Tag Archives: Bund

Building Bridges: Expanding Solidarity and Collaboration

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The Bundist movement, both in its historical and contemporary forms, has always been rooted in solidarity. To fight effectively for Jewish liberation, we must recognize that our struggle is deeply interconnected with other struggles for justice. Today, the Jewish Bundist movement must find new and creative ways to collaborate with a wide variety of movements that share our anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, and anti-Zionist principles. The strength of the Bund comes not only from its focus on Jewish liberation but from its capacity to build alliances with other oppressed peoples and movements.

Intersectionality: Understanding Oppression as a Whole

At the heart of our struggle lies an intersectional understanding of oppression. We must recognize that antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, sexism, queerphobia, and class oppression are not isolated phenomena—they are all integral components of the same patriarchal, colonial, and capitalist system. Our political program must reflect this understanding, fighting against all these forms of domination and exploitation simultaneously.

The Bund must act as a unifying force, bringing together diverse groups that are all fighting against different facets of the same system. This means recognizing the different intersecting struggles and seeing Jewish liberation as one piece of the larger struggle for universal emancipation. It also means resisting any narrow, sectarian focus on purely Jewish issues, while embracing a broader, more inclusive vision of justice and liberation for all.

Contradictions: Friends and Enemies in the Struggle

In building alliances, it is critical to distinguish between the contradictions we face in our struggle. As Mao Zedong famously wrote, we must differentiate between “contradictions between us and our enemies”—that is, the contradictions between the working class and the imperialist bourgeoisie—and “contradictions among the people”, which exist between various movements and comrades.

This framework helps us understand the difference between enemies who perpetuate oppression and comrades who may not fully agree with us on every issue but share the same ultimate goals of liberation and justice. We must build alliances with socialist, anti-Zionist, and anti-imperialist movements, recognizing comrades who move in the same direction as us, even when tactical or theoretical differences arise. At the same time, we must distance ourselves from reactionary forces, whether they exist within Jewish communities or elsewhere, who uphold Zionism, imperialism, and capitalism.

Building an Interfaith Intersocialist Movement

Another crucial area of solidarity is with radical progressive forces within the broader Judeo-Islamic and interfaith socialist movements. In today’s world, one of the most powerful centers of the anti-imperialist struggle lies in the collaboration between Jews and Muslims, particularly between radical anti-Zionist Jewish movements and Muslim resistance organizations (both Sunni and Shia). These alliances have been particularly evident in the Palestinian struggle, where Palestinian and Jewish anti-Zionist movements work hand-in-hand against the occupation and apartheid regime.

But the potential for collaboration goes beyond this. Radical Sikh, Christian, and other religious socialist movements are also engaged in struggles against various forms of capitalism and imperialism. Building the Bundist movement must be seen as part of building an interfaith socialist movement, one that is rooted in the shared ethical foundations of the world’s prophetic traditions—Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, and others—all of which call for justice, liberation, and the protection of the oppressed.

Forging Ties with the Broader Labor Movement

At the same time, the Bundist movement cannot afford to ignore the broader labor movement. Historically, the Bund was a labor-oriented movement, dedicated to organizing Jewish workers as part of the global working-class struggle. Today, we must renew those ties with the unions, workers’ parties, and labor organizations around the world. However, we must approach this collaboration with a clear-eyed recognition that many labor movements today are reformist or compromised by capitalist interests.

The task of the Bundist movement is to raise the political level of the labor movement to a consequent anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist level. By bringing our anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist politics into the labor movement, we can help steer unions and workers’ parties toward more radical positions, connecting their struggles for economic justice with the broader fight against colonialism and imperialism.

Identifying Major Allies in the Anti-Zionist Resistance

The global struggle against Zionism has helped identify major allies for the Bundist movement. Over the last several years, the anti-Zionist resistance has been led by a surprising coalition of groups. Young Jewish anti-Zionists, often drawing inspiration from Bundism, have taken a leading role. They are joined by Muslim comrades, particularly Palestinians and Lebanese, who have been at the forefront of the struggle against Zionist occupation and oppression.

The involvement of radical queer activists has also been a key feature of this alliance. These activists, often marginalized within traditional leftist movements, have found a place in the intersectional anti-Zionist front, connecting their struggles for gender and sexual liberation with the broader fight against colonialism and apartheid.

The Bundist movement must actively support and strengthen this front, recognizing that its success is not only essential for the liberation of Palestinians but for the global struggle against imperialism. In doing so, we also lean on the support of these non-Jewish parts of the resistance, forging bonds of solidarity that will strengthen all of our movements.

Conclusion

The Jewish Bundist movement must become a force for building bridges between different struggles for liberation. By working in solidarity with other anti-Zionist, anti-imperialist, and anti-capitalist movements, we can create a broad, intersectional front that unites oppressed peoples in the fight for justice. This front must include religious socialists from the Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and Christian traditions, labor unions, and the rising generation of Jewish, Muslim, and queer activists. Together, we can create the foundations for a global socialist movement that is capable of taking on capitalism, imperialism, and all forms of oppression.

