From Terah to today: The many roads that lead Jews home

Moshe Taragin argues that the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel is an ancient, divinely implanted instinct, using the biblical figure Terah as the first Zionist. He traces Jewish nationalism as a response to 19th-century secularization, framing secular Zionism as a divine impulse. The piece concludes with a personal anecdote about his mother's aliyah driven by family love.

In an opinion piece published in The Jerusalem Post on October 16, 2026, Moshe Taragin argues that the Jewish connection to the Land of Israel is an ancient, divinely implanted instinct that can awaken even without religious faith. He cites the biblical figure Terah, father of Abraham, as the first Zionist, who felt an inner pull toward the land without a divine command. The article then traces the rise of Jewish nationalism in the 19th century as a response to the weakening of organized religion and the emergence of secular ideologies, framing secular Zionism as a divine impulse that reawakened an ancient attachment. Taragin concludes with a personal anecdote about his mother, who moved to Israel at an advanced age driven by family love rather than ideology, illustrating one of the 'many roads that lead home.' The piece is a reflective, theological argument rather than a news report.