Anti-Semitism in Contemporary Western Political Thought (The Frankfurt School) as a Model

Abstract

In the nineteenth century, Zionism presented itself as a national project and a proposed solution to what it termed “anti-Semitism” or “hatred of Jews” in authoritarian Western societies. This phenomenon intensified with the rise of the nation-state and the emergence of Nazism, which represented an extreme manifestation of instrumental rationality. Zionism perceived that its problem could not be resolved through assimilation within these societies, but rather through the establishment of a national homeland achieved by colonizing and occupying the Arab-Palestinian land. Consequently, Zionism re-appropriated the discourse of anti-Semitism to reinforce its immunity, suppress any criticism directed against it, and justify its criminal acts toward the Palestinian Arab people through repression, displacement, and mass immigration and settlement.

This discourse eventually evolved into a political ideology within modern Western political thought in general, and within Zionist thought in particular, marking the beginning of the Arab-Zionist conflict—one of the major issues of contemporary political thought. Opinions have been divided between those supporting Zionism and its anti-Semitism narrative, and those defending the Palestinian cause.

The Frankfurt School—subject of this study—offered a distinctive critical intellectual position regarding the Palestinian issue and the phenomenon of anti-Semitism. Its analyses went beyond traditional historical approaches, presenting a contemporary critical vision encompassing political, social, cultural, and economic dimensions. It regarded anti-Semitism as a product of the authoritarian and instrumental mind. However, the School’s ideas and positions ultimately aligned with the Zionist entity and its ideological-political justificatory discourse that instrumentalized anti-Semitism