However, there is always a bit of confusion about what Zionism is and what it takes to reconcile such a notion. I also think Herzl's motives are a bit misunderstood where the means is assumed to be the goal. Rather, I agree completely with the ideas Walter Lacquer has entered into what Zionism is which, namely that it is about respect.

As such, the founding of Israel is not the end all/be all of Zionism. The proof is that such an idea existed well before Herzl as it was frequently proposed by several prominent Christians in the 1840's. But it didn't take off because it was a lot like today's Christian Zionism where Jews are considered at best part of a plan. Zionism was born at a time when Jews were being relegated to second/tertiary class citizenship because they were of Jewish heritage (as opposed to the medieval standards where conversion brought some social respect) and a new form of anti-Semitism was on the rise.

The primary spark was the horrible issues raised by the Dreyfus affair which Herzl covered as a journalist. It affected him greatly. From this and from the issues raised, Zionism arose as part of a desire to gain equality - respect if you will - for Jews with everyone else. Herzl drew upon much of the core beliefs during the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, that having a nation state was considered by many as the only means an ethnic group could achieve such respect (paralleling the rhetoric of Bismarck and Garibaldi) and in the case of Jews help end anti-Semitism. And like Bismarck and Garibaldi, Herzl felt once the state was established, Jewish powerlessness would cease and everything else would fall into place.

Others such as Martin Buber felt that respect was only obtained culturally and as such pushed for a Jewish cultural renaissance. Ideas were more important.

At this point, almost 60 years after the foundation of Israel, I think Zionists should wonder if having a state is sufficient or only part of the requisites to achieve the real goals of Zionism which is respect? At this point anti-Semitism is still prevelent even though Israel is militarily one of the strongest states in the world what with it's own armed forces and the support of many of the world's strongest powers. Is there some other identity and understanding which must also accompany the physical State in order to achieve the desired goals?