Actually, Einstein did call himself a Zionist but his brand of Zionism which was shared with such people like Martin Buber, Hannah Arendt, and Hebrew University founder Judah Magnes embraced the notion of a secular bi-national state in which Jews and Arabs would be equals. Einstein feared that if Palestine was partitioned (as the UN proposed in 1948 into separate Jewish and Arab states) then the resulting Jewish state would fall prey to a narrow chauvinist nationalism which would betray fundamental Jewis ideals. I'd dare say that history has vindicated Einstein on these points.
Now a days when someone like Noam Chomsky embraces what was essentially the position of Einstein, Arendt, Buber etc., he gets slammed as an "anti-Semite" and a "self-hating Jew". On Fri, 10 May 2002 09:45:09 -0400 "Charles Brown" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Albert Einstein, Paul Robeson and Israel > > By William Loren Katz > > At a moment when so much of the world decries the shockingly > senseless, destructive militarism of the Israeli state and > demands protection of the sacred human rights of Palestinian > people, the historic relationship between Jewish people and > Zionism requires re-examination. Even when most popular > immediately after World War II, Zionist ideas never enjoyed > unanimous support from the world Jewish community. In the > United States where he had taken refuge from Hitlers Germany, > the greatest scientific genius of the century and noted world > philosopher, Dr. Albert Einstein, favored not a Zionist state > but one in which Jews and Arabs shared political power. > > As the most admired Jewish American of the day, Einstein did > not hesitate to express his political views. On the > contrary, he tended to be an outspoken foe of fascism and > racial discrimination, and he had struck up a friendship > with Paul Robeson, African American peace and justice > advocate and activist, a foe of fascism and anti-Semitism. > In 1946 Robeson and Einstein served as co-chairs of a > nationwide anti-lynching petition campaign, and Robeson > delivered their collected petitions to President Harry Truman > at the White House. Two years later Einstein and Robeson > united to support Henry Wallace's Progressive party that > opposed US government cold war policies that tolerated > violations of civil liberties and repression of dissenters. > Master of more than a dozen languages, Robesons musical > concerts and records celebrated the gallant contributions of > African Americans and other minorities, the heroism of union > organizers such as Joe Hill, and paid homage to those who > bravely fought fascism -- as in his powerful Yiddish rendition > of the Song of the Warsaw Ghetto. > > In 1948 Einstein publicly announced his political preference > for a socialist over capitalist system in the United States.* > By then Robeson had been the worlds most admired American for > more than ten years, surpassing even President Franklin D. > Roosevelt. But in 1952 though the fanatical anti-Communists > of the McCarthy era hesitated to challenge Einstein, they > waged a war against Robeson. His career was upended by > government-sponsored hysteria: he was blacklisted, denied > concert appearances, his income fell by 90%, the state > department lifted his passport so he could neither leave the > country nor make a living abroad, FBI agents tracked him > and vacuumed his life. > > In a stinging public rebuke to this Cold War era mentality, > in October, 1952 Dr. Albert Einstein asked his old friend to > visit him at Princeton University. Robeson brought along a > young friend, writer Lloyd Brown, who vividly remembers the > meeting.** It was a momentous time for Einstein because he > had been invited to serve as president for the new state of > Israel. The request weighed heavily on his mind when Robeson > and Brown sat down to talk at his home. Einstein told them > that while he had seen some merit in Zionism and wished the > new state good luck, he had long opposed a Zionist state. > > Instead, he had always favored a reasonable agreement > between Palestinians and Jews to share power in any state > carved out of British-controlled Palestine. He brought out > his book, Out of My Later Years [New York: Philosophical > Library, 1950] and read aloud from an article he wrote in 1938 > that asked that power be divided between the two peoples. > Einstein was worried that once in their own state his people, > like others, would abandon their idealism and spirituality, > slavishly follow a narrow nationalism, and capitulate to a > state apparatus concerned with its borders, building an army, > demanding conformity and exerting repressive power. He > could not encourage this course, so Einstein denied the new > state his enormous prestige and declined its presidential > office. > > In the course of the conversation Einstein told Robeson he > would love to attend any concert he gave near Princeton. > Brown pointed out that Robeson was getting few concert > invitations, and the last time he sang in Boston police > officers took down the license plates of attendees. That wont > bother us, Einstein said with a twinkle, We dont have a car. > When Robeson briefly left the room, Brown told Einstein it > was an honor to meet a great man. Einstein sharply fired > back, You came here with a great man. > > Einstein died in 1955 the sage of Princeton, committed to his > people, still skeptical of the state of Israel, and like > Robeson, still an advocate of justice and peace for the > worlds people. Robeson died in 1975, still hounded by the > FBI and other government agencies, and remains known to the > world largely through his recordings, movie roles and a few > books. > > One can only speculate about how Albert Einstein, who feared > an aggressiveness Jewish state, would have reacted to the > Israeli occupation and invasion of Palestinian territories in > violation of United Nations resolutions. One can only > speculate about how Robeson, who sang the praises of anti- > fascist freedom-fighters such as the Jews of the Warsaw > Ghetto, would have reacted to the Israeli armys savagery > against largely unarmed Palestinian civilians seeking > liberty, sovereignty and justice. > ________________________________________________ > Copyright William Loren Katz. His website is: > http://www.williamlkatz.com > > *In 1955 Einstein, in an open letter to a New York City > teacher who refused to kowtow to the House UnAmerican > Activities committee, urged that others ought to refuse to > testify [and] to be prepared for jail. He added that if > enough people are prepared to take this step, such red-hunts > might be cease, and sanity and democracy be restored. > > ** Conversation with Lloyd Brown, April 24 and 26, 2002. > Brown, author of The Young Paul Robeson: On My Journey Now > [Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1998] also is novelist > whose books has been translated into many languages, > including Hebrew. > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > Distributed By: THE PAN-AFRICAN RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION CENTER > 211 SCB BOX 47, WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY > DETROIT, MI 48202-- E MAIL: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ====================================================================== > ********* Related Web Sites > ************** > http://www.africahomepage.org/tips.html > http://talkingafrica.szs.net/news/ > http://www.freemumia.org > http://www.afrikan.net > http://www.nalfnationtime.com > http://theherald.mweb.co.zw > http://www.zbc.co.zw > http://www.anc.org.za/index.html > http://www.panafbooks.com > http://www.amebo.com > http://www.wbai.org > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > _______________________________________________ > Marxism-Thaxis mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To change your options or unsubscribe go to: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! 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