Zionism. The greatest pyramid scheme ever invented?

Not all Jews are equal; some are more equal than others. A Jew by birth and a card-carrying Israeli, veronica sherman He sees the Zionists as a cult, a dangerous pyramid scheme.

If a group of Jewish backpackers from Melbourne met a group of Israeli backpackers at a hostel in Thailand, the Melbourne backpackers would all be excited to meet their “Jewish brothers” and feel a connection. It’s a bit like meeting a relative while traveling.

But Israeli backpackers are more likely to view Melbourne travelers with complete disinterest. Of course, if they aren’t planning to visit Australia at some point, they might consider Melbournes as a potential free accommodation option.

Every Israeli I used this analogy nodded and agreed.

There are many different varieties of Jews, and in Australia there is a dominant type that likes to decide who is and who is not Jewish based on their own values.

Who is the most Jewish?

It has been an interesting experience to be told almost every day that I am not Jewish.

The irony, of course, is that I have no legal document proving that I am Jewish. I would like to point out that I am actually a “card-carrying Jew.” My Israeli ID card says: Yehudi – Jew.

The background is that I immigrated to Israel with my family at the age of ten. we did it aliyah. This is the Hebrew word meaning to immigrate to Israel as a Jew. It seems like this is our birthright. We spent two years in an “absorption center” with Jews from around the world. In my memoirs, I refer to it as a flat version of the Tower of Babel. We lived in a community with recent immigrants from Ethiopia, Russia, Argentina and, of course, New York.

We were the only family moving there from Sweden.

class system

It is not said that there is an unspoken class system in Israel. And someone who makes aliyah will never be considered a “true” Israeli. Of course, they will have all legal rights, but they will never achieve the same status as a woman. patience – A Jew born in Israel.

Of course even for SabrasThere are different currencies. LIKEabra with parents from North Africa (Mizrahi) will never have the same thing”prosthesis” (social good and opportunities) as patience with Western European parents (Ashkenazi).

This social code is fluid and there are always exceptions to the rule, but in general this is the Israeli system.

What Jews in Australia may not realize is that they don’t even get on the scoreboard.

Fundraising under threat

Jews outside Israel are not considered “real” Jews. Except in one case, raising money for Israel.

This is where Australian Jews shine.

They are great at this. At least $50 million last fiscal year. And this is not something that Israel would risk missing; so they are very nervous about the Zionist narrative losing its grip on Australia from October 2023 onwards.

The weekly rallies in Melbourne were bad enough. Especially since the Jews who participated never hid their identities. They carried giant banners revealing their Judaism. This has completely become a farce of the narrative that Jews are unsafe in Australia.

Any statement about how much Australian Palestinians hate Jews will go viral on social media posts. This is of course not true. And it never happened.

In fact, Palestinian leaders constantly thank Jews for attending rallies. We remind the masses that we are together for human rights.

Australian Palestinians oppose Zionism. This is the same for every person with a moral compass.

When Veronica Sherman was at the Bridge march, almost every front page featured a photo of “Hamas supporters” crossing the bridge. I was there that day. Even though it was raining at biblical rates, hundreds of thousands of people showed up.

We were not there to support Hamas. We were there to say that genocide is wrong and that human life is sacred.

We tried to cross the Sydney Harbor Bridge because our politicians remained silent while families were being massacred in Gaza.

It is completely logical for Jews to protest the genocide. Many of my Jewish friends had parents or grandparents in the Holocaust. They appeared on the bridge

because never again is for everyone. Not just for us Jews.

And Australian Jews seeing the truth scares Israel Hasbara – Israeli propaganda. Getting Australian Jews to send their donations through Zionist charities is really important.

Zionist sect

I have often described Zionism as a death cult because they truly have a cult mentality. But what really confirmed this for me was my attendance at the Zionists’ general assembly last year.

It was like an Amway meeting!

I came home to my children and told them that Zionism was the greatest pyramid scheme ever invented.

That General Assembly had everything. A room full of converts and a handful of leaders also have the right to talk about how important this cause is.

Then they flew two VIPs out of headquarters…I mean Israel. You could tell they were VIPs because they didn’t have to dress as formally as the leaders and wannabe leaders. They had the smug casual vibe that Israelis have perfected.

The Israeli woman was there to present an award to the president, who retired after many years of service. I almost gasped out loud when the Israeli woman handed the retired Melbourne mayor the ‘Key to Jerusalem’.

Talk about sass!

There is no such key

Aside from the fact that there is no such thing as the key to Jerusalem. They literally frame a giant key and make a ridiculous plaque. But what really made me feel like I had been punched in the gut was that the key was a very special symbol for the Palestinians.

I think of my friends whose parents were kicked out of their homes in 1948 and were told they would return in a few days. This was a complete lie and they never saw their beloved home again. Houses where their ancestors lived for generations.

Even if you have the slightest knowledge about the Nakba, you know this.

Giving the key to Jerusalem as a gift is extremely offensive.

The VIP man who spoke was a journalist. And he duly told the devotees in the room that he had top secret information to share with them. This is exactly the language the “worker bees” use at Amway meetings to make them feel important. He kept his face expressionless as he told the room that every injury and death in Gaza was caused by Hamas. The audience was applauding this.

He also shared evidence that anti-Semitism is spreading around the world. I thought you might use examples from Australia. I’ve seen a lot of “evidence of antisemitism” that turned out to be stickers against Israel and the IDF. I was really curious what you would show us.

Incredibly, the video he showed was from my home country, Sweden! Market vendors in the town square were recorded making hateful remarks about Jews. I can’t remember his exact words because I was so surprised to see the cobblestones of my childhood in this context.

What I do know is that my hometown, Malmø, is hosting Eurovision in 2024. Just six months after the genocide began, there were protests that Israel was allowed to compete. I assume this Israeli journalist used the opportunity to interview immigrants selling fresh produce as proof that Jews are hated and distrusted around the world.

Not a “real” Jew

In Melbourne, where I live, I constantly see posts in local Jewish Facebook groups about not feeling safe. These are the same people who told me I wasn’t a real Jew.

It hurt at first. Then I had an experience that changed my perception.

I was standing in front of the council with my banner. I was with a group of Jews protesting the new definition of antisemitism. We stood silently as the Zionists entered the planned event.

One of them turned to look at me and said the familiar words: “You’re not a Jew!” I’ve gotten so used to hearing these things now that it’s like water off a duck’s back. But then he looked at the two people I was standing next to and repeated his words.

One of them is a woman whose parents were both Holocaust survivors after spending four years in Siberian labor camps. The other is Sabra, who not only served in the Israeli army but also lost his eye while on duty.

If these two wonderful people next to me had been told that they were not Jewish, I would have been in good company.

Now I know what Zionists mean when they tell me I’m not Jewish. They say I’m not a Jew who supports the Holocaust. This means that I am a Jew who is not part of a death cult.

And that’s okay with me.

Antisemitism crisis. What’s real, what’s not

Veronica Sherman is a Swedish-Israeli writer and activist who has called Australia home since 1995. Growing up in a Zionist family in Jerusalem, Veronica Sherman’s first-hand experiences, including time in the Israeli Air Force, gave her a unique Palestinian perspective rarely heard in Australia. Veronica has written two memoirs and is also an advocate for marginalized women in Cambodia.