Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploration into one key issue shaping Israel and the Jewish World — right now.

National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf announced Wednesday that he will advance legislation to make Zionism a “guiding and crucial value” in government decision-making.

But what exactly is Zionism?

In this week of Memorial Day for Israel’s fallen and Independence Day, we invited Prof. Gil Troy to The Times of Israel’s Jerusalem office to discuss the nationalist movement's ever-shifting role in the Jewish world.

Among his other scholarly pursuits, the American historian has written several books on Zionism, including 2018's "The Zionist Ideas; Visions for the Jewish Homeland — Then, Now, Tomorrow," and is currently re-releasing early Zionist thinkers’ works.

During our conversation, Troy speaks about "coming out of the closet" as a Zionist after many years on faculty at McGill University in Montreal. We speak about the changing definitions of Zionism, past, present and future, including the increasing lack of Zionism and pro-Israel support among Diaspora Jews.

In a Zionist emotional roller coaster of a week, we ask Gil Troy, What Matters Now.

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IMAGE: McGill University History Prof. Gil Troy in The Times of Israel's office, April 25, 2023. (Amanda Borschel-Dan/ToI)

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