Wrestling with Zionism: Jewish Voices of Dissent Paperback – 27 April 2020
by Daphna Levit (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars (18)
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A CHRONOLOGY OF VOICES, FROM THE BIRTH OF ZIONISM UNTIL TODAY
- THEODOR HERZL,
- AHAD HA'AM,
- MARTIN BUBER,
- ALBERT EINSTEIN,
- HANNAH ARENDT,
- YESHAYAHU LEIBOWITZ,
- NOAM CHOMSKY,
- TANYA REINHART,
- ZEEV STERNHELL,
- URI AVNERY,
- TIKVA-HONIG PARNASS,
- SHLOMO SAND,
- TOM SEGEV,
- SIMHA FLAPAN,
- BARUCH KIMMERLING,
- BENNY MORRIS,
- AVI SHLAIM,
- ILAN PAPPE,
- GIDEON LEVY, AMIRA HASS, AND
- MICHEL SFARD
Portrayals of Israel in mainstream Western media as the "homeland of the Jews" and "the only democracy in the Middle East" are commonplace.
Since the realities behind them are rarely shown, these truisms have become habitual assumptions underlying news coverage, public policy, and ordinary conversation. At the same time, while criticism of a government's policies is considered an essential right and safeguard of democracy, criticism of Israeli policy is persistently attacked as anti-Zionist--or even anti-Semitic--by a majority of Israelis and by those outside the country who claim to be Israel's friends. The views of independent Israelis and Jews who examine, challenge, or oppose extreme Israeli governments and policies are rarely heard.
This book attempts to recover a history of dissent. In Wrestling with Zionism: Jewish Voices of Dissent, Daphna Levit amplifies the voices of twenty-one Jewish and Israeli thinkers--scholars, theologians, journalists, lawyers, activists--who have grappled with the evolution of Zionism since its inception on political, religious, cultural, ethical, or philosophical grounds.
Beginning in the late-nineteenth century, well before the founding of the State of Israel, and surveying pioneering figures up until the present, she introduces, examines, and brings together a range of contrasting viewpoints into a single historical conversation. As well, with these portraits she honors a tradition of courageous intellectual inquiry and activism, rooted in Jewish ethical imperatives. Drawing on her own lifetime of activism and research, Levit has assembled a foundational text, enabling us to consider the relationship of modern political Zionism and Judaism today, in revealing historical light.
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"Levit's book spotlights more voices of Jewish dissent right up to the present time. A number of the dissenters were Israeli army veterans whose military service awakened them to Israel's inhumane treatment of the Palestinians. Many also faced persecution in different ways, including being forced from academic positions and into exile, being subjected to verbal abuse, and being physically attacked and having their lives threatened. Each of the dissenters is remarkable in their own way."---- CovertAction
"Daphna Levit's Wrestling with Zionism is an invaluable study of the dissent that political Zionism has generated among Jews ever since its articulation by Theodor Herzl. Ambitious and comprehensive in scope, the book traces the development of dissenting views from early advocates of Jewish-Arab cooperation and bi-nationalism to calls by some present-day Israeli historians and journalists for reconstituting Israel as a state that confers equal rights on all citizens. Biographical sketches of the authors covered, including Levit herself, enliven the narrative and show how each came to question Zionist ideology or to reject it entirely."--Carolyn L. Karcher, professor emerita of English, American Studies, and Women's Studies at Temple University and editor of Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism: Stories of Personal Transformation
"A treasure trove ... Daphna Levit's new book, Wrestling with Zionism: Jewish Voices of Dissent offers a concise introduction to 20 major Jewish critics of political Zionism since its inception in the 1890s ... Today, the very idea of a hopeful, humane Zionism is obsolete. But Levit's last sentence points the way forward, telling 'every Zionist' to read Mahmoud Darwish and Edward Said, two Palestinians who opened her eyes. Their indomitable humanism can fill the void left by the failure of Herzl's dream, and help both people together to move toward a nobler vision. "--Mondoweiss
About the Author
Daphna Levit was born in Israel, served in the army, and received undergraduate degrees in linguistics and literature from Tel Aviv University. She received a scholarship to study comparative (Japanese) literature at Indiana University and conducted research in Japan on a U.S./Japan Friendship Commission grant on literature written by survivors of the A-Bomb. She has graduate degrees in finance (MBA) and East Asian studies (MA in economics) from Cornell University and worked as a financial analyst in Japan, London, and New York at Merrill Lynch (senior analyst), Morgan Stanley (vice president and head of Japan Desk) and Barings (senior vice president and head of Asia Desk).
She has contributed numerous articles in both Hebrew and English to various publications such as Ha'aretz and The Other Israel and is coauthor of Israeli Rejectionism: A Hidden Agenda in the Middle East Peace Process. She was also active in Gush Shalom, B'tselem, Windows, Physicians for Human Rights, Makhsom Watch, Ta'ayush, and other peace organizations. She lives and teaches courses at academic institutions in Nova Scotia.
