Molly Crabapple Revives the Jewish Bund’s Anti-Zionist Legacy in New Book

Molly Crabapple’s new volume chronicles the Jewish Labor Bund, a secular, anti-Zionist socialist party founded in 1897 that grew to tens of thousands of members across the Russian Empire and later Poland. The Bund opposed the displacement of Arab populations in Palestine, published Palestinian voices, and promoted gender parity within its ranks despite prevailing sexism. In the United States, Bundists organized against anti-Black racism and contributed to labor unions such as the International Ladies Garment Workers Union.

The narrative follows personal stories, from Sam Rothbort’s youthful rebellion in Volkovysk to the tragic fates of leaders like Sonia Nowogrodska, while also detailing the Bund’s support for global anti-colonial struggles, including Gandhi’s movement. Crabapple argues that the Bund’s legacy offers a model of revolutionary solidarity that rejects nationalism and colonialism, providing a historical compass for today’s left-wing activists.