Too Many Bunds

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In recent years, Bundism has experienced a remarkable revival among a new generation of Jewish radicals, particularly within Gen Z. This resurgence is marked by the emergence of several Bundist groupuscules, each drawing inspiration from the rich history of the Jewish Labor Bund, while also adapting it to contemporary struggles. Many young Jews are rediscovering the radical socialism of their forebears, and several individuals have already begun to identify as Bundists—fascinated by the movement’s commitment to Jewish culture, anti-Zionism, and revolutionary socialism.

This growing interest in Bundism is part of a broader trend among Gen Z: a re-engagement with revolutionary traditions, coupled with a newfound curiosity for Jewish heritage. Across the Jewish diaspora, we are witnessing the revival of Yiddish and Ladino, languages that carry with them the histories of Jewish communities once flourishing across Eastern Europe and the Middle East. This generation of radicals recognizes that their political commitments are not only forward-looking but also rooted in the historical struggles of Jewish workers and their vibrant diasporic cultures.

What makes this new generation distinct is its pragmatism and willingness to explore revolutionary ideas from different traditions without being bogged down by the traditional sectarianism and infighting that plagued earlier leftist movements. They are more open to dialogue, more flexible in their tactics, and, crucially, less rigid in their views on the role of secularism and religion in revolutionary politics. In the process, Jewish Gen Z activists have found innovative ways to blend their political and spiritual lives, rediscovering the prophetic revolutionary potential within Jewish traditions. By incorporating ancient rituals and beliefs into their radical praxis, these young Jews are channeling a profound historical force that has always existed in the prophetic traditions of Judaism—one that calls for justice, liberation, and resistance against oppression.

Challenges of Fragmentation

Yet, this new wave of interest in Bundism is not without its challenges. Despite the growing number of individuals and small groups who identify as Bundists, the movement remains highly fragmented. As with many radical movements in the digital age, much of the current Bundist activity takes place online, where organizing is decentralized and scattered across social media platforms, blogs, and informal networks. While online spaces offer a crucial platform for discourse and organizing, they also come with limitations. The lack of cohesive structures and in-person organizing has prevented these disparate groups from building the kind of solidarity and coordination necessary for sustained political action.

This is not a problem unique to Bundism. Communist comrades have similarly lamented that “there are too many online communist parties, and too few offline communists.” The same is true for the Bund today: there are too many fragmented online discussions, but not enough concerted efforts to organize on the ground.

The Need for Unity in Diversity

To realize the full potential of this Bundist revival, we must find ways to unite the many factions of the movement. This is not simply a matter of consolidating these different groups under one banner; it is about finding a way to harmonize the diversity of thought and practice that already exists within the Bundist community. The strength of Bundism has always been its emphasis on “unity in diversity”—the recognition that a movement can thrive on a multiplicity of identities, approaches, and tactics, as long as it is anchored by shared principles. We must apply this same philosophy to the work of building a new Bund.

To organize effectively, we must strike a balance between our “diversity in tactics and methods” and the need for a central coordinating body. While it is important to respect the autonomy and local conditions of different Bundist factions, there must also be a commitment to creating a unified structure that can facilitate collaboration, amplify our collective voice, and coordinate action across borders. This is especially important in today’s world, where the forces of reaction—whether in the form of Zionist ethno-nationalism, capitalist imperialism, or far-right extremism—are highly organized and global in scope.

Opportunities for a New Era of Bundism

The rise of Gen Z Bundism also presents new opportunities for collaboration and expansion. This generation’s openness to revolutionary ideas beyond the traditional left, their re-engagement with Jewish culture and spirituality, and their willingness to blend secular and religious radicalism offer fertile ground for the Bundist movement to grow. Unlike the previous generation, which often viewed religion as an obstacle to revolutionary consciousness, Gen Z radicals are far more comfortable engaging with religious traditions in a revolutionary way. This includes reclaiming the prophetic tradition, which has long served as a foundation for social justice in Jewish thought, and using it to inspire contemporary struggles against oppression.

By embracing these new energies and fostering deeper coordination between Bundist groups, we can not only revitalize the movement but also expand its reach. To do so, however, we must take concrete steps to move beyond the digital sphere and into real-world organizing. Bundists must not only exist as isolated individuals within various struggles but must actively engage as organizers and leaders, bringing the values of doikayt, yiddishkayt, and sotsializm into their work.

Next Steps: Organizing for Unity

In this new era of Bundism, the central task before us is to build a unified movement that maintains our diversity while achieving the organizational strength needed to make real change. This will require:

  • Creating platforms that facilitate collaboration between Bundist groups and individuals, both online and offline.

  • Organizing in-person gatherings and conferences to deepen solidarity and coordinate actions on a global scale.

  • Developing shared projects, whether in agitprop, political education, or direct action, that unite Bundists in common efforts.

  • Recognizing that the strength of the movement lies in its ability to engage in multiple fronts—cultural, spiritual, political, and social—without losing sight of its revolutionary, anti-imperialist core.

The future of Bundism depends on our ability to organize for the long term, not only as individuals but as a collective force. The stakes are high, and the path forward will not be easy, but by building a movement that draws on the strength of our shared history and the radicalism of today’s generation, we can once again make Bundism a powerful force for liberation in the world.