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Anti-Zionism Can Be Anti-Semitic. Zionism Too


Panel discussion
Friday, Jun 10, 2022, 2:30 PM
Haus der Kulturen der Welt, John-Foster-Dulles-Allee 10, Berlin-Tiergarten

Peter Beinart, Daniel Cohn-Bendit

Anti-Zionism Can Be Anti-Semitic. Zionism Too

There is no necessary connection between anti-Zionism and antisemitism, either theoretically or empirically. In fact, in the US the evidence suggests that if you measure antisemitism by traditional criteria, Zionists are probably more likely to hold antisemitic views than anti-Zionists. That’s not surprising. If you don’t like the Jews in your country, it’s useful for them to have their own country. And if you believe in legalized privilege for a dominant ethnic, religious or racial group over the other people with whom they share a country, you may find Jews in your country problematic – since as a minority they often oppose such legalized discrimination. But you may admire Israel because it offers a model of how such hierarchies can be enshrined into law. This helps to explain why so many far-right leaders find it entirely consistent to traffic in domestic antisemitism and lionize Israel at the same time.

Peter Beinart is professor of journalism and political science at the Newmark School of Journalism at the City University of New York. He is also editor-at-large of Jewish Currents and an MSNBC political commentator. Beinart has written for the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, among others. His books include The Good Fight (2006) and The Crisis of Zionism (2012).
 
Daniel Cohn-Bendit is considered an icon of the 1968 revolts. He founded the city magazine Pflasterstrand and was head of the department for multicultural affairs in Frankfurt am Main. From 1994 to 2014, he was a member of the German and French Greens in the European Parliament. Cohn-Bendit hosted radio and television programs such as the Literaturclub in Switzerland. Today he is a publicist and most recently released the documentary film Wir sind alle deutsche Juden (2021).

The event will be held in English