MORE ON CHRISTIAN ZIONISM- ZIONISM 101
In his later years, Herbert Zweibon, the late and beloved chairman of Americans for a Safe Israel, recognized the importance of education and Jewish failure in this regard. He hoped to create a site for the Internet age which would provide a place where people could go to learn about Zionism, of whose history little is known even by Israel’s supporters. He would be pleased with the results thus far of his brainchild, Zionism101.org.
Isaac has amassed a treasure trove of footage to tell the story of Israel’s political prophets – Theodore Herzl and Ze’ev Jabotinsky– as well as of leaders like Chaim Weizmann and David Ben-Gurion.
Zionism 101 has a stunning series on Christian Zionism. Because Zionist historians have glossed over Christian contributions to the movement, these films are an eye-opener even for those with a strong foundation in Zionist history. How many know, for example, that Theodor Herzl allowed only one person outside his own family to visit him on his deathbed and that was Rev. William Hechler? Isaac says, “British Christian Zionists were critical in paving the way for the Balfour Declaration. I hope that Zionism 101 will set that record straight and give them the credit that’s long overdue.”
Christian Zionists show a love for Israel without necessarily being aware of their historical contributions to the creation of the Jewish State. Jews, for their part, know even less about Christian moral and material support that continues to this day. The site’s films on the topic should make Christian friends of Israel friendlier still and open Jewish hearts to our non-Jewish allies.
An email Isaac received this week indicates the site’s potential. “I discovered your excellent website this morning. Thank you for this professional, user friendly, resource. I am a Christian Zionist who teaches on Israel, both the ancient and modern history of the State. I am always looking for excellent material to use in educating people with the truth on the subject. I work with a group that advocates for Israel within the Christian population of Canada and also encourages the Jewish population of our nation. I live at Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Please continue to produce this excellent resource and know that it is being used in the nations for your cause. Shalom, Lorraine B.”
The site is remarkably well-organized and easy to navigate. It’s divided into ‘video courses’ containing a series of films five to six minutes in length. The first ‘video course’ is “Founding Fathers.” It includes an impressive hour-and-a-half of film covering such leaders as Ze’ev Jabotinsky and Chaim Weizmann. Isaac says, “Jabotinsky may be well-known to AFSI members, but if you pulled most Jews off the street, and asked them who Jabotinsky was, they’d have no clue.”
The site is free but registration is required and updates on new sections will be automatically sent to all who register. The site adheres to absolute discretion when it comes to names and e-mails. For more information, Mr. Isaac can be reached through the contact page on the website, http://www.zionism101.org.
This AFSI undertaking is one of the most important projects in our history, and one which addresses head-on the propaganda, distortion and outright lies that have permeated the Internet, and, unfortunately, the textbooks of many schools.
Zionism 101 requires time, dedication, knowledge and talent, all of which Isaac, and the team he’s assembled, have in abundance. However, funding is critical to complete the project and we hope that AFSI’s friends and fellow Zionists will step up to the financial plate to maintain this ongoing and valuable effort. Many of us are consumed with the current terrible state of affairs as Israel is maligned through malice and anti-Semitism abetted by ignorance. We ask what we can do. Zionism 101 is one answer.
As a special to Outpost readers, we are offering this link to view the latest film released by Zionism 101 without need for registration. It is part 3 of Christian Zionism, “Hechler to Wingate”: http://zionism101.org/NewestVideo.aspx
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