By Cindy Mindell ~
Looking at the state of the State of Israel today, Zionist visionary Theodor Herzl might not recognize the face of the movement he helped launch in 1895. Simplistically put, over the last 100-plus years, Zionism has changed. Gone are the 19th century pioneers who left the oppression of Czarist Russia to drain the swamps and till the land. Gone, too, are the subsequent waves of Jews fleeing tyranny to breathe the air of a true homeland.
“Zionism” has become a complicated term, debated and parsed the world over, even in the Jewish community. The word no longer automatically evokes the same memories and associations of past generations, whose ardent support of a struggling new country was drawn in stark terms of black and white, life and death, with us or against us. As Israel has matured and evolved, its politics, image, and place in the world – and even the history of its founding – have grown more nuanced and complex.

Zaki Djemal

There are, of course, many attempts to get the world to focus on what Israel does well and compassionately in the 21st century. Authors Dan Senor and Saul Singer described Israel’s “economic miracle” in the best-selling “Start-up Nation.” The Israel documentary film, “Strangers No More,” won an Academy Award in 2011.
Another route, says Zaki Djemal, is through humanitarian work. Djemal is North American regional director of IsraAID, a coalition of 15 Israel non-governmental organizations that provide emergency relief and long-term development initiatives throughout the world. Founded in 2001, IsraAID specializes in bringing Israeli professional know-how to humanitarian aid projects. In its first decade, the organization and its coalition members have been active in more than 40 countries. Today, IsraAID is working in Haiti, Japan, South Sudan, and Kenya.
Djemal will lead a workshop, “Repairing the World, Repairing Israel’s Global Image” on Sunday, Feb. 26 at Congregation B’nai Torah in Trumbull, as part of the synagogue’s year-long Israel advocacy programming.
“Israel is an amazing country, the product of the yearnings and dreams and efforts of so many over so long – and all Jews are now a part of it,” Djemal says. “We’re all looking for ways to fulfill our sense of Zionism, and, to remain relevant, I feel it has to go in new directions. For me personally, my connection to Zionism is channeled through being both Jewish and Israeli. Our responsibility, as Israelis, is to help heal the world.”
Born in London to an English mother and a Syrian father, Djemal was raised in Israel. After graduating from high school, he served in the Israel Defense Forces as a journalist and news editor with Galei Tzahal, the nationwide radio network operated by the army, a military unit that is also a free agent of the press.
Djemal completed three years of service and then worked in Nepal with Tevel B’Tzedek, an Israel-based non-profit organization promoting social and environmental justice. He joined IsraAID after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, working as chief logistics officer in one of the largest refugee camps in Port-au-Prince.
Now 24, Djemal is an Avi Schaefer Fellow at Harvard.
“Beyond being a professional and world-class humanitarian organization, involved in some incredible projects all over the world, IsraAID is also a very important vehicle for Israel advocacy,” he says. “Beyond great contributions to those who need help, IsraAID’s work is rebranding Israel as an innovator in humanitarian work. The emphasis on humanitarianism as a manifestation of Zionism today is very powerful. It can engage both Jewish communities and non-Jewish communities around the world.”
The workshop will give participants the tools to get beyond the negative media coverage of Israel, Djemal says, and learn about the positive contributions Israelis are making.
“For me, as someone who’s had the opportunity to be on the receiving end of what Zionism used to be, I feel it’s my responsibility to take it a step forward and share what we’ve become,” he says. “The idea of being a light unto the nations is really important.”

“Repairing the World, Repairing Israel’s Global Image” with Zaki Djemal of IsraAID is Sunday, Feb. 26, 4:30 p.m., at Congregation B’nai Torah, 5700 Main St., Trumbull. Reservations requested: (203) 268-6940 / information@bnaitorahct.org.

Comments? cindym@jewishledger.com.

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