Benjamin Moser, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, has published Anti-Zionism: A Jewish History, which examines Jewish opposition to Zionism from the late 19th century through contemporary times. The book profiles approximately a dozen historical figures, including Polish rabbi Aaron Samuel Tamares, British diplomat Edwin Montagu, and Israeli historian Avi Shlaim, whom Moser characterizes as part of a marginalized but vindicated intellectual lineage.
Moser, grandson of Holocaust survivors, was raised in the Reform Jewish tradition in Houston, Texas, and initially accepted liberal Zionist narratives about Israel’s establishment as a response to historical persecution. A significant shift in his perspective occurred in summer 2016, when he attended the Palestine festival of literature. During a visit to Hebron in the West Bank, where Palestinians face severe movement restrictions and settler violence, Moser experienced what he describes as a profound moral awakening regarding the occupation.
The book has generated substantial controversy in major publications including the New Yorker and New York Times. Critics have challenged Moser’s characterization of Zionism as inherently malevolent, his portrayal of Palestinians as essentially blameless, and have noted factual inaccuracies in his work. Moser has dismissed these critiques as politically motivated, attributing them to liberal Zionists opposed to his central thesis.
Moser presents the Israel-Palestine conflict in stark terms, describing early Zionist settlement as colonial land seizure by foreign groups sponsored by imperial powers. He acknowledges this interpretation contrasts with mainstream historical accounts emphasizing that early Zionist immigrants were largely unarmed refugees fleeing persecution. The book arrives amid heightened polarization within pro-Palestine activism, where increasingly uncompromising rhetoric has become prevalent.
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