Einstein and Israel

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• Reader Comments (2)

  Page 1 of 1 pages

  Another prominent Jewish leader who favored bi-nationalism and considered herself a Zionist was Henrietta Szold, founded of Hadassah.

  Posted by Ross Hyman on Sep 10, 2009 at 2:29 AM

  I guess my problem with the so-called Zionist Left is how they can continue to espouse/defend Zionism and still claim to be progressive.  Because to me, and many others on the left, it is “political” Zionism itself that was, and continues to be the problem.  As stated by Ben Ehrenreich:

  “The problem is fundamental: Founding a modern state on a single ethnic or religious identity in a territory that is ethnically and religiously diverse leads inexorably either to politics of exclusion (think of the 139-square-mile prison camp that Gaza has become) or to wholesale ethnic cleansing.  Put simply, the problem is Zionism.”  For the full article, see:

  http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/03/16-2

  This is what I think the anti-Zionist Left is trying to say when they discuss Einstein’s (and others’) “cultural” Zionism, i.e. sympathy for the plight of the Jews, but a recognition that a political project based on religion or ethnicity would amount to a crime against the majority of the native population that did not share such characteristics.  As stated by Daphna Baram in the Guardian, it is time for progressive Zionists to rethink Zionism. See:

  http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/16/israelandthepalestinians- -israeli-elections-2009

  Posted by Imran on Sep 10, 2009 at 7:18 PM

  Page 1 of 1 pages

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