Language:
English
Year of publication:
2023
Titel der Quelle:
Journal of Modern Jewish Studies
Angaben zur Quelle:
22,4 (2023) 412-437
Keywords:
Roth, Leon,
;
Zionism Philosophy
;
Zionism and Judaism Public opinion
;
Israel and the diaspora 20th century
;
Judaism and state
;
Secular Jews Attitudes
Abstract:
This article explores the possibilities and limitations of a Jewish critique of Zionist politics and the State of Israel, via an engagement with the writings of Leon Roth (1896–1963). Specifically, the article focuses on three main themes: (a) the relation between Judaism and Jews, questioning the “ethnicist” foundation of Zionist ideology; (b) the relation between religion and politics as the two are constructed in modern European discourse, questioning the nationalist premise of the supremacy of nation-statist politics over religion; and (c) the meaning of Jewish secularism, questioning the Zionist claim to a “non-religious” Jewish identity. I argue that Roth’s critique of the moral failures of Zionism offers an illuminating explication of a Jewish critique of “the Jewish state”, while ultimately failing to form a coherent political voice because of its commitment to the concept of modern, nation-statist sovereignty.
DOI:
10.1080/14725886.2022.2064735
URL:
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