A Marxist-Psychoanalytical Appraisal of the “Jewish Question”

Abstract

Zionism to this day has been driven by two powerful myths. The first is that the history of the Jews is one of unmitigated persecution – sometimes labelled the ‘lachrymose theory’ – that the world always has been divided into Jews and innate anti-Semites. The second myth is that the Jews withstood the unrelenting onslaught of the Gentile world, ensuring their survival as a people, because of their devotion to religious Judaism and to nationalist ideals. The portrayal is especially interesting given that many other ancient peoples – the Phoenicians, Assyrians, Babylonians, and ancient Egyptians - were assimilated into dominant cultures and disappeared as distinct ethnic groups. In what follows these myths are addressed.