Jews Against Zionism: The American Council for Judaism, 1942-1948 [Paperback]

Thomas Kolsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 1992

This is the first full-scale history of the only organized American Jewish opposition to Zionism during the 1940s. Despite extensive literature on the Zionist movement, the Jewish opposition to Zionism has received only marginal and usually negative attention. In this impartial study, Thomas A. Kolsky examines the neglected phenomenon of Jewish anti-Zionism, its roots, and its results. In 1942, a number of dissident Reform rabbis founded the American Council for Judaism, the first and only Jewish organization created to fight against Zionism and the establishment of a Jewish state. Emphasizing the purely religious nature of Judaism and unequivocally rejecting Jewish nationalism, the Council supported free Jewish immigration and equal rights for Jews throughout the world. For Palestine, specifically, it advocated establishment of a democratic state wherein all citizens, regardless of their religion, would enjoy equal political rights. Summarizing both the history of Zionism and the history of American Jews, Kolsky traces the effects of the Holocaust on the Zionist movement and the personalities that shaped the leadership of the Council. Its position toward Zionism has particular contemporary relevance in understanding the historical relationship between Israel and the Palestinians. Thomas A. Klosky is a Professor of History and Political Science at Montgomery County Community College (Blue Bell, Pennsylvania) and Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Temple University, Ambler Campus.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kolsky tells the story of Jewish opposition to Zionism in the 1940s by focusing on the organization that embodied it.

Copyright 1992 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"[A]bsorbing and challenging."
—The New York Times Book Review

"Kolsky tells well...the story of the ACJ in its prime"
—The Christian Century

"The American Council for Judaism['s]...story is now ably told by Thomas Kolsky.... In the tragedy of the European Jews and the saga of Israel's founding, the American Council for Judaism is a footnote, but not an insignificant one. Many of its fears have been realized...."
—The Philadelphia Inquirer

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (November 4, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566390095
• ISBN-13: 978-1566390095
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,942,145 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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