Jacobin Radio The Dig: Zionism vs. Anti-Zionism Ep. 1 w/ Shaul Magid
Dec 8, 2023
Shaul Magid, an expert on the history of Jewish Zionism and anti-Zionism, discusses the long-standing conflict between the two. The podcast explores the reasons behind Jewish opposition to Zionism and the struggles faced by the Israeli settler colonial project. It also delves into the origins and differences of anti-Zionist movements, the role of Mizraki Jews in the Zionist movement, and the legacy of the Jewish Bund.
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Labor Zionism's Political Dominance
- Labor Zionism dominated pre-state politics while Jabotinsky's revisionists remained a militant minority.
- Ben‑Gurion suppressed rivals to centralize state‑building under his leadership.
Personal Memory Of Zionized Jewish Education
- Shaul Magid recounts his Hebrew school experience focused on Israel and the Holocaust in the 1970s.
- This reflects the Zionization of American Jewish education that prioritized state identity.
Colonial Support Made Zionism Possible
- European colonial attitudes enabled and legitimized Zionist settlement as a solution to Europe's 'Jewish problem.'
- Whether labeled colonialism, Zionism succeeded because of imperial backing and perceptions of indigenous populations as expendable.