Abstract

Noam Pianko considers the construction of Jewish collectivity into the 21st century. He analyzes the term “Jewish Peoplehood,” which he places in both an historical context and the light of Jewish experiences in Israel and the Diaspora, placing different notions of and challenges to collectivity into conversation. Pianko points to both textual traditions around collectivity and unique innovations of modernity that have shaped it even more. Problematizing the term, Pianko writes that Peoplehood is an ambiguous term “…without any clear connection to other identity categories (such as nation, religion, ethnicity, race), Peoplehood captures that Jews have a shared identity without clearly defining what ties Jews to one another.” In addition to opening a discussion of the relationship between the State of Israel and the People of Israel, the topic leads to important consideration of racial and (post)ethnic issues, which leads to an assessment of antisemitism and anti-Zionism. In this context, Pianko notes that advocacy for Jewish collectivity can sharpen internal disagreements, especially when the conditions of other minority and disenfranchised groups are discussed. He concludes that the very effort to articulate or challenge boundaries and membership criteria in fact lead to an erosion of claims to homogenous groups boundaries and characteristics.

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