The Jewish Internationalist Tradition vs. Zionism

On November 17^th, Selma James came to Detroit to speak about the Jewish Internationalist Tradition versus Zionism in an event hosted by ARA. Selma James is an amazing woman with a 40 plus year history of being involved in activism. Most particularly Selma started the International Wages for Housework Campaign and is a leader of the Global Women's Strike movement; her work involving race, sex, and class was the topic of her discussion at the November 15 ^th event held at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. For the event on the 17^th though, Selma talked about how Zionism can’t be equated with Judaism, a myth that Zionists have long attempted to perpetuate in the discussion of Zionism and its state, Israel. The truth is Zionism is a political ideology that began in the late 1800s, more than 2000 years after the founding of Judaism. Zionism's crimes are many but Selma touched particularly on perhaps one of the most egregious and that is Zionism's destruction of the long-standing tradition of Jewish people's struggle for justice and equality for all. Great Jewish figures such as Rosa Luxembourg and Emma Goldman have disappeared from the vast majority of Jewish consciousness in today's world and in its stead Zionism has taken hold. Zionism and those who stand by it have worked hard to erase the struggles for justice that people like Luxembourg and Goldman fought so hard for. Zionists mock the work of people like Selma James, callously dismissing it as the work of a "self-hating Jew". This could not be further from the truth, as was seen in Selma's talk on Saturday. She is proud of the tradition of struggle for a better world that for so long has been a part of the Jewish people. She also pointedly drew a distinction between Zionism and Judaism, understanding well that Zionists opportunistically use Jewish tradition to establish their own state power based on white supremacy and racist oppression of the Palestinian peoples. It was an honor for ARA to host such a wonderful woman who has dedicated her life to making the world a better place for all peoples. The experience and insight that Selma has to offer all of us who are today struggling is remarkable. We can only hope that other people recognize the great Jewish traditions of struggle and emulate the footsteps of people like Goldman, Luxembourg, and James. Only when this is done will there truly be justice in Israel/Palestine for all people.

The Jewish Internationalist Tradition, part 1


The Jewish Internationalist Tradition, part 2

ZIONISM IS RACISM! ANTI-ZIONISM IS ANTI-RACISM!

Judea Pearl gained notoriety in Zionist circles several years ago when he wrote a brief and poorly argued article entitled, “Anti-Zionism is Racism.” In it, he argued that it was racist to attack what he called the “national liberation movement” of the Jewish people, and noted that many of the same people that attack this so-called national liberation movement support the national liberation of other people. This specious argument overlooks the difference between the Zionist drive to establish the state of Israel and all other national liberation movements. That is, those movements attempted to liberate themselves from colonialism and white supremacy! Zionism, on the other hand, relied on colonialism and white supremacy for legitimacy as it stole land from the indigenous people of Palestine. His claim is ludicrous, and yet many people take it at face value.

But the argument itself is totally ridiculous, even apart from its dubious equivalence of Zionism with national liberation movements. ARA asks, how can anti-Zionism be racism given two basic facts. First, not all Zionists are Jewish! Irvin Reid, outgoing president of WSU, is an African American Christian who supports Israel. Second, not all Jewish people are Zionists! There is a long and proud tradition of anti-Zionist Jews stretching from the Bundists in Poland at the turn of the nineteenth century all the way to the current day, with people like Anna Baltzer and Selma James, both of whom will be speaking in the Detroit area this week. Given these basic facts, ARA would like to know who anti-Zionism is racist against? Certainly not Jews, because anti-Zionism attacks all people who support the state of Israel, whether they are Christian or Muslim, white, black or anything in between, and anyone else who supports Israel. It is a political perspective and has nothing to do with race or ethnicity.

Finally, ARA must ask why Zionists devote so much energy to attempting to silence Palestine solidarity activists while doing nothing when white supremacists who seek to begin a second Holocaust come to town? Why does the state of Israel honor vicious anti-Semites like Jerry Falwell with Lear jets and state awards like the Jabotinsky Award (named after a former terrorist/national hero of Israel)? The answer is simple: attacks on Jews are less a priority for Zionists than attacks on the state of Israel. As long as the sacred right of Israel to colonize Palestine, murder Palestinians, and crush the Palestinian “will to resist” is honored, Zionists are willing to overlook even the most egregious anti-Semitism.

