Original Sins: Reflections on the History of Zionism and IsraelStarting from a non-idealizing, non-demonological review of Judaism, Jewish history and anti-Semitism, this book presents a sympathetic analysis of the development of political Zionism - and goes on to show how a dream can become both a living reality and a nightmare. While Beit-Hallahmi does not fault the idea of a Jewish state in the abstract, he shows how Zionism in practice and power becomes a kind of settler colonialism trying to ignore its victims - the Palestinians. The purpose of Original Sins is to counter the mystification on both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict, to examine causes and principles, and to reach an analysis of the current political and moral crisis, in search for a solution to end the suffering on both sides. |
Contents
The Modernization of the Jews | 18 |
The Dream in the Making | 34 |
Diagnosis and Solution | 49 |
Copyright | |
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Agudat Israel alienation American Jews ancient anti-Semitism Arab assimilation basic became become Ben-Gurion Biblical cent Christian claim colonialist created defined Diaspora Jews dispossession Eastern Europe economic emancipation exile existence foreign ghetto Gush Haskalah Hebrew Herzl Holocaust survivors homeland human ideas ideology immigration injustice Israel Israeli Israeli identity Israeli political Jerusalem Jewish community Jewish condition Jewish culture Jewish history Jewish identity Jewish nationalism Jewish question Jewish sovereignty Jewish success Jewry justify kibbutz Knesset Labor Labor Zionist land language leaders liberation living majority MAPAM Messiah military million minority modern movement mythology names natives nineteenth century non-Jews non-Zionist normal oppression Orthodox Palestine Palestinians parties Poland political Zionism population problem rabbinical Judaism reality rejection religion religious Zionists revolutionary right-wing secular Semitism settlement settler colonialism social socialist Zionism Talmud territory tion U.S. Jews victims victory West Asia Western workers Yiddish Zion Zionist dream