I read with curiosity Dana Goldstein’s article on “Why Fewer Young American Jews Share Their Parents’ View of Israel.” However, she never explained why young Jews are not as Zionist as her parents and simply cited some studies and said that the younger generation of American Jews do not identify as Zionists.
As someone that identifies as a Zionist, as do most of my friends, I think she fails to contemplate the media and academy-based battles being waged against the term Zionist. The media and college campuses too often equates Zionism with colonialism when in fact Zionism is the belief of a Jewish homeland in Israel. Anyone who does not agree with the idea of a Jewish homeland has not looked at Jewish history with an honest eye.
I have the distinct feeling that Dana Goldstein, who writes for a liberal publication like The Nation, hangs out with like-minded individuals. On the recent birthright trip my wife and I led, all 40 students from the reform movement believed in the idea of Zionism.
Dustin A. Stein, Esq., NEW YORK