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Francisco J. Bernal's avatar

I appreciate the perspective presented in the article and share your dislike for modern "diasporist" activism. However, I would offer a different view on how historical Jewish political engagement in the Diaspora is framed. The characterisation of labour movements as cult-like or disconnected from Jewish identity does not fully capture their historical role or significance. While I understand that you are referring to the Bund, this critique also extends—perhaps unintentionally—to similar Sephardi organisations such as the Federación de Trabajadores de Salónica. These movements were not abstract ideological experiments but practical responses to real social and economic struggles faced by Jewish communities.

In Salonica, for example, Jewish socialists organised to protect workers' rights, improve conditions, and secure a future for their communities within the societies they lived in. They were deeply rooted in Jewish cultural and linguistic traditions, with Ladino playing a central role in their political and social discourse. Many remained engaged with Jewish communal life while advocating for justice and economic security, demonstrating that political activism and Jewish identity were not mutually exclusive.

More broadly, I would respectfully disagree with the idea that Jewish political engagement in the Diaspora—whether through Sephardi labour movements or the Bund—was somehow less deserving of recognition than Jabotinskian Zionism. While Zionism provided one path for Jewish self-determination, these movements represented another, equally legitimate response to modernity. They sought to empower Jewish communities where they already lived, ensuring their survival and dignity through political action rather than emigration, which was out of reach of many.

Recognising the value of these movements does not diminish Zionism but rather enriches our understanding of the diverse ways in which Jews have sought to shape their own destiny. Their contributions to Jewish history deserve to be acknowledged with the same seriousness and respect as other ideological currents, even if one does not ultimately agree with their conclusions.

If you are interested, I recommend the book Sephardi Jewry by Esther Benbassa. I will get around to publish a review one of these days.

Thank you

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Nunya Biznez's avatar

Noa Tishby’s excellent book “Israel” will catch you up and fill you in. I highly recommend it — as a sabra, she provides an excellent account of Israel history and corrects a lot of myths and misinformation along the way!

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Charles E. Brown's avatar

Huh. A very different take on the Diaspora than I was ever given. Then again, the one I heard was the one from Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, who believed the Jewish people were scattered into thirteen tribes - one of which ended up on the New World. Unlike Scientology, which was created by a science fiction author, Mormonism (which was either divinely inspired or created by a scam artist, depending on whom you talk to) became the core of a science fiction franchise - Battlestar Galactica. Supposedly the belief dates back to one translation of the Exodus, which had ten tribes settle the region now split between Palestine and Israel, while two tribes moved North and one disappeared (and is not only supposedly the true genesis of 13 being an unlucky number, but also supposedly why Jesus had thirteen apostles, one of them doomed to betray him).

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Joseph Kiron's avatar

Between "Palestine" and Israel? Palestine is nothing more than the Romans' name for Israel, intended to make Jews forget their land. There is no "between Palestine and Israel". Most of the Hebrew Bible's events took place on the place MSM calls "Palestine", which has never in history been a nation state and would not be different in any way from Jordan. And incidentally would be cleared of Jews.

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Charles E. Brown's avatar

Ah, been a while since I read/heard any of this stuff (mostly second hand from my mom, who was into researching the history of The Bible when I was little) - forgot Jordan was the older name for the region.

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Joseph Kiron's avatar

No, Jordan is not the old name, it was invented in 1946. The names prior to that are Judah, Samaria and, guess what, Israel.

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Nunya Biznez's avatar

Thank you for picking up on and correcting that “between” misstatement!

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Omer Golan Joel's avatar

An anti-Zionist Jew is like an anti-feminist woman: sticking to the place "given to them" by traditional (Gentile and patriarchal) society. Zionism is about giving a middle finger to that society and standing up, rather than being on our knees. It is also about ending the long wait for the Messiah and taking matters into our own hands - building our homeland and returning to it here and now.

It was originally a very revolutionary and radical (in the original sense of the term - unlike those fake New "Left" and Tankie epigones we see today in the West) idea - an idea of national and cultural liberation. Right-wing ("Revisionist") and religious-political Zionism came a bit later, lending to the diversity, strength, and appeal of our movement.

The Bund, by the way, if they were still around, would have been condemned today as "Zionists" by the New "Left"/Tankie gangs. They wanted cultural autonomy for Jews and the construction of a secular Jewish identity (as many Zionists wanted), but thought this was possible in Eastern Europe. History has unfortunately proven them wrong on the latter point, but they were not assimilationist in any way whatsoever (unlike their epigones today who use their name in vain to support assimilationism). They were NOT the Yevsektsiya, who (unlike the Bund) were indeed an assimilationist instrument of the Moscow regime.

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EFS's avatar

I woke up this morning blissfully unaware of the "Diasporism" movement. I appreciate your sharing this article. Being neither a scholar nor an unmoored Jew, I can only offer my opinion that groups that repurpose words to fit their agenda are always suspect.

I agree, whatever these people are, they are not Jews; core Jewish values drive us to pursue justice, or, a just world. Repurposing "diasporism" as a movement whereby we seek justice for those trying to erase us is just insane.

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Esser Agaroth's avatar

Interesting. Glad you mentioned the revisionism of Hanukkah. These "Diasporists" sound very much like those of us who preferred to stay in Egypt, 80% of us, and disappeared physically and spiritually during the plague of the three days of darkness. The difference is that many of these Diasporists really are not Jews, although some may be of זרע ישראל have Jewish blood.

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