Why I am no longer a Zionist
Published
by
Richard Kuper
JVL Introduction
Alice Rothchild’s journey is typical of many Jews, brought up in the post-Holocaust world for whom Zionism was simply taken for granted, “the Jewish state a miracle to be celebrated”.
Here she tells of her disenchantment in a story that will resonate with Jews in Britain and elsewhere who also “cannot support an ideology that is grounded in Jewish privilege and persecution of another people”.
This article was originally published by Seattle Times on Fri 9 Aug 2019. Read the original here.
I can’t support an ideology grounded in Jewish privilege and persecution of Palestinians
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Here in the UK we are faced with poverty, inequality, crime etc.
To become a more egalitarian society a Labour Government needs to be elected.
I am not Jewish but I read your articles with great interest.
What I find is that despite the name of your organisation being “Jewish Voice for Labour” most of your articles show an compulsive obsession with Israel and Zionism.
Would it not be more important for you to become obsessed with UK injustice and man the barricades to ensure a LABOUR Government is elected.
A Labour government of “the many and not the few “
Patrick
Our blog carries articles on issues that we are most knowledgeable about asJVL. Many of us post on other crucial matters elsewhere. If you look at our Facebook and Twitter feeds you will fins htey cover a much wiser range of topics where we link to interesting and important items we see elsewhere.
The attempt to. inaccurately, depict Labour as antisemitic is an important weapon of those who seek to prevent the election of a Labour Governmetn committed to radical initiatives to combat inequality and poverty. By providing the information people need to combat these slurs ids part of getting such a Governmetn elected.
Equally Palestinians are daily suffering violent occupation and siege and we seek to support their struggle for justice. Others are highlighting the suffering of others in China, Burma, Yemen and too many other places. We wish those campaigns well but we do not hav ethe expertise to comment usefully ourselves.
I hope that helps you understand why we publish what we do.
As a non Jew, but a member of JVL I find many of your posts illuminating. This article by Alice Rothschild is excellent- educational, interesting and thought provoking. I hope that many more people read it and common sense and kindness for our fellow human beings will finally prevail.
Raised as a Zionist, Alice’s account resonated greatly with me. I experienced a similar sharp awakening when I visited Israel for the first time…a visit that provoked a great deal of research, reading and soul searching to uncover the reality underlying the myth I had been fed for the first 25 years of my life. As Alice so succinctly said, once seen these heart-breaking realities cannot be ‘unseen’. I live with the guilt that my naivety may have contributed to the horrors faced daily by Palestinians.
Patrick , I am also a non Jewish member of JVL. I am glad that JVL publishes this informative content about the situation in Israel and Palestine. I have Palestinian friends , mainly Christian who Ihave been visiting since 1973. As Britain was very involved in the creation of Israel, I think we should be aware of the terrible time that all non Jewish people have to endure. I also am very glad that so many people now realise that the mainstream Jewish organizations can be found wanting in some areas. Thank you JVL.
I agree substantially with Mike Cushman’s response to Patrick, but, given that Mike talks largely of digital activity, of postings, twitter feeds etc., I would like to add a point. As a member of my CLP’s EC and an active member of my branch, the vast majority of my political time is spent on issues with no connection with Israel/Palestine Zionism.
My membership of JVL, however, gives me the information – and occasionally the co-ordinative structure – necessary to combating attacks on the Party and on individual members that have been mounted precisely to undermine our ability to promote socialist policies.