Members of the American Zionist Movement at the Israel Day Parade in New York City on June 3, 2017. Photo: Michelle Claire Gevint.

JNS.org – To celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Second Zionist Congress, this week the American Zionist Movement (AZM) marked the occasion of the founding by Theodor Herzl with a public release and promotion of both the Statement of Principles of Zionism and its “Zionism Forward” campaign.

The statement, adopted by the AZM board, consists of 28 national Jewish Zionist groups. AZM works across a broad political, religious and ideological spectrum connecting the American Jewish community to support Zionism, Israel and the Jewish people.

The principles include, but are not limited to, “the sovereign state of Israel’s unconditional right to exist as the Jewish democratic homeland,” “the right of the people of Israel to live in peace and security” and “Israel’s centrality to Jewish identity and life,” according to the AZM.

Meanwhile, the “Zionism Forward” campaign includes, but is not limited to, the mission to “strengthen support for Israel, the Jewish people and Zionism,” “celebrate the ideology and cause of Zionism” and “help strengthen Israel’s position in the global family of nations.”

“In recent weeks and months, we have seen Zionism attacked and mischaracterized in America, Europe and the Middle East—by both public figures and those on university campuses,” said AZM president Richard D. Heideman. “We have collectively rededicated ourselves to this movement and launched the ‘Zionism Forward’ campaign in order to strengthen support for Israel, the Jewish people and Zionism.”

“While the 1897 meeting launched the modern worldwide Zionist movement, the gathering a year later in 1898 showed that this movement was not just a one-time effort,” added Heideman. “It was this continuity and building of support for Zionism which AZM maintains today as we move Zionism forward.”