Excellent, but inconsistent regarding Zionism.
One of his central themes is the Russianness of Russia's Jews. This is at variance with his allusions to Israel as their historical home.
The idea that today's Jews are the descendants of those expelled by the Romans in the "Diaspora" over 2000 years ago, that they are ethnically Jewish, is a cornerstone of both Zionist and "anti-Semitic" thinking.
This idea is highly debatable! Read Shlomo Sand ( "The Invention of the Jewish People") among others. Zionist geneticists have tried to prove the ethnicity of today's Jews, but one has only to use one's eyes.
It's obvious that those originating from Russia or eastern Europe are not of the same "race" as those originating from Arab or Arab/Berber countries. Even Theodore Herzl once said of another Jew, "How can anyone say we are of the same race?" or words to that effect.
One of his central themes is the Russianness of Russia's Jews. This is at variance with his allusions to Israel as their historical home.
The idea that today's Jews are the descendants of those expelled by the Romans in the "Diaspora" over 2000 years ago, that they are ethnically Jewish, is a cornerstone of both Zionist and "anti-Semitic" thinking.
This idea is highly debatable! Read Shlomo Sand ( "The Invention of the Jewish People") among others. Zionist geneticists have tried to prove the ethnicity of today's Jews, but one has only to use one's eyes.
It's obvious that those originating from Russia or eastern Europe are not of the same "race" as those originating from Arab or Arab/Berber countries. Even Theodore Herzl once said of another Jew, "How can anyone say we are of the same race?" or words to that effect.
