ABSTRACT
Originally presented to the Pears Institute for the Study of Antisemitism in London on 3 November 2015, Johnson examines the strand of distinctively left-wing hostility to Jews that has caused a crisis in the relationship between the left and the Jews. He examines three ‘moments’ in the history of left antisemitism – the ‘socialism of fools’ of the 19th century, the ‘anti-imperialism of idiots’ in the last third of the 20th century and the Israel-focused antisemitic anti-Zionism of parts of today’s global left, which Johnson understands as a political programme to abolish Israel, an intellectual discourse to demonise Israel and a global social movement to exclude Israel from the economic, educational and cultural life of humanity. Among the explanations for this history, Johnson focuses on two of the left’s own values – assimilation and universalism – arguing the left has misused those values in its understanding of Israel and the Jews and, as a result, has misshapen its relationship to Zionism as a project and to Israel as a state. Among the changes needed to rebuild the relationship between the left and the Jews, Johnson highlights the necessity of building an intellectual firewall separating sharp criticism of Israeli policy – which is legitimate, as it is for any nation state – from the spreading demonology of Zionism and Israel which is not legitimate and which can be lethal.
