A Reckoning for Liberal Zionism
Friday August 7, 2025 – י״ד אָב תשפ”ה
Liberal Zionism is facing its most profound reckoning in a generation. The events of the past week – specifically the declaration by Prime Minister Netanyahu, and subsequent cabinet approval of plan for the IDF to take control of the entire Gaza enclave even if it means the remaining hostages could be harmed or executed by Hamas; the harrowing videos of Israeli hostages Ram Braslavsky and Eviatar David still held in Gaza; and the overwhelming devastation inflicted on Palestinian civilians—have torn at the ideological fabric that holds liberal Zionist identity together. For those of us who believe deeply in the right of the Jewish people to self-determination, the critical importance of having a Jewish State, and in the equal dignity and freedom of the Palestinian people, the moral terrain has grown excruciatingly complicated.
This week’s Torah portion, Va’etchanan, offers a mirror to our moment. It includes both the watchword of our people, the foundational declaration of faith and unity, Shema Yisrael, and the repetition of the Ten Commandments, a covenantal code of ethics that insists, among other things, on the sanctity of life, the rejection of murder, and the demand not to bear false witness.
Liberal Zionists are asking: how do we remain faithful to this covenant when reality on the ground could feel like a betrayal of its core values? How do we approach the increasingly difficult conundrum of affirming Israel’s right to exist, for Jews to be a free people in our Land, and separate the Zionist project and significance of a modern Jewish State from the current Israeli government that expresses little interest in ending the war, returning the hostages, and time and again acquiesces to the Haredi and ultra-nationalist parties all the while confronting the images of starvation, flattened homes in Gaza, and the rising death tolls among the innocent civilians?
The reckoning is not about abandoning Zionism—it is about demanding that Zionism return to its moral roots. We must continue to call for the return of the hostages not as a partisan demand, but as a humane one. Their suffering is a moral stain on humanity that cannot be normalized. The images of an emaciated Eviatar David being fed by a seemingly healthy Hamas captor and a sick and weak Ram Braslavsky are devastating. And, at the same time, we must refuse to dehumanize millions of Palestinians or reduce their aspirations to a security threat. The commandment not to murder does not come with caveats. The call to hear—Shema—is not selective – meaning that we are called upon not only to hearken to the mitzvot but to hear the cry of suffering humanity and then to act to alleviate that suffering.
The challenge for liberal Zionists today is both moral and existential. We are caught in a painful tension: between our deep love for and interconnectedness with the State of Israel and our commitment to justice, human dignity, and international law. This tension becomes especially acute as we witness the continuing anguish of the hostage families—haunted by new videos—and the vast and growing suffering in Gaza. We find ourselves asking: how do we uphold our core values while remaining loyal to the Jewish Homeland we cherish?
Liberal Zionism is rooted in the belief that Israel can be both Jewish and democratic, that our national liberation movement should be a symbol of human rights and a champion of independence for all peoples. Today, that vision feels increasingly fragile. The reality on the ground—with extremist politics and deteriorating humanitarian conditions — threatens to erode the moral foundation of the Zionist dream. At the same time, liberal Zionists feel isolated: alienated from an international left that too often rejects Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish State, and from a Jewish establishment that equates criticism with betrayal.
The Ten Commandments, read in this week’s Torah portion, remind us of our ethical core: not to murder, not to steal, not to bear false witness. These commandments speak to universal truths that should guide any people, especially one forged in the crucible of persecution. We must ask: How do these mitzvot inform our response to war, to the question of vengeance vs self-defense, to the treatment of the stranger? How do they speak to a nation riddled with continual trauma and fear – a nation feeling the increasing isolation from the world around them?
And we return to Shema Yisrael—a declaration of unity and love for God that is recited multiple times daily. It calls us to listen, to hear the pain of others, and to love with all our heart, soul, and might. It is a call to unity—not uniformity – but a profound divine oneness that reminds us we are bound together in responsibility and mutual care. For liberal Zionists, the call is to remain rooted in that listening and to hear both the cries of Israeli hostages and the despair of Palestinian civilians, to demand policies that reflect our values, and to believe, still, in a future of coexistence. Liberal Zionists are called to listen—to be compassionate to both the pain of our people and the cries of our neighbors. This is not weakness or naivete; it is moral courage. The challenge is not to choose between empathy and security, but to hold both in tension, and to build a future where neither must be sacrificed.
To be a liberal Zionist today is to remain rooted in covenant, conscience, and complexity. It is to demand the return of every hostage and the restoration of hope for Palestinians. It is to say to those calling for a Palestinian state, that yes, we want that too. And how can the international community, in addition to making simplified declarations, roll up its metaphorical sleeves and help create plans to rebuild Gaza, fashion state-building institutions and enterprises, and help ensure Israel’s security, understand its trauma, and foster a Palestinian leadership that we can trust?
It is to say: we can love Israel fiercely, abhor this government and this war, and still call for this government to live up to the founding ideals of the State as expressed in the Declaration of Independence. And it is to pray that out of this brokenness, we may yet return to the path of dignity, justice, and peace.
Shabbat Shalom.