Join ARA to hear the side of the debate Zionists don’t want you to hear. Anna Baltzer will speak Tuesday, November 13^th in this same room, Purdy-Kresge auditorium, at noon. Selma James will discuss the Jewish Internationalist Tradition vs. Zionism on Saturday, November 17^th at 5:30 p.m. in the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave, Dearborn, MI.

Read a Banned Book with ARA!

Recently, the book Overcoming Zionism by Joel Kovel was added to the illustrious list of banned books alongside George Orwell's 1984, Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five and Joseph Heller's Catch-22. Why has Kovel's book been challenged? It calls for “a single democratic state in Israel/Palestine,” where Jews and Arabs live side by side together. By doing so, Kovel’s book is a threat to all Zionists who equate Judaism with support for the state of Israel, and justify the colonialism of Palestine on racist grounds. Local Zionists have therefore attempted to pressure the University of Michigan Press to cease distribution of Kovel's book. All those that consider themselves anti-racists simply cannot let this happen!

THIS INCIDENT IS AN ATTACK ON ARAB AND MUSLIM PEOPLE AS WELL AS ON BASIC DEMOCRATIC FREEDOMS! It is an extension of Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib and wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and elsewhere. It is aimed at denying the self-governing capacities of people of color everywhere.

Similar incidents abound: Norman Finkelstein was recently denied tenure at DePaul University after a lengthy campaign by Zionists; at Barnard College, Zionists seek to reverse the recent decision to grant Nadia Abu El Haj tenure; finally, at Wayne State University just last year, Wadie Said, son of the late Palestinian academic Edward Said, was denied a position at the law school after Zionists once again raised questions about his academic credentials. These cases represent a concerted attack on Arabs, Muslims, anti-Zionist Jews and other Palestine solidarity activists by racist Zionists. Anti-Racist Action stands in solidarity with these academics as well as with people around the world seeking to live free from colonial domination.

As usual, Zionists of all stripes consider an attack on their racist ideology an attack on Jewish people, although Judaism and Zionism have nothing in common! The reason Zionists have such a problem with Kovel's book is because it refuses to equate Jewish identity with support for Israel. Doing so calls into question and in fact completely undermines the Zionist project. To challenge Zionism as the only Jewish identity is to strike at the very foundations of Zionism.

But not only is the book a challenge to Zionism. Because Zionists seek to ban it, it is a challenge to those of us fighting for Palestine in the United States. Are we going to continue to let Zionists ban our books, discredit our scholars, disrupt our events, spy on us at work, at school, and at home, and intimidate us into silence? We cannot, for our fight for freedom for Palestine is just as much a fight for our own freedom. Our freedom to worship, our freedom to live, our freedom to challenge colonialism, imperialism, and apartheid!

Why do Zionists have a problem with that? The answer is obvious. They are racists. They are against democracy. They want to maintain Israel's colonial domination over the Palestinian people. They want Palestinian land, Palestinian resources, Palestinian villages. They want Palestinian people under their control, without control over their lives, their fates, or even when they can cook, eat, turn on a light or flush the toilet. It is this vision Zionists defend and Joel Kovel attacks. For this reason, Anti-Racist Action stands in solidarity with Joel Kovel and the fight for the distribution of his book.

Overcoming Zionism is an important book with an explosive message. Anti-Racist Action proposes an equally explosive plan of action: Let us read this important book. Let us then discuss how we can begin to achieve freedom for ourselves and freedom for Palestine.

JOIN ARA EVERY THURSDAY THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER AT 3 P.M. IN THE STUDENT CENTER BUILDING IN FRONT OF McDONALDS TO BEGIN THIS IMPORTANT PROJECT!

(Thanks to an anonymous Palestine solidarity advocate who saw an earlier draft of this post for pointing out that Starbucks is owned by a major Zionist businessperson who donates tons of money to Israel, otherwise we'd be meeting there!)