A Short Reflection on Martin Buber and Zionism

Abstract Martin Buber's perspective on Zionism was rooted in the view that ‘two vital claims’ were ‘opposed to one another’. Stressing the role of justice and imagination during speeches at the Zionist Congresses of 1921 and 1929, his ‘prophetic’ perspective emphasised the indivisibility of politics and morality. Distinguishing between ’Israel’ (nationalism) and ‘Zion’ (a spiritual ideal) led him to advocate for a bi-national state in Palestine. He called the way the State of Israel came into being in 1948 as an entry into history through ‘a false gateway’.