The term ‘Zio’ has become a pejorative word for Jew that is derogatory and contemptuous.
‘Zio’ is pervasive , having become normalized to depict Jews as genocidal, baby killers and anything else that demonises Jews, including Holocaust inversion. There seems to be no limits as to the grotesque conspiracy theories (the latest being the NY Times article on Israel training dogs to rape Palestinian Arabs).
The fraudulent Russian ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion’ are the basis of much of today’s Jew hatred. Unsurprisingly, the Protocols took root in Hitler’s Germany which Jew hating mobs today support. Do they know that they absurdly accuse ‘Zios’ of being Nazis while they themselves promote Nazi propaganda?
Most Jew haters have little idea of what Zion and Zionism are.
Zion, derived from the Hebrew word ‘fortress’ is first mentioned in 2 Samuel 5:7 when King David captured the stronghold from the Jebusites over 3000 years ago. It is also associated with Mount Moriah in Genesis where the Jewish story of indigeneity begins with Abraham who lived about 4000 years ago.
Later Zion was associated with Jerusalem when David united the kingdoms of Judea and Israel. Zion became known as the City of David, thereby recognizing his dynasty in Jerusalem. Zion is the spiritual heart of Israel and mentioned some 150 times in the Bible, and as Jerusalem some 800 times in the Jewish and Christian Bibles. Zion is not restricted to Jerusalem but also refers to the Land of Israel. Psalm 48 is an example of Zion’s centrality in Judeo-Christian belief.
Additionally, Zion is mentioned hundreds of times in Jewish liturgy from daily prayers to grace after meals and Shabbat. It is mentioned in Israel’s national anthem, Hatikvah whose words were written in 1878-seventy years before Israel was re-established. It was secretly sung by inmates in concentration camps and a few days after the liberation of Bergen-Belsen by survivors.
Zion is not restricted to Jews but also honored elsewhere. The exception is the Koran where there is no mention of Jerusalem or Zion despite Muslim claims of Jerusalem being their third holiest city.
Despite Zion being revered in Judaism and later in Christianity, ignorant mobs continue to debase it, ignoring reality.
And yet…
-The Congregation of Our Lady of Sion exists in 22 countries.
-The Zion National Park in Utah includes Zion Canyon and mountain lions. The lion also happens to be the symbol of Jerusalem and Judah.
-America has at least 13 locations called Zion including the suburb of Zion in Chicago.
-The Zion Church in Beijing was the largest underground church before being shut down by the authorities. However there are various Zion churches in Hong Kong
-Several locations in the UK are named Zion and there is Zion City Moriah in South Africa.
Question: If people in NYC are called New Yorkers, the people of Zion, Illinois, are called- what?
The Jew haters have no idea how absurd their tropes are.
Didi you know that while the Quran does not specifically refer to ‘Zion’ or indeed Jerusalem, Surah 5:20-21 does say that “Moses tells his people to enter the Holy Land which Allah assigned to you."
Surah 17:104: mentions Allah settling the Children of Israel in the land after Pharaoh and promising a future gathering.
How many Muslims have actually read that?
-The Christian Bible and concomitant culture refer to Zion numerous times.
-The Gospel of John 12:15 links Jesus to festival visits to Zion (Jerusalem) for Passover, Sukkot and Hanukkah.
-German Christmas carols such as ‘Tochter Zion, freue Dich (Daughter Zion, rejoice), the anthem ‘Prepare the way O Zion and ‘O Zion, that bringest good tidings’ are other examples.
-In 1978 the pop group Boney M released their hit ‘ Rivers of Babylon,’ …yeah, we sat and remembered Zion…" It sold over 2 million copies in the UK alone-the second biggest hit of the 1970’s.
-In Poland, Mary is honoured with a high status as the mother of Zion.
-Likewise, Zion is frequently mentioned in Orthodox churches and is a powerful spiritual symbol representing the Church, the Kingdom of God, and the Heavenly Jerusalem.
-Jesus is referred to the King of Zion. Matthew 21:5 refers to the “Daughter of Zion that their king was coming…"
-Jesus taught that the Law (Torah) would not pass away, supporting the idea of an eternal covenant involving the Jews and the land which was Zion.
What would the mindless mobs today call Jesus?
Could it be, that the world is full of Zios we just don’t see?
Ron J Hutter is the author of the satirical novel on antisemitism, “The Trombone Man: Tales of a Misogynist", the play “BEST," and the “Kristallnacht Cantata: A Voice of Courage"