Selections from the Writings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
". . . You declare, my friend, that you do not hate the Jews, you are
merely 'anti-Zionist.' And I say, let the truth ring forth from the
high mountain tops, let it echo through the valleys of God's green
earth: When people criticize Zionism, they mean Jews--this is God's
own truth.
"Antisemitism, the hatred of the Jewish people, has been and remains a
blot on the soul of mankind. In this we are in full agreement. So know
also this: anti-Zionist is inherently antisemitic, and ever will be
so.
"Why is this? You know that Zionism is nothing less than the dream and
ideal of the Jewish people returning to live in their own land. The
Jewish people, the Scriptures tell us, once enjoyed a flourishing
Commonwealth in the Holy Land. From this they were expelled by the
Roman tyrant, the same Romans who cruelly murdered Our Lord. Driven
from their homeland, their nation in ashes, forced to wander the
globe, the Jewish people time and again suffered the lash of whichever
tyrant happened to rule over them.
"The Negro people, my friend, know what it is to suffer the torment of
tyranny under rulers not of our choosing. Our brothers in Africa have
begged, pleaded, requested--DEMANDED the recognition and realization
of our inborn right to live in peace under our own sovereignty in our
own country.
"How easy it should be, for anyone who holds dear this inalienable
right of all mankind, to understand and support the right of the
Jewish People to live in their ancient Land of Israel. All men of good
will exult in the fulfilment of God's promise, that his People should
return in joy to rebuild their plundered land. This is Zionism,
nothing more, nothing less.
"And what is anti-Zionist? It is the denial to the Jewish people of a
fundamental right that we justly claim for the people of Africa and
freely accord all other nations of the Globe. It is discrimination
against Jews, my friend, because they are Jews. In short, it is
antisemitism.
"The antisemite rejoices at any opportunity to vent his malice. The
times have made it unpopular, in the West, to proclaim openly a hatred
of the Jews. This being the case, the antisemite must constantly seek
new forms and forums for his poison. How he must revel in the new
masquerade! He does not hate the Jews, he is just 'anti-Zionist'!
"My friend, I do not accuse you of deliberate antisemitism. I know you
feel, as I do, a deep love of truth and justice and a revulsion for
racism, prejudice, and discrimination. But I know you have been
misled--as others have been--into thinking you can be 'anti-Zionist'
and yet remain true to these heartfelt principles that you and I
share. Let my words echo in the depths of your soul: When people
criticize Zionism, they mean Jews--make no mistake about it."
(From M.L. King Jr., "Letter to an Anti-Zionist Friend," _Saturday
Review_XLVII (Aug. 1967), p. 76. Reprinted in M.L. King Jr., _This I
Believe: Selections from the Writings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr._