Issue: Liberal ZionismRSS feed

The detail in Peter Beinart’s analysis of how grim things are in Gaza, and how Israel could reasonably ease up to make some things better, is of great value (“American Jews Have Abandoned Gaza — And the Truth“).  Considering what Hamas is like and much Palestinian opinion and behavior, however, it’s hard for most Israelis […]

Brendan O’Neill’s “Why Do You Hate Israel?,” published in April in the British online journal SPIKED, poses a question that has troubled both those who identify with the international left and those who do not.  Why is Israel targeted for special criticism on human rights and anti-imperialist grounds when so many other nations with worse […]

Pro-Israel progressive Jews, including many participants in The Third Narrative, are divided between “Say it ain’t so, Natalie” and “You go girl” over this Israeli-born, Hebrew-speaking movie star and director’s action in refusing to attend the Genesis Prize ceremony to receive this award in the presence of Prime Minister Netanyahu.  Some blame her for not taking […]

We should be astounded and saddened by this headline at the website of New York’s Jewish Week: Dem. Primary Could Split Jews Over Israel (with this descriptive subhead: “Cuomo-Nixon race will likely force debate over West Bank policy”).  Cynthia Nixon, the actress and liberal political activist who is challenging New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo for the […]

Fathom is a British journal dedicated to examining and largely celebrating Israel from a centrist or moderately liberal point of view.  We thank our TTN colleague, Prof. Cary Nelson, for advising us of this new issue, freely accessible at its website, along with its archive and other features:     FATHOM HIGHLIGHT | ISRAEL70 SPECIAL ISSUE […]

On March 21st, New York public radio (WNYC) talk show host Brian Lehrer, interviewed  Jonathan Weisman, deputy Washington editor of The New York Times, on his new book, (((Semitism))): Being Jewish in America in the Age of Trump (St. Martin’s Press, 2018).  A couple of days before, he was interviewed by Terry Gross on her NPR program, “Fresh Air”: Attacked By […]

The Jewish Workers’ Bund, once a proud progressive current in the Jewish world, was defeated by Leninism in Russia and destroyed by Hitler in Poland. But in taking a seminar recently at the YIVO Institute in New York, I found that it remains an inspiration for anti-Zionists.  This is from my Jewish Currents article, “The Bund Is […]