Part 11: Teen Jewish History** join me as we get down to it for the month of May.

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]Hello my teen friends. Welcome back for part 11 of our one-minute educational May video series on Jewish history. If you're just joining today, please go back and watch the first videos so the order makes sense. Each video is a small dose of daily incremental knowledge.

[00:00:17]Today's video is a little sidebar.

[00:00:20]Critics of Israel falsely argue that Zionism is a modern political ideology that has little to do with Judaism. They will say, "I can be a Jew and not a Zionist." These statements negate the deepest historical, religious, emotional, anthropological, and civilizational connection between the Jewish people and the land. Judaism is an identity that is faith-based and nationalistic. In the Bible, the Jewish people are chosen to worship one God and are bound together by a shared covenant, a collective destiny, and a specific land, Israel. Connections back to the land and what happened there appear in every aspect of Jewish life and customs, from breaking the glass at a wedding in remembrance of the destruction of the Second Temple to the Seder table where we say, "Next year in Jerusalem." to our prayers, which we always say facing east toward Jerusalem. Even the flag of Israel is an homage to this timeless connection. The land of Israel is and has always been the gravitational center of Jewish identity. Those who argue against the connection between Judaism and Zionism or try to claim that Zionism is a form of colonialism are dead wrong.

[00:01:41]They are ignorant and attempt to erase almost 4,000 years of direct Jewish connection to the land as proven through the Bible, the language, and the laws and customs of Judaism.

[00:01:53]Tune in on Monday for more history in part 12.