"Too many of our people worship a false ideal, and that ideal is called Zionism. It takes our biblical story and turns it into colonialism and genocide. From the start, Zionism has violated human freedom and killed Palestinian children," accuses Naomi Klein, the Canadian activist and author.
"October 7 was an act of military resistance. It is neither terrorism nor antisemitism – it was an attack on Israelis," claims prominent American philosopher and gender theorist Judith Butler. Though long associated with feminist values, Butler questioned reports of sexual assaults and rapes during the October attack in Israel, stating: "We want to see proof that these events occurred. It’s not a crime to demand evidence of rape and assault."
"The military operation in Gaza goes far beyond self-defense. It enters the realm of collective punishment," analyzes Dr. Norman Finkelstein, a political scientist and outspoken critic of Israel. Finkelstein, who has previously referred to Gaza as a "concentration camp," described the October 7 events as "heroic."
What ties these harsh criticisms together is their source: They all come from Jews. These individuals, often labeled "self-hating Jews" or "antisemitic Jews," belong to a phenomenon that has accompanied the Jewish people for generations, reappearing at critical junctions in history. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, anti-Zionist Jews have not hesitated to attack it, questioning the concept of Jewish self-determination and even the legitimacy of Israel's founding.
Roots of Anti-Zionist Jewish criticism
How can one explain the phenomenon of Jews opposing the legitimacy of Israel? Prof. Maoz Azaryahu of the University of Haifa, head of the Herzl Institute for the Study of Zionism, explains: "What we’re seeing now, after the October 7 attack, is the same narrative dominating the global radical left for years – anti-Zionism on steroids. It aligns perfectly with old Catholic ideology, which is why it resonates strongly in countries like Spain and Ireland. Today, anti-Zionism is a socially acceptable stance among educated circles and global academia. From their perspective, Zionism is a moral injustice that should be eradicated."
(Naomi Klein denounces 'false Zionism')
Azaryahu continues: "When Jews openly and vehemently oppose Zionism, it’s a sign of an antisemitic climate. These are Jews who feel the need to say, ‘We are not them – they are the bad Jews; we are the good ones.’"
Why has Zionism become such a global obsession?
"I think their obsession with Israel stems from the country’s success," Azaryahu posits. "Israel is one of the last nation-states to emerge, and the radical left is inherently against the idea of the nation-state. According to their thesis, Israel was ‘born in sin.’ That’s their entire story: the sin is the Nakba, and what is born in sin must be erased. In their eyes, there was a Palestinian people here, and suddenly imperialist nations and Jewish-Zionist colonialism collaborated to dispossess the Palestinian Arab people, leading to the establishment of Israel. That’s their narrative."
Even if historical events occurred as they claim, what do they expect to happen now, in 2024? What, in their view, could 'correct' this so-called sin?
"They want a state of all its citizens, something akin to Syria or Lebanon. Then October 7 comes along, delivering a massive slap in the face, as they see the reality of their ‘dream.’ October 7 proves that their solution – a state where everyone coexists peacefully without a Jewish or Zionist identity – cannot materialize. Perhaps that’s their greatest fear because they’ve received a stark reflection of what would happen here without borders or an IDF. The anti-Zionists have built an 80-story tower of arguments against Israel, but the problem is their theories lack a ground floor. That’s why October 7 is so horrifying for them, and why they try to downplay or deny parts of the attack, shifting the focus to Israel’s response."
Naomi Klein and the politics of memory
One of the most prominent Jewish voices against Israel is Naomi Klein, a Canadian journalist and author well-known in radical leftist circles. In a recent article in The Guardian, Klein argued that Israel’s "commemoration industry" surrounding the events of October 7 is an attempt to weaponize trauma to justify its actions in Gaza.
('October 7 was uprising': Judith Butler)
"To understand her argument, you first need to understand where Klein is coming from," explains Azaryahu. "She belongs to a school of thought that divides the world into two categories: victims and aggressors. The intellectual battle is over who qualifies as the victim, as the victim is seen as the moral victor. In their worldview, Jews in Israel are not allowed to claim victimhood. When we assert that we were the target of a brutal attack, she accuses us of deception because, in her view, we are inherently the aggressors – ‘white colonialists.’ We’re playing a role that, according to her, doesn’t belong to us. Essentially, she’s ordering us: ‘Don’t touch my victims, the Gazans.’"
Klein goes further, claiming that Israel’s memorial efforts – such as ceremonies, monuments, songs, tours of affected areas, and exhibitions like the Nova music festival memorial – are merely tactics to shock the public and legitimize Israel's military response.
As a scholar of commemoration, Azaryahu sees this as Klein’s attempt to protect her constructed narrative of victimhood. "What she’s saying is that to preserve her victims' narrative, she must deny what happened on October 7. This borders on Holocaust denial. ‘Don’t recount what happened because it detracts attention from the real victims.’"
A culture of commemoration
Israelis engage in extensive and diverse forms of commemoration, according to Azaryahu. "Commemoration is part of Israel’s cultural DNA," the professor explains. "It’s a deeply ingrained sense of obligation to memory that transcends politics or the current conflict in Gaza. This commitment to remembrance dates back to 1945, immediately after the Holocaust, when Jewish communities sought to document the world that was destroyed and the crimes committed.
"It’s intrinsic to Israeli culture and has nothing to do with Klein’s political critiques. Who is Naomi Klein to dictate to families and communities how they should remember and mourn? Political arguments against the state are one thing, but she has no right to interfere with communal or familial remembrance."
Technological advancements have also influenced modern commemoration practices. "In the past, during the Holocaust or the Yom Kippur War, there was no TikTok or WhatsApp. Today, we have tools that allow for one-to-one documentation, creating vivid memorials. These aren’t politically motivated but arise organically from people’s desire to remember and show exactly what happened."
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Israel indeed leads the world in commemoration efforts, with more memorials per capita and per square kilometer than any other country. "It’s part of our cultural tradition, perhaps because we are an ancient people with a long memory. The detailed documentation of every incident from October 7 may also stem from a need to counter denial narratives, a lesson learned from Holocaust denial efforts."
Jewish schism over Zionism
In Israel and the broader Jewish world, many are grappling with the question of why some Jews so aggressively oppose the Jewish state. For Azaryahu, "Jews who publicly and vehemently oppose Zionism are often responding to antisemitic pressures. They feel the need to declare, ‘We aren’t like them – the bad Jews. We’re the good ones.’ Today, the barriers against antisemitism have collapsed, and some Jews feel compelled to align themselves with what they see as the ‘just side.’"
The Israeli response to such critics often points to a harsh reality: When antisemites come for the Jews, they won’t differentiate between "good" and "bad" Jews. Azaryahu recalls a debate he once had with a Jewish woman from England: "She was criticizing me over various things Israel does. I finally told her, ‘Don’t worry – if things get bad and they come for you in England, you’ll always have a place here under the Law of Return.’ You should’ve seen her face – it was priceless," he laughs.