Jews and the Left: The Rise and Fall of a Political Alliance

by Philip Mendes

The historical involvement of Jews in the political Left is well known, but far less attention has been paid to the political and ideological factors which attracted Jews to the Left. After the Holocaust and the creation of Israel many lost their faith in universalistic solutions, yet lingering links between Jews and the Left continue to exist.

Genres: Politics

347 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Michael Turkhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a very good beginning and contains some valuable information and analysis about Jewish-Left relations. Unfortunately, especially in the later sections, the author lapses to a staccato style, with brief summaries of works, followed by a link, e.g. (not a direct quote, just an impression) "David Hirsh demonstrates that some leftists are anti-Semitic in their opposition to Israel (Hirsh, 1998)". Since the demonstration itself isn't actually shown, just asserted, it's hard to determine whether the statement is true, or to actually feel it. Apparently, in order to actually see these leftists for yourself, you need to find and read the book Mendes is mentioning. The book would do better with more quotes from people mentioned so that the reader would see them in their own words and make their own impression.