Zion: Existing Outside the Soul

Buber believed the I-Thou relationship is consistently affecting and connecting in some way to God. This concept of I-Thou was affected deeply by Buber's beliefs regarding Zionism.  Zionism, at its core, is a Jewish political movement which focuses on the self-determination of the Jewish People.  For Buber, Zion was considered to be a Hebrew renaissance of sorts, an internal liberation and purification of the soul. While many philosophized that Zionism was inextricably tied to Judaism and the need for a Jewish nation-state, Buber argued Zionism was/and ought to be, more focused on spiritual and social enrichment.  Buber believed strongly that Zionism, as well as the I-Thou, should be actualized in everyday life and culture.