Theodor Herzl Quotes

Extol Jewish virtue, modern Zionism and the Israeli Defense Forces.

To be good Americans, we must be better Jews, and to be better Jews, we must become Zionists.

Israel always has a special filter to look at things, and that is the attitude toward Jews.

I love the people of Israel. I love the land of Israel. I love the Torah of Israel. I love the Israel Defense Forces. I love our soldiers. If you feel the same way I do, you have a home.

As a journalist, I've always treaded carefully about being Jewish and caring a lot about Israel and having that not become too big of an issue that could affect my journalism. But I also don't think it's essential to my Judaism, as I think it might be for some other people.

The argument that all Jews have a heartfelt investment in the state of Israel is untrue. Some have a heartfelt investment in corned beef sandwiches.

It's hard for a Jew of my generation, an American Jew, who is philo-Zionistic, not to romanticize Israel.

As far as YU faculty and students are concerned, the love for Israel is very strong. Probably about three thousand of our graduates have settled in Israel. On average, every year 650 male and female students study in Israel for a minimum of one year.

It's clear to me that one can't be Jewish without Israel. Religious or non-religious, Zionist or non-Zionist, Ashkenazi or Sephardic - all these will not exist without Israel.

The real threat to Zionism is the dilution of quality, Jews know that they can land on their feet in any country of the world. The real test for us is to make Israel such an attractive place—such a cutting-edge place in human society, education, culture, science, quality of life that even Americans Jewish young people will want to come here.

The whole point of Israel was to create a place where Jews could live the best life - and liveliest - in accordance with their values.

We established Israel as a Jewish country. I want to provide an Israel that is a Jewish, Zionist country.

Israel will not be deprived of its status as a strong, Jewish and democratic state.

I am a Jew, and I'm convinced that Israel is the homeland.

I will always be a proud defender of the Jewish people and of the State of Israel.

I am proud of religious Zionism. I am proud of the members of religious Zionism because it is a true ideological public.

A lot of Jews are great friends of mine.

I'm no more or less Jewish than any other Jew. Israel has survived because we haven't forgot our Judaism, but there are some Israelis who did forget.

I think a lot of Jews make Israel the centerpiece of their Judaism. It becomes the centerpiece of their Jewish existence and of their faith. I have always felt that that's not for me.

If you are trying to raise a child to be a Jew, then you have to create a sense of Jewish identity. You really weaken that sense of identity if you celebrate two religions.

My purpose is to have American Jews look away from the success story with which they've cheered themselves up, and to have them remember the classical tradition, whatever it is.

I am very proud of being Jewish. I went to a Jewish school all my life.

What are you going to do to preserve a tradition that is the peculiar and unique culture that Judaism inculcates? The American Jewish community is not going to survive by lining up against its common enemy.

I often hear them accuse Israel of Judaizing Jerusalem. That's like accusing America of Americanizing Washington, or the British of Anglicizing London. You know why we're called 'Jews'? Because we come from Judea.

I realized that we have to do everything we can to preserve the Jewish race. I'm very proud of it, and I think it's wonderful.