Members of the Jewish labor bund participate in a May Day march in Poland, 1930. (ullstein bild / Getty Images)
A WIN Zoom discussion, February 2024. See it HERE. The horrors of the current genocidal war by Israel against the people of Gaza have focused renewed attention worldwide on the role of Zionism, which describes itself as “the national liberation movement of the Jewish people”.
Spokespersons for the Israeli state claim that Jews needed to create their own nation state to be safe from the dangers of antisemitism, and they chose to create it on land that had long had a substantial Jewish presence. This argument was especially powerful in the wake of the Holocaust.
But has Israel made Jews safer? What price was paid by the Palestinian people, who were also seeking their self-determination there, and their freedom from imperial domination?
To what extent was Zionism supported by Jewish communities before the Holocaust? What were the motives behind the Balfour declaration, and for British support for the foundation of the Israeli state? And why are growing numbers of Jews in Britain and the US joining movements that challenge Zionism today?
Hear David Rosenberg of the Jewish Socialists’ Group present an alternative political history of Zionism and anti-Zionism.
Here are some useful links as provided by David –
Kav Laoved: https://kavlaoved.org.il/en/
Green Olive Collective: https://greenolivetours.com/
+972 (media) https://www.972mag.com/
Polin Museum: https://www.polin.pl/en
For information on Bund history – the Jewish Socialists’ Group have recently published a pamphlet which you can read online here
You can also order a printed copy for £5 + £2.50 postage – contact jsg@jewishsocialist.org.uk for details of how to order/make payment