So, is there really any connection between communism and zionism?

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, large numbers of European and American Jews were inspired to embrace one movement or the other -- or sometimes both at once -- in response to the prevalence of anti-Semitism in even fairly tolerant societies like the United States and Great Britain. Other Jews became leftist revolutionaries or Zionists in response to violent anti-Jewish movements in places like Russia, the Ukraine, Poland and even France during the Dreyfuss scandal..

With the collapse of the old aristocratic order and with increasing freedom of religion in many societies, the 19th century offered new opportunities for Jews to assimilate into more or less secular, but previously Christian cultures in many parts of Europe and North America. But at the same time, the century featured vigorously anti-Semitic movements against Jews, even assimilationist ones, in many European countries and in tough urban neighborhoods in the US.

This situation helped to foster increased Jewish interest in Zionism as well as in leftwing revolutionary activity.

Zionism of course is ancient, but modern Zionism was largely created by Theodor Herzl in the late 1800s in response to the violent anti-Jewish pograms that were unfolding in the Ukraine in his day. Herzl argued that to escape from annihilation, Eastern European and indeed all European Jews needed to found and inhabit a new national homeland. Before long Herzl's ideas inspired early Zionist efforts to colonize Palestine.

Many Eastern European Jews and not a few British Jews, well aware of the anti-Semitism of their neighbors, soon embraced Zionism as Herzl explained it.

But other European, British and American Jews turned to socialism, communism and/or anarchism as an alternative route toward finding a new place for themselves in a more tolerant, more universalistic society. These Jews chose to believe along with Marx and some of the anarchists that the working class was inherently internationalist, not nationalist, and that membership in a revolutionary class should trump one's particular religious & ethnic background.

Both in leftwing theory and in leftwing practice, therefore, "communism" and socialism & anarchism became attractive paths for secular-minded Jews to assimilate into largely Christian societies.

Zionism represented a more separatist response to the same anti-Semitic threat.

Historically, some American and European Jews found themselves attracted to both communism and Zionism, creating some overlap between leftist revolutionaries and Zionists. However, there also were obvious contradictions between secular leftist and Zionist ideology, and some Jews clung to one movement while rejecting the other.

A few British, American and even German Jews meanwhile assimilated successfully into otherwise gentile societies, became rather successful and wealthy, and thus eventually adopted fairly conservative political beliefs rather than embracing either leftwing revolution or Zionism.

This same pattern continues among many prosperous American Jews today, especially in places where anti-Semitism is no longer a threat, and where a prosperous Jew can feel as comfortable in the GOP as a prosperous Christian, Muslim or atheist.

The history is actually more complex than that, but that's a simplistic outline of what happened.

Zi·on·ism   [zahy-uh-niz-uhm] Show IPA

noun

a worldwide Jewish movement that resulted in the establishment and development of the state of Israel.

com·mu·nism   [kom-yuh-niz-uhm] Show IPA

noun

1.

a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.

so, no

also what Alex G said is considered antisemitism

Yes.

Both create agricultural cooperatives and name them with words starting with "K" Kolhoz and Kibutz.

Both believe in social engineering.

Both ideologies promote exclusivity and hatred towards outsiders on class or religious basis.

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