Religious Zionists are often confused by fellow Torah observant Jews who oppose Zionism and the State of Israel. The Religious Zionist community sees the State of Israel as one of the greatest gifts to the Jewish people; how, they wonder, could anyone oppose it? 

To most Torah observant Jews, the question, “Is Zionism consistent with the Torah?” has an obvious answer. Of course, certain Torah observant Jews would answer the question with a resounding yes, and others with an equally definite, no! The question of Zionism’s consistency with Torah values is a source of great debate among Torah observant Jews.

When compared to the rest of Jewish history, it is evident that the times we live in are magical. The Jewish people are safe, they govern their homeland, the land of Israel, and they are exceedingly successful.

Zionists will forever debate when their undertaking began. There are Zionists who fervently argue their first member was Abraham. When God told Abraham, “Go forth from your land to the land I will tell you…” and Abraham arrived in a land to be named “Eretz Yisrael,” he became the first Zionist. More contemporary thinking Zionists will claim Theodore Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, was the first Zionist and started the drive of the Jewish people to return to their homeland.