Recent years have seen the emergence in the West (including
Israel) of an anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli school of thought,
espoused by Jews of indistinct identity and background. In
France, they are termed "Alter Jews" (which translates
roughly as the "Other Jews") which is the name of one of the
extreme leftist anarchist and anti-free-trade organizations.
A new book authored by several Jewish researchers analyses
the phenomenon of these present day anti-Jewish Jews, trying
to establish their ideological underpinnings and the source
of their deep anathema towards their ancestral religion and
people.
In Israel, they note, these activists have assumed very
modern, strange sounding Israeli names, nothing like ordinary
Jewish names. In London for example, the leader of a leftist
Alternative group that is active among organizations that
boycott Israel, is known as Shir Chaver. Such strange names
abound in their circles. Psychiatrist Muriel Darmon discusses
the link between the names and their owners' hatred of Jews
and Israel. She maintains that these names play a role in
their revulsion for their Jewish identities. They are
"others," different, as their very names demonstrate. Whether
their parents were trying to be original in naming their
offspring, or whether they assumed invented names that
expressed their feelings of hatred and estrangement, is not
known.
In France they are seen as a collection of intellectuals,
journalists and political or human rights activists, of
Jewish background. Their Jewish identity is hollow. Most of
them were raised in gentile society but the sole purpose of
their political and intellectual activity is to attack Israel
and other Jews, their writings expressing sharp, vulgar
criticism. Jews are portrayed as forming a narrow community,
enslaved to Zionism and to Israel's interests, in contrast to
those "Other Jews," who supposedly raise aloft the banner of
universalism.
While entertaining strong hatred of real Jews who identify
with the Jewish community, they channel the thrust of their
animosity into contesting Israel's right to exist. To their
gentile colleagues they pose as the true Jews, thus
implicitly condoning any and every instance of left wing
antisemitism.
Eve Kinawi cites the examples of the Jewish Trotskyite,
Daniel ben Sa'id, scientist Lauren Schwartz (who has died in
the meantime), historian Vidal Nakeh (who also apparently
died), Edgar Muran, whose hatred of Jews outdoes them all,
Ronny Bronman, head of organization of human rights and Eyal
Sivan (the last two are former Israelis). Every few months
the members of the group sign a declaration accusing Israel
of "manipulating the memory of the Holocaust and representing
the victims of antisemitism, while carrying out crimes
against the Palestinians."
Kinawi writes that despite their alienation from Judaism they
have the audacity to dictate an alternative Jewish agenda and
seek to impose it upon the mainstream Jewish community. They
exploit the circumstances of their Jewish origins, which has
no content or meaning for them, simply in order to spread
hatred and arouse protest against other Jews and Israel.
What motivates these Jews to express their hatred and/or
animosity towards the Jewish people and their admiration of
its most fanatical enemies? This is a question that has been
under discussion for years.
Psychiatrist Kenneth Levin suggests that the centuries of
persecution that the Jews suffered forced them to find
responses, one of which emerges as the perversion of Jews
identifying with the accusations leveled against them and
taking up their persecutors' cause. His conclusion is that
the "Other Jews" personify the classic self-hatred of the Jew
who has become detached from his Jewish identity, lacking
Torah and mitzvos. No wonder that detached Jews gravitate
towards this movement, that is steadily growing.
