MLK: "Anti-Zionism = Anti-Semitism"

On Martin Luther King Jr. day, allow me to pay a special tribute to the man who was a true Zionist, a great friend of the Jewish people, a righteous gentile, and whose famous words in support of Israel and Zionism remain as prescient today as they were when he first spoke them 40 years ago.

During an appearance at Harvard University shortly before his death: "A student stood up and asked King to address himself to the issue of Zionism. The question was clearly hostile. King responded, “When people criticize Zionists they mean Jews, you are talking anti-Semitism.”

And this: During his lifetime King witnessed the birth of Israel and the continuing struggle to build a nation. He consistently reiterated his stand on the Israeli-Arab conflict, stating "Israel's right to exist as a state in security is incontestable." It was no accident that King emphasized "security" in his statements on the Middle East.

On March 25, 1968, less than two weeks before his tragic death, he spoke out with clarity and directness stating, "peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality."

Nicely done, Dr. King.

-MZ