Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Jewish
History and Religion
Words Are Power: Taking Back the Language of Israel

Words Are Power: Taking Back the Language of Israel

Last updated on: June 17, 2026 at 9:03 pm by Rebecca Wallace Keene

Words Are Power: Taking Back the Language of Israel 2026-06-17T21:03:55-04:00 Rebecca Wallace Keene

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Words are Power created by Rebeca Keene with Chatgpt

Words Are Power

Judaism teaches us that words are power. Proverbs 18:21 reminds us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Further, Sefer Yetzirah chapter 2 reminds us that language was the foundation of the world and of every soul. “Twenty-Two Letters—He carved them, and hewed them, and weighed them, and exchanged them, and combined them, and formed with them the soul of every formed being and the soul of every being He has yet to form.” Yet, we as a people have surrendered the control of words to the masses.

Hate is allowed to grow because the media is allowed to manipulate a word’s meaning to the point people no longer really understand what it means. George Orwell warned us about this decades ago. In 1984, the government used a reduced vocabulary called Newspeak to control how the public thinks. Today that has become our reality, and we have allowed it. We as a people must step forward to reclaim the meaning of words affecting our people, our religion, and Israel. We must take back the power of words from the media.

Israel IS Palestine: Words Are Power

The media says Palestine and everyone, Jews included, suddenly pictures Gaza and the West Bank. Newspeak has trained us to do so. Newspeak has defined what the word means for the world. However, Palestine is not Gaza. Palestine in the past meant a geographical area including the sovereign nation of Israel. Palestine has never existed as a nation or state. The media has now reframed the meaning of the word to Gazans. So, when the media screams “Free Palestine,” or “Death to Israel,” we need to get loud about the fact that Israel IS Palestine. We need to remind them, Jews are also Palestinian. The slogans they use for antisemitic Jewish hate are not accurate and that inaccuracy increases worldwide antisemitism by making it them vs us, Palestine- vs- Israel. However, the reality is Israel is part of Palestine. There is no them- vs- us. There is only us.

A Refugee Flees

The world hears the word refugee applied to Gazans and that word provokes sympathy. Yet, most Gazans today are not refugees. The word refugee literally means one who flees their home due to danger. That was the original definition of the word. However, modern media has created second and third generation refugees with its misuse of the word. Present-day media uses the word to refer to anyone in Gaza. It is debatable if the original people of Gaza would have been considered a refugee under the original definition of the term as they were offered the choice to stay. However, I am not debating that fact.

The Newspeak we must fight today is that every person in Gaza is called a refugee. There are very few of the original people who left Israel in 1948 still in Gaza. Many have died or relocated. In 2012, the US Senate estimated the number of living 1948 refugees worldwide at 30,000. We are now in 2026. The original people who left Israel would be in their 70s-90s and the surviving number is considered very low worldwide. That means most of the people in Gaza never fled danger. They were born there. Therefore, by the original definition, they are not refugees. The media’s usage of the word is designed to gain sympathy for Gaza while creating hate for Israel. We must take back the meaning of the word if we want to end antisemitism in the world. We must get loud about the fact that most Gazans are not refugees.

Apartheid Has a Definition

The world calls Israel an apartheid state. Most of the college-aged students using this word have no idea what it means because the media and Newspeak have changed the meaning. They repeat a media clip without ever understanding that an apartheid state is a state in which the majority population is discriminated against and segregated racially by a minority population. Originally the term apartheid state referred to a situation in South Africa in which the black MAJORITY was racially segregated and discriminated against by the white MINORITY.

Meanwhile, the media today uses the word to mean any system they deem to be racially charged or a situation in which a native people are discriminated against. Even by those definitions, Israel would not qualify. However, based on the original meaning of the word, Israel literally cannot be an apartheid state where Arabs are discriminated against. In the state of Israel, Jewish people are the majority. If we zoom out to include Gaza and the West Bank, the number is close, but the Jewish population is still the majority. That means Israel could only be an apartheid state if the Arabs were oppressing the Jews. We cannot stand by silently while the world continues to call Israel by this slander, which drives antisemitism worldwide and is not true. We must reclaim the word and get loud about what it actually means and from where it originated.

I Am a Zionist: Words Are Power

When the world hears the term Zionist, they associate it with the modern Newspeak meaning, which is someone who wants Israel to expand its borders and colonize the Middle East. Due to this Newspeak dangerous ideas have emerged. For example, people often say, “I support the Jewish people but not Zionism.” However, the actual definition of Zionist is someone who holds a belief in the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in our ancestral homeland of Israel. The Newspeak version has created much antisemitism. Therefore, we must reclaim the original meaning of the word. We should all proudly say, “I am a Zionist.”

Stop accepting definitions handed to you by people who oppose you. Stop using these words in reference to our people, country, and religion in a negative way. Remember, words are power. More importantly, speak up with the real definition every time you hear one of these words used. Words are power and we have been giving ours away. That must stop if Israel is to survive.

General Christian

Politics and Religion

About Rebecca Keene

The author, Rebecca Keene, has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Religion. She graduated from the University of Pikeville as Religion Honor Student in 2014. Currently, she is studying for a MA in Women, Gender, Spirituality, and Social Justice at the California Institute of Integral Studies. Also, Rebecca is the author of FAITH UNDER THE RAINBOW: RECLAIMING THE TRUTH ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE BIBLE. In addition, she founded and independently runs the social media community, Reclaiming the Truth. Therefore, you should visit Rebecca's author page and purchase her books at: Amazon Author Page or: Publication Page Rebecca is currently in her 3rd year of Kabbalah study. She is ordained to perform LGBT weddings and is certified in Hypnotherapy. Rebecca lives in Kentucky with her two adult children. She practices Non-Denominational Judaism. She is passionate about social justice and fiercely advocates for the marginalized in society and religion. When not with her children or writing, Rebecca enjoys spending time in nature, with G-d, or in a good book. She also enjoys making and selling art which you can find at Art by Rebecca. Rebecca will try to answer all correspondence, but please be patient, as life is busy for us all. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

June 14, 2026

Wrestling With G-d

Next Post

June 22, 2026 The Search for Monotheism

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Appalachia Arks of the Covenant Bible Christianity Christmas conversion Cosmology Creation Curses demons Dietry Laws Easter Ecology Eden Egypt family Gender Gender equality Genesis Hannukah Hell Holidays Holocaust homosexuality Hospitality Code Hygiene Idolatry Immigration Islam Israel Jacob Jesus Jewish law Jewish/Christian Relations Job Lilith Lost Books Love marriage martyr New Testament parenting Passover Peace pedophilia Politics Prayer proof Purim quran rape reviews Rosh Hashanah Sabbath Science sex laws sexuality slavery Synagogue technology Torah transgender Uncategorized War witch women worship Yom Kippur

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 March 2026 February 2026 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was a "phylactery," criticized by Jesus in Matthew 23?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A lamp A robe A fishing net A small box with Scripture