Jewish fascism is a term that applies to Jewish political factions on the far-right wing of the political spectrum that have either actively associated themselves with or have been construed as engendering fascism.

An early example of Jewish fascism was the short-lived Revisionist Maximalism movement that arose within the Brit HaBirionim faction of the Zionist Revisionist Movement (ZRM) in the 1930s and which openly espoused its fascist values and goals.

In the 21st century, the Otzma Yehudit or Jewish Power party has been characterized as an example or resurgent fascism or neo-fascism.

Revisionist Maximalism

Revisionist Maximalism was a short-lived right-wing militant political ideology that was part of the Brit HaBirionim faction of the Zionist Revisionist Movement created by Abba Ahimeir. In 1930, Brit HaBirionim under Ahimeir's leadership publicly declared their desire to form a fascist state at the conference of the ZRM, saying:

"It is not the masses whom we need ... but the minorities ... We want to educate people for the 'Great Day of God' (war or world revolution), so that they will be ready to follow the leader blindly into the greatest danger ... Not a party but an Orden, a group of private [people], devoting themselves and sacrificing themselves for the great goal. They are united in all, but their private lives and their livelihood are the matter of the Orden. Iron discipline; cult of the leader (on the model of the fascists); dictatorship." (Abba Achimeir, 1930)[1]

The Revisionist Maximalist movement borrowed principles from totalitarianism, fascism and inspiration from Józef Piłsudski's Poland and Benito Mussolini's Italy.[2] Revisionist Maximalists strongly supported the Italian fascist regime of Benito Mussolini and wanted the creation of a Jewish state based on fascist principles.[3]

The Maximalist goal was to "extract Revisionism from its liberal entrapment", as they wanted Ze'ev Jabotinsky's status to be elevated to a dictator,[4] and desired to force integrate the population of Palestine into Hebrew society.[5] The Maximalists believed that authoritarianism and national solidarity was necessary to have the public collaborate with the government, and to create total unity in Palestine.[5]

The label of "fascist" has nevertheless to be regarded with reserves because in that period as later it was used often abusively in the disputes between opposed political non-fascist factions, as in the 1930s even the Social Democrat parties were accused by Stalin and the communists of being "fascists" or "social-fascists". In the same way in Palestine Revisionist Zionists themselves were often qualified in the 1930s as "fascists" by the Labor Zionist leaders and the Revisionists attacked the social democratic dominated General Confederation of Labor (Histadrut) and Ben Gurion by use of terms like "Red Swastika" and comparisons with fascism and Hitler.[6][7]

In 1932, Brit HaBirionim pressed the ZRM to adopt their policies which were titled the "Ten Commandments of Maximalism", which were made under "In the spirit of Complete Fascism", according to Stein Uglevik.[1] Moderate ZRM members refused to accept this and moderate ZRM member Yaacov Kahan pressured Brit HaBirionim to accept the democratic nature of the ZRM and not push for the party to adopt fascist dictatorial policies.[1]

The Revisionist Maximalists became the largest faction in the ZRM in 1930 but collapsed in support in 1933 after Ahimeir's support for the assassination of Hayim Arlosoroff.[8]

Otzma Yehudit

In the 21st century, Otzma Yehudit or Jewish Power, a religious Zionist political party led by Kahanists, has been characterized as being a fascistic in nature.[9][10] Israeli sociologist Eva Illouz has called Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben Gvir representative of Jewish fascism.[11]

This aspect of its ideology is often described as being inherited from the Kach movement,[12][13] and as having been propelled to the fore by Netanyahu's bringing of religious Zionist parties into government.[14][15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Larsen, p377.
  2. ↑ Shlaim, Avi (1996). Shindle, Colin; Shamir, Yitzhak; Arens, Moshe; Begin, Ze‘ev B.; Netanyahu, Benjamin (eds.). "The Likud in Power: The Historiography of Revisionist Zionism". Israel Studies. 1 (2): 279. ISSN 1084-9513.
  3. ↑ Larsen, Stein Ugelvik (ed.). Fascism Outside of Europe. New York: Columbia University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-88033-988-8. pp. 364-365.
  4. ↑ Naor, Arye (2006). "Review of The Triumph of Military Zionism: Nationalism and the Origins of the Israeli Right". Israel Studies. 11 (3): 176. ISSN 1084-9513.
  5. 1 2 TAMIR, DAN (2014). "FROM A FASCIST'S NOTEBOOK TO THE PRINCIPLES OF REBIRTH: THE DESIRE FOR SOCIAL INTEGRATION IN HEBREW FASCISM, 1928–1942". The Historical Journal. 57 (4): 1080. ISSN 0018-246X.
  6. ↑ Douglas Feith Book Review:Jabotinsky by Hillel Halkin Wall Street Journal 30 may 2014
  7. ↑ Yaacov Shavit Jabotinsky and the Revisionist Movement 1925-1948 p.336 and the XIIth ch Revisionism and Fascism - Image and Interpretation p.349 and al.in Oxon, England, UK: Frank Cass & Co, Ltd.,1988
  8. ↑ "The Assassination of Hayim Arlosoroff". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
  9. ↑ Zogby, James (23 March 2021). "Netanyahu Is Letting Israel's Fascists Enter by the Front Door". The Nation.
  10. ↑ Solomon, Esther (10 September 2023). "When a Jewish Fascist Moves Into Your Neighborhood". Haaretz.
  11. ↑ Illouz, Eva (15 November 2022). "La troisième force politique en Israël représente ce que l'on est bien obligé d'appeler, à contrecœur, un "fascisme juif"". Le Monde (in French).
  12. ↑ Khatib, Ibrahim (28 July 2022). "Kahane Movement: Origins and Influence on Israeli Politics". If the Kach Movement and its legacy represent fascism and racism, this fascist legacy has been transmitted and continues to be passed on to certain Israeli people, parties and movements, as is the case with Otzma Yehudit and other more radical movements, including the Hilltop Youth Group, Lahava, and La Familia.}
  13. ↑ Liba, Dror (21 February 2019). "Otzma Yehudit's history of racism and provocation". Ynet.
  14. ↑ Horowitz, Amiad (2022). "Israeli extremists propelled to power alongside Netanyahu, accelerating global neo-fascist trend". 12 (12). Guardian (Sydney). doi:10.3316/informit.738903440185836. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  15. ↑ Khaled, T. (2022). "A Palestinian Perspective on the Recent Israeli Elections". Palestine-Israel Journal of Politics, Economics, and Culture. 27 (3/4): 152–157.
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