Cyrus Adler's complex dance with Zionism - supporting Jewish settlement in Palestine while refusing to embrace the movement itself - illuminates a fascinating paradox in early twentieth-century American Jewish leadership. As president of the Jewish Theological Seminary and a towering figure in Conservative Judaism, Adler maintained correspondence with Theodore Herzl, participated in the expanded Jewish Agency, and championed institutions like the Hebrew University and Haifa Technion. Yet he steadfastly avoided formal Zionist affiliation. Analysis of correspondence, institutional records, and biographical materials reveals that Adler's reluctance stemmed from religious objections to the movement's secular leadership and social pressures from his anti-nationalist wealthy American Jewish peers. Despite this ideological distance, Adler actively advanced Jewish migration to Palestine, supported cultural enterprises, and fought British policy restrictions through the Passfield White Paper. His position as a *hovev tzion* (Lover of Zion) who furthered Zionist goals while rejecting its ideology represented a unique stance within Conservative Judaism's generally pro-Zionist orientation. Historical documentation traces how Adler navigated this delicate balance between practical support and ideological resistance, offering insights into the spectrum of American Jewish responses to Zionism during this pivotal period.