetry criticism. A senior editor at the New Republic and a columnist for Tablet, he also writes for The New Yorker and the New York Review of Books. He lives in New York City with his wife and son.

Reviews

[Basti Moods · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Büchlein ist sehr wichtig in einer Zeit, in der das Wort Zionismus völlig von der dahinterstehenden Idee getrennt wird und Zionist als Schimpfwort Konjunktur hat.

"Juden raus, the germans used to say - Jews get out. - Does it make a difference to say 'Zionists get out' instead"? (13)

[Mannie Liscum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a masterwork in 68 pp. Thanks to ‘The Jewish Quarterly’ for making this available in book form. Anyone confused or curious about Zionism (or just needing an injection of courage to keep yours) should read this. It’s not a deep history of Zionism, the history of Israel or the Jewish people, or of the seemingly never-ending conflict between Jews and Arabs in the region; but it is a ln excellent synopsis of this issues and how Zionism - not the 21st century leftist definition but an honest Jewish political definition - fits into this picture. Kirsch provides a strong voice to defend the ideals of Zionism - that the ‘Jewish state is necessary for the survival and well-being of the Hewish people.’ Being Zionist isn’t evil, being that the Jewish state isn’t evil doesn’t make us lesser or evil. We can embrace Zionism without embracing actions of the current (or any other) govt of Israel. Zionism is a political statement that is robust enough to allow nuance and self-criticism.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those of us who are trying to keep up with events in the Middle East, this essay gives a brief history of Zionism and what it really means, as distinct from its current use as a term of antisemitic abuse.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

more essential than ever, manages to distill deep insights about the jewish state and the state of the jews into just a few pages