Benjamin Moser's provocative, exquisitely written new book, Anti-Zionism: A Jewish History, couldn't be a more timely intervention in debates over Israel, Zionism, and the U.S.-Israeli relationship. It's a series of portraits of various Jewish people who came to oppose Zionism. Some are religious, some secular; some began as Zionists then changed their mind, others found it dubious from the get-go. Arranged in rough chronological order, together they make for a bracing tour of arguments against a Jewish state, especially in Palestine, along with the sordid history of the modern nation's origins. It's not a short conversation, but it's a necessary one (and with a great conversationalist). Sources: Benjamin Moser, Anti-Zionism: A Jewish History (2026) — "We Have Talked Enough About Ourselves," Equator, Oct 29, 2025 — Sontag: Her Life and Work (2019) — Why This World: A Biography of Clarice Lispector (2009) Isaac Chotiner, "How Hamas Used Sexual Violence on October 7th," New Yorker, Dec 10, 2023 — "Is Zionism’s Moral Crisis About Roads Not Taken—or Original Sin?" New Yorker, Sept 13, 2026 Barnaby Raine, "Encountering Zionism," Ideas Letter, Oct 1, 2026. Sam Adler-Bell, "Jews in the Diaspora Must Resist the Inhumanity Being Done by Israel in Our Name," New Statesman, Nov 29, 2023. M. Gessen, "What We Know About the Weaponization of Sexual Violence on October 7th," New Yorker, Jul 20, 2024. Arno J. Mayer, Plowshares into Swords: From Zionism to Israel, (2008) W.H. Auden, "September 1, 1939" ...and don't forget to subscribe to Know Your Enemy on Patreon for access to all of our bonus episodes!
