Baron, Ilan Zvi. Obligation in Exile: The Jewish Diaspora, Israel and Critique. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press 2015.
Combining political theory and sociological interviews spanning four countries, Israel, the USA, Canada and the UK, Ilan Zvi Baron explores the Jewish Diaspora/Israel relationship and suggests that instead of looking at Diaspora Jews’ relationship with Israel as a matter of loyalty, it is one of obligation.
Baron develops an outline for a theory of transnational political obligation and, in the process, provides an alternative way to understand and explore the Diaspora/Israel relationship than one mired in partisan debates about whether or not being a good Jew means supporting Israel. He concludes by arguing that critique of Israel is not just about Israeli policy, but about what it means to be a Diaspora Jew.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Preface
- Introduction
- 1. the Limits of Political Obligation
- 2. Power and Obligation
- 3.Between Zion and Diaspora: Internationalisms, Transnationalisms, Obligation and Security
- 4. From Eating Hummus to the Sublime
- 5. Obligation and Critique
- Conclusion: Obligation in Exile, Critique and the Future of the Jewish Diaspora
Appendix
Notes
Bibliography
Index
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