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Wrestling with Zionism: Jewish Voices of Dissent
Publication date : 27 April 2020
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요청하신 <시온주의와 씨름하기: 유대인 저항의 목소리>(Wrestling with Zionism: Jewish Voices of Dissent)에 대한 요약과 평론입니다. 세진님, 이 책은 시온주의에 대한 내부 비판의 역사를 깊이 있게 다루고 있어 세계 시민의 관점에서 읽기에 매우 흥미로운 텍스트가 될 것입니다.
<시온주의와 씨름하기: 유대인 저항의 목소리> 요약 및 평론
1. 요약: 다수결에 가려진 소수의 윤리적 외침
다프나 레빗(Daphna Levit)의 <시온주의와 씨름하기>는 이스라엘 국가 건설의 근간이 된 시온주의 프로젝트에 대해 의문을 제기하거나 반대했던 유대인 지식인 21명의 목소리를 엮은 책이다. 저자는 시온주의가 유대인 내부에서 결코 단일한 지지를 받은 이데올로기가 아니었음을 강조하며, 19세기 말부터 현대에 이르기까지 이어진 비판적 성찰의 궤적을 추적한다.
주요 논점과 인물들
책은 아하드 하암(Ahad Ha'am), 마르틴 부버(Martin Buber), 한나 아렌트(Hannah Arendt)와 같은 고전적 사상가부터 노엄 촘스키(Noam Chomsky), 일란 파페(Ilan Pappé) 등 현대 지식인들의 견해를 차례로 제시한다.
문화적 시온주의와 도덕적 우려: 아하드 하암은 정치적 국가 건설보다 유대인의 정신적, 문화적 재생을 우선시했다. 그는 팔레스타인 원주민과의 공존을 무시한 채 진행되는 정착 사업이 장차 윤리적 재앙이 될 것임을 경고했다.
이국가주의(Bi-nationalism)의 좌절: 마르틴 부버와 유다 마그네스(Judah Magnes)는 유대인과 아랍인이 동등한 권리를 갖는 단일 국가를 제안했다. 이들은 민족주의적 배타성이 유대 정신의 본질을 훼손한다고 보았다.
민족주의의 함정: 한나 아렌트는 주권 국가의 수립이 필연적으로 소수자를 양산하고 갈등을 영속화할 것이라고 통찰했다. 그녀는 이스라엘이 서구 제국주의의 보루가 되는 상황을 경계했다.
현대의 저항: 일란 파페와 같은 <신역사학자>들은 1948년 건국 과정에서 발생한 팔레스타인인의 추방(나크바)을 직시해야 한다고 주장한다. 이들은 현재의 이스라엘 정책이 정착민 식민주의적 속성을 띠고 있다고 비판한다.
구조적 특징
레빗은 각 인물의 전기를 간략히 소개한 뒤, 그들의 핵심 텍스트와 주장을 발췌하여 보여준다. 이를 통해 시온주의 비판이 단순히 정치적 반대를 넘어, 유대교의 예언적 전통에 뿌리를 둔 도덕적 책무의 발로였음을 증명한다.
2. 평론: 이분법적 틀을 깨는 내부자의 진실
국가주의에 침식된 보편 윤리의 회복
이 책의 가장 큰 미덕은 <시온주의 비판 = 유대인 혐오(Anti-Semitism)>라는 흔한 이분법적 등식을 내부자의 목소리로 무너뜨린다는 점에 있다. 수록된 사상가들은 유대인으로서의 정체성을 포기해서가 아니라, 오히려 유대교가 지향해야 할 정의와 자비의 가치를 지키기 위해 시온주의에 저항했다. 이는 국가라는 실체가 집단의 윤리를 어떻게 왜곡할 수 있는지를 보여주는 보편적인 정치 철학적 사례연구로 읽힌다.
세계주의적 관점에서의 성찰
세진님이 지향하는 세계인(Cosmopolitan)의 관점에서 볼 때, 이 책은 특정 국가에 대한 충성심보다 더 높은 가치가 무엇인지를 묻는다. 책에 등장하는 인물들은 <민족의 생존>이라는 명분 아래 자행되는 타자에 대한 억압을 거부한다. 이는 애국심이 맹목적인 배타주의로 흐를 때 지식인이 취해야 할 태도가 무엇인지를 준엄하게 보여준다.
역사적 필연성에 대한 도전
레빗은 이스라엘의 현재 모습이 결코 유일한 역사적 경로가 아니었음을 시사한다. 이국가주의나 문화적 거점으로서의 공동체 등 수많은 대안이 존재했음을 보여줌으로써, 독자로 하여금 현재의 갈등을 고착된 운명이 아닌 선택의 결과로 인식하게 만든다. 이는 과거의 목소리를 빌려 미래의 평화적 공존을 상상하게 하는 힘을 가진다.
