4 ‘These wicked sons’
-
Gavin Schaffer
Abstract
Since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, Zionism has become a significant part of British Jewish identity for the majority of British Jews and their institutions. This chapter explores the histories of those Jews who have stood in opposition to the incorporation of Israel and Zionism within British Jewish life and analyses the often fraught relationship between Israel-critical Jews and the Zionist majority. The chapter historicises Israel-critical thinking, placing contemporary British Jewish opposition to Zionism in the context of earlier challenges from the interwar period onwards. It probes the theoretical and theological roots of Israel criticism among Jewish people, arguing that attitudes towards Zionism highlight long-standing debates about the essence of Judaism and its purpose in the modern world. Attitudes towards Zionism, the chapter argues, also offer a window into British Jewish thinking about belonging, and the place of Jewish people in Britain. Finally, this chapter considers why Israel criticism has become so challenging to the British Jewish community, and what hostility towards Israel-critical Jews tells us about Jewish values and Jewish anxieties.
Abstract
Since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, Zionism has become a significant part of British Jewish identity for the majority of British Jews and their institutions. This chapter explores the histories of those Jews who have stood in opposition to the incorporation of Israel and Zionism within British Jewish life and analyses the often fraught relationship between Israel-critical Jews and the Zionist majority. The chapter historicises Israel-critical thinking, placing contemporary British Jewish opposition to Zionism in the context of earlier challenges from the interwar period onwards. It probes the theoretical and theological roots of Israel criticism among Jewish people, arguing that attitudes towards Zionism highlight long-standing debates about the essence of Judaism and its purpose in the modern world. Attitudes towards Zionism, the chapter argues, also offer a window into British Jewish thinking about belonging, and the place of Jewish people in Britain. Finally, this chapter considers why Israel criticism has become so challenging to the British Jewish community, and what hostility towards Israel-critical Jews tells us about Jewish values and Jewish anxieties.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- Introduction 1
- 1 The last Jew of Merthyr and other bubbe meises 20
- 2 Meshuga frum? Devotion and division in religious practice 39
- 3 ‘We speak for them’ 72
- 4 ‘These wicked sons’ 90
- 5 Oi vay – I’m Jewish and gay 109
- 6 The (un)forgivable sin 130
- 7 The nice Jewish boy (who believes in Jesus) 150
- 8 The last outpost of the British Empire 174
- Conclusion 193
- Acknowledgements 197
- Figures 199
- Abbreviations 200
- Notes 201
- Select bibliography 245
- Index 253
- Plates 261
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- Introduction 1
- 1 The last Jew of Merthyr and other bubbe meises 20
- 2 Meshuga frum? Devotion and division in religious practice 39
- 3 ‘We speak for them’ 72
- 4 ‘These wicked sons’ 90
- 5 Oi vay – I’m Jewish and gay 109
- 6 The (un)forgivable sin 130
- 7 The nice Jewish boy (who believes in Jesus) 150
- 8 The last outpost of the British Empire 174
- Conclusion 193
- Acknowledgements 197
- Figures 199
- Abbreviations 200
- Notes 201
- Select bibliography 245
- Index 253
- Plates 261
