How I Stopped Being a Jew

by Shlomo Sand

Overview

Shlomo Sand was born in 1946, in a displaced person’s camp in Austria, to Jewish parents; the family later migrated to Palestine. As a young man, Sand came to question his Jewish identity, even that of a “secular Jew.” With this meditative and thoughtful mixture of essay and personal recollection, he articulates the problems at the center of modern Jewish identity.

How I Stopped Being a Jew discusses the negative effects of the Israeli exploitation of the “chosen people” myth and its “holocaust industry.” Sand criticizes the fact that, in the current context, what “Jewish” means is, above all, not being Arab and reflects on the possibility of a secular, non-exclusive Israeli identity, beyond the legends of Zionism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781784782009
Publisher:	Verso Books
Publication date:	01/24/2023
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Shlomo Sand studied history at the University of Tel Aviv and at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales, in Paris. He currently teaches contemporary history at the University of Tel Aviv. His books include The Invention of the Land of Israel; The Invention of the Jewish People; and On the Nation and the Jewish People.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for The Invention of the Jewish People:

“Perhaps books combining passion and erudition don’t change political situations, but if they did, this one would count as a landmark.” —Eric Hobsbawm, Observer

“Sand’s quiet earthquake of a book is shaking historical faith in the link between Judaism and Israel.” —Rafael Behr, Observer

“No discussion of the region any longer seems complete without acknowledgement of this book.” —Independent on Sunday, Best History Books of 2009

“A radical dismantling of a national myth.” —Guardian

From the Publisher

2014-07-22
An Israeli history professor questions the notion of a Jewish identity and the Israeli stance toward their Palestinian neighbors. In this attempt to "reveal some components of the chain of personal identities I have acquired in the course of my life," Sand (Modern History/Tel Aviv Univ.; The Invention of the Land of Israel, 2012, etc.) continues his critique of accepted notions of Jewish identity, land and history. While this work is more reflective than previous books, a large portion of this short volume is a reassessment on how we think about Jewish identity. Sand works from the premise that we are living in a time in which political anti-Semitism is no longer a reality. As such, the collective identity as "victim"—a term that the author feels was monopolized in post-World War II popular culture by the Jews—no longer offers merit for the Jewish community. Sand believes that the greater Jewish community is undergoing an identity crisis by way of the concept of "Secular Judaism"; without a religious tradition and law to tie people together, the means through which Jews are part of a shared identity remains ambiguous. From this perspective, a void in Jewish identity is filled with a shared anti-Arab sentiment, and the consequence of this false notion of Jewish identity is the dire treatment of Israel's Palestinian neighbors. Sand brings up a number of interesting questions (none of which are uniquely his), but he never addresses the ways in which his position as a university professor in Israel colors his view. His insulated experiences of living in Israel and his regular travels through the cosmopolitan sections of Paris, London and New York may not provide insight into the ways in which Jewish individuals and communities outside of his purview continue to demarcate a sense of self in the face of political and societal anti-Semitism. A very brief book that is sure to raise questions and incite strong reactions.

Kirkus Reviews