“The great sin of today is the ‘politicization’ of our Judaism, the great need, the ‘Judaization’ of our politics”: Leon Roth and the possibilities of a Jewish critique of Zionist politics

Yaacov Yadgar

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)412-437
Number of pages26
JournalJournal of Modern Jewish Studies
Volume22
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords

  • Israel
  • Judaism
  • Leon Roth
  • Zionism

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