Judaism is a religion that has existed for several thousand years, notes Professor Yakov Rabkin of the University of Montreal. Zionism on the other hand, is a relatively recent political movement which developed in the late 19th century in response to European antisemitism. Zionism depends on antisemitism to survive, he argues. They are two sides of the same coin. Listen to a surprising 7 minute interview. Learn more:
One of the stranger elements of the new right-wing charismatic U.S president has been his complicated relationship to both Israel and Jews.
On the one hand, Trump has presented himself as a big supporter of Israel and the Zionist ideal. On the other hand, in his entourage are many right wingers who are clearly antisemitic. This contradiction has split the US Jewish community, with Trump’s nominee for Ambassador to Israel even attacking the liberal Zionist group J-Street as “worse than concentration camp collaborators”.
However, some scholars note that the apparent contradiction between Zionism and antisemitism might not be as clear as it might seem.
In a recent article in Jewish Forward , Suzanne Schneider argues that “Zionism and Antisemitism have in fact often worked in concert to achieve their shared goal: concentrating Jews in one place (so as to better avoid them in others).”
On November 15th, 2016 Jewish citizens of Ottawa woke up to the frightening news that antisemitic graffiti had been scrawled on the home of an Ottawa rabbi. That was followed by more attacks on a synagogue and a Jewish Community Centre. It seemed for a while like Ottawa was being engulfed in a new wave of antisemitism.
Later, when similar graffiti appeared on a church where a black pastor leads the congregation and also on a mosque, it seemed to point to more general xenophobia rather than an attack specifically directed at Jews.
But those first antisemitic acts did send a wave of fear through the Ottawa Jewish community. To some Jews they seemed to prove that anti-antisemitism is everywhere, just under the surface, confirming the Zionist thesis that Jews can only really be safe in a Jewish state.
University of Montreal professor Yakov Rabkin is the author of several books on Judaism, Zionism, and antisemitism. His most recent book is called What is modern Israel? I sought him out to get his opinion on the complex relationship between Judaism, Zionism and antisemitism.
In this 7 minute audio interview, I ask him 4 specific questions:
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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 […]