Contemporary Jewish history has been rich in both revolutionary events and more gradual but no less significant evolutionary processes. This talk will look from this perspective at several points in Jewish history, including the growth of Hasidism and the sharp opposition it provoked, secularization and assimilation, the emergence of Orthodoxy and non-Orthodox movements in Europe and North America, Zionism as well as the crystallization of a Jewish nationality in the Soviet Union and the State of Israel. An important and often neglected aspect of this history is the fate of Jews in the lands of Islam in the context of imperial expansion and colonialism.
Yakov M. Rabkin is Professor of History at the University of Montreal. His areas of interest include contemporary Jewish history and the history of science. He has published and edited five books as well as over three hundred articles and book chapters. His bestseller “A Threat from Within: A Century of Jewish Opposition to Zionism” (2006) is now available in fifteen languages. His most recent book is “What is Modern Israel?” (2016) published in French, Japanese, and Russian.
A problem of self-image. What the Israeli hoodlum with racist tattoos sees in the mirror (Image by https://imdmysh.com/illus_political/the-problem-of-self-image/) Mysh cartoon‘They tried to kill us, we won— let’s eat’. This is the way the legendary American comedian Alan King characterized Jewish holidays. Indeed, Purim, as recounted in the Book of Esther, celebrates deliverance from genocide. But […]
A Phillip Medhurst Bible illustration of Nadab and Abihu destroyed. Acharei mot – Kedoshim (Leviticus 16:1 – 20:27) This weekly reading is titled “After the Death” and begins with a reference to the death of Nadav and Avihu, two sons of Aharon. They were burned alive by a celestial fire in the course of a […]
(Imagen de Xinhua) En su raíz, la agresión a Irán es inseparable de la cuestión de Palestina Gran parte del debate en torno a la actual guerra contra Irán se centra en su posible resultado para Estados Unidos. Una de las preguntas más frecuentes es si Washington sufrirá otra pérdida de prestigio en Oriente Próximo. […]
Le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu présente un graphique illustrant le programme nucléaire iranien à l’Assemblée générale des Nations Unies à New York. (Crédit image: Xinhua) « Je sais ce qu’est l’Amérique. L’Amérique est quelque chose que l’on peut très facilement faire bouger, la faire bouger dans la bonne direction. » Benjamin Netanyahu, cité dans […]
(Автор фотографии Xinhua) Нападение на Иран неотделимо от палестинского вопроса «Я знаю, что такое Америка. Америка – это такая штука, которой очень легко управлять, двигать её в нужном направлении». Биньямин Нетаньяху, The Washington Post По большей части обсуждение нынешней войны с Ираном сосредоточено на её потенциальном исходе для США. Всё чаще звучит вопрос, пострадает ли […]
(Image by https://genocide-museum.am) The Israeli government recognized the deaths of one and a half million Armenians during World War I as genocide for political reasons, and Armenia is not even the intended addressee here. Prime Minister Pashinyan quite rightly noted that his country is not interested in turning the recognition of the Armenian genocide into […]
Израильское правительство признало геноцидом гибель полутора миллионов армян во время Первой мировой войны из политических соображений, причём Армения тут даже не адресат. Вполне справедливо премьер министр Пашинян сказал, что его страна не заинтересована в превращении темы признания геноцида армян в инструмент политической борьбы. Основной адресат тут даже не Турция, а Соединённые Штаты. На политическом уровне […]
Much of the discussion surrounding the current war on Iran focuses on its potential outcome for the United States. One of the most frequently asked questions is whether Washington will suffer yet another loss of face in the Middle East. But this is the wrong question. Even if the war produces chaos and ultimately harms […]
Yakov Rabkin is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Montreal. He is the author, most recently, of Israel in Palestine and Zionism Decoded in 101 Quotes. Montreal (Special to Informed Comment) – People that remember their past suffering often believe that memory gives them moral clarity. Yet the history of Zionism shows that […]
By Yakov M. Rabkin, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Montreal and the author, most recently, of Israel in Palestine and Zionism Decoded in 101 Quotes “President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark His return to Earth.” This is how, […]
Israel is a democracy. This makes it difficult to hide the inconvenient fact that it is profoundly racist. The recent episode involving Minister Ben-Gvir taunting an international group of pro-Palestine activists is in many ways revealing. The activists were on board unarmed boats bringing food and medical supplies to the long-besieged Palestinians of Gaza when […]
A synagogue is bombed in the middle of Passover. This would be, prima facie, an antisemitic act. Few would argue otherwise—unless, of course, the bombing was carried out by the Israeli Air Force. Many people conflate Jews with Israelis, and Judaism with Zionism. They cannot imagine that Israel would act against Jews—in other words, commit […]