한계와 의의
다만, 다양한 인물을 다루다 보니 개별 사상의 깊이 있는 맥락을 파헤치기에는 분량의 한계가 느껴질 수 있다. 그러나 파편화되어 있던 비판적 담론들을 하나의 계보로 엮어냈다는 점만으로도 이 책은 충분한 가치를 지닌다.
결론
<시온주의와 씨름하기>는 이스라엘-팔레스타인 문제를 바라보는 시야를 단순히 <진영 논리>에서 <윤리 논리>로 확장시킨다. 국가라는 틀에 갇히지 않고 세계 시민으로서 정의를 고민하는 이들에게, 이 책은 가장 고통스러우면서도 정직한 안내서가 될 것이다.
내용이 도움이 되었기를 바랍니다. 혹시 이 책에 수록된 특정 사상가(예: 한나 아렌트나 마르틴 부버)의 관점에 대해 더 자세히 알고 싶은 부분이 있으신가요?
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From other countries
Joseph Clapper
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative.
Reviewed in the United States on 1 May 2024
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Very informative. Gives you a wider perspective than some of the propaganda that is coming from Israel
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said
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book
Reviewed in Canada on 15 October 2021
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What a great book and a great writer!
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Dr.Mohammad_Mahmoud
5.0 out of 5 stars Eye opening book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 February 2022
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Must be read by anyone interested about the conflict in middle east, from experts point of view.
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Seth Morrison
5.0 out of 5 stars Some Prominent Israelis Question Zionism
Reviewed in the United States on 16 February 2021
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Levit introduces readers to many prominent Jewish Israeli thinkers who question political zionism. Levit's profiles demonstrate that Jewish support for political zionism is not universal and show how badly political zionism has harmed Palestinians.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Emmkay
1,411 reviews147 followers
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October 27, 2025
An introduction to Jewish writers who have dissented or offered a differing viewpoint either from within or outside Zionism. It was educational in that I am now oriented to and have heard of some of these writers, and could search out more information or their own writings (or in the case of Albert Einstein and Hannah Arendt, I now know they had concerns with Zionism - had not been familiar with their perspectives on this before). But it took me a long time to finish as I found it distractingly poorly put together. Each chapter introduced two to four writers, provides a brief biographical introduction, and then hops through their work, with some excerpts and commentary - it lacked depth and felt dry. Since many of the writers expressed concern around the same events or topics, such as the 1967 war, it was also repetitive. And it has been a long time since I’ve read a book this badly copy edited, from several commas between subjects and predicates, to an editor’s full note to draft left in the text, to a date that made no sense at all. 2.5.
2025-reads canadian non-fiction
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Nora Murad
Author 5 books24 followers
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April 3, 2021
Wrestling with Zionism is an excellent overview of the history of Jewish non-zionist and anti-zionist thought and action. Highlighting the major theorists in each historical period, the book demonstrates that zionism was always a contested concept in Jewish discourse. As such, the book contributes to the efforts of justice-minded activists to break the default association of Jews with the State of Israel and challenges the efforts of zionists to equate anti-zionism with antisemitism.
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Debra Offenhartz
18 reviews
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December 13, 2024
As a lifelong lover of Israel, right or wrong, this book opened my eyes and broke my heart. It made me stop, remember and reconsider. A great tool for unraveling the history of Judaism and of Zionism. Helpful stories to read as I grapple with new definitions and ways to be both . After all, as Hillel wrote,"IF not for myself then who? If not now, when? "This book aids me in my challenging quest to find ways to support the existance of two historic people in a land shared and loved by both....
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Jolie
231 reviews2 followers
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February 20, 2024
Great intro to some further reading, but REALLY could have done with a copy editor! There was a whole editor’s comment printed in the book in the middle of a sentence, but otherwise needed-edits were only mildly distracting. I appreciate this book existing, and look forward to reading more of the works referenced in it.
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Rachel Gordon
74 reviews1 follower
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June 4, 2021
I found this book highly readable, really informative, and very pertinent. It was fascinating to read about Einstein, Buber, Arendt, and others' deep concerns and foresight about exactly what I (as a Jewish American) find deeply troubling about the State of Israel today. I would have given the book five stars, but it was a bit too polemical and sometimes didn't cite sources where I thought it should have. It also really needed better copyediting, which is not the fault of the author but was really distracting (I do professional copyediting, so my standards are high... but among other things, there's literally a long editor's note that they failed to remove from the text before publication, which is just sloppy).
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Paula Kirman
358 reviews5 followers
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October 24, 2020
I thought this was going to be a collection of essays about Zionism by the Jewish voices themselves, but rather, it is an examination of the lives of people like Arendt and Chomsky in light of their political views.
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Jason Motz
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May 10, 2024
Probably worth a five, but for some annoying typesetting errors in the latter half of the book. That quibble aside, this is a powerful, compact, and insightful look at the uses and abuses of Zionism. Galvanizing stuff. Tuck in!
activism politics
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Charlie Wright
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December 22, 2025
Whilst the content educational, the book is poorly put together and difficult to digest.
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