“Fusing Zionism with Judaism has been a catastrophe” | Simone Zimmerman | UNAPOLOGETIC — Monday 18 May 2026Simone Zimmerman, co-founder of the progressive Jewish organization IfNotNow, has argued in a recent interview that the fusion of Zionism and Judaism since 1948 has created lasting damage to Jewish communities worldwide. Speaking on the Middle East Eye program Unapologetic, she stated that this merger turned a political project into a religious and cultural identity, with consequences that predate the current war in Gaza. Zimmerman, also the subject of the documentary Israelism, described the decision as a catastrophe that reshaped how Jews globally relate to Israel and to their own traditions. The interview traces the roots of today's tensions to the founding of the Israeli state, when Zionist ideology became intertwined with Jewish practice and education in many countries. Zimmerman contends that this shift narrowed the space for alternative Jewish voices and made criticism of Israeli policy feel like a betrayal of Jewish identity. For diaspora communities from New York to London and beyond, she says, the result has been a narrowing of debate and a sense that support for Israel is a requirement rather than a choice. Her comments arrive as Jewish organizations and governments continue to debate the relationship between antisemitism, antizionism, and legitimate policy criticism. Zimmerman's perspective highlights how younger Jews in particular are questioning long-standing assumptions, raising questions about how Jewish identity will be defined in the years ahead without the automatic alignment of religion and state.Watch the full video from Middle East Eye below.