Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive council of Australian Jewry, told SBS Examines "the term Zionist, even within the Jewish community, isn't universally understood".
He defines Zionism as "the belief in or support for the right of the Jewish people to a homeland, to exercise self-determination as a people in some part of their ancestral lands".
The idea of Zionism emerged in the late 19th century, and took shape in the 20th, partly in response to persecution Jewish people faced throughout the world.
It lead to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
There has always been opposition to Israel, and since October 7 last year when the Irael-Hamas conflict was reignited, the state and its government have been accused of human rights abuses and war crimes.
"To criticise Israel and its government, and its government's actions, certainly that in and of itself is not antisemitic," said Associate Professor David Slucki, Director of the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation.
But he said antisemitism can sometimes be disguised as criticism of Israel.
Associate Professor Slucki told SBS Examines the conversation is becoming increasingly polarised.
"The question of Zionism and anti-Zionism seems to have morphed into, do you support Israel unconditionally or do you oppose Israel unconditionally?" he said.
"I think that what we're talking about isn't binary, and it doesn't help for the discussion to be so polarised, because it often leads to thinking in terms of good and evil, friends and enemies, rather than spectrums of thought."
Human rights lawyer and Executive Officer of the newly-founded Jewish Council of Australia, Sarah Schwartz offered a different definition of Zionism.
"I think of Zionism as a political ideology, which regardless of how people might perceive it or think about it, has been used to justify the dispossession of Palestinian people from their land," she said.
This episode of SBS Examines looks at different ideas about Zionism, and asks if criticism of the State of Israel is antisemitic.
