Drawing on overlooked pages of history, including Jewish religious critiques of Zionism, Yakov Rabkin shows that Zionism was conceived as a break with Judaism and Jewish continuity. Israel's past and present must be seen in the context of European ethnic nationalism, colonial expansion and geopolitical interests, rather than as an incarnation of Biblical prophecies or a culmination of Jewish history. Dispelling the notion that every Jew is a Zionist and therefore a natural advocate for Israel, Rabkin also points to the Protestant roots of Zionism, explaining the particular support for Israel in the United States.