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The Rise and Fall of the Jewish/Left Alliance: An Historical and Political Analysis
Author(s) -
Mendes Philip
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
australian journal of politics and history
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.123
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 1467-8497
pISSN - 0004-9522
DOI - 10.1111/1467-8497.00077
Subject(s) - judaism , alliance , politics , oppression , new left , nationalism , the holocaust , ideology , political science , ethnic nationalism , faith , ethnic group , gender studies , state (computer science) , left behind , religious studies , sociology , political economy , history , law , theology , psychology , philosophy , archaeology , algorithm , mental health , computer science , psychotherapist
The disproportionate historical involvement of Jews in the political Left is well known. However, far less attention has been paid to the political and ideological factors which attracted Jews to the Left. This article attributes Jewish support for the Left to both class and ethnic considerations. Poverty and anti‐Semitism influenced Jews to join a movement which promised to end capitalist and racial oppression. However, following the Holocaust and the creation of the State of Israel, many Jews lost their faith in universalisticsolutions, and switched their commitment from international to nationalist force. Nevertheless, lingering links between Jews and the Left continue to exist to this day.