What is Zionism?

Introduction 

"Zionism" appears frequently in discussions about Israel, Palestine, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, yet remains often misunderstood. Students encounter the word in headlines, social media, and political debates—used as a badge of pride or a term of condemnation—without accurately understanding what it means.

This video introduces Zionism as a Jewish national movement: the belief that the Jewish people, like other peoples, have the right to self-determination in their ancestral homeland. It explores modern political Zionism's origins in 19th-century Europe, its diverse expressions, its connection to the State of Israel, and why the same movement evokes profoundly different responses from different communities.

Understanding Zionism requires grappling with complexity: How can the same movement represent liberation for one people and displacement for another? How can we hold multiple perspectives without dismissing anyone's lived experience? How do we distinguish between critiquing government policies and questioning a nation's right to exist?

This guide provides teachers with tools to facilitate these conversations with nuance, empathy, and intellectual rigor—helping students think critically about nationalism, indigeneity, competing narratives, and the distinction between empathizing with a perspective and endorsing it.
 

How to use our educator's guide

This guide is designed to enhance your students' engagement with the video, "What is Zionism?". You can pause at suggested points to explore key concepts through discussion, or show the entire video and use the discussion questions and activities at the end for a comprehensive post-viewing conversation. Alternatively, use a flipped classroom approach, assigning the video for homework and using class time to unpack ideas together.

Choose the activities and approaches that best fit your students, classroom needs, and learning objectives.