A Red Star in the Israeli Flag

In crucial decision-making moments during the struggle of the Zionist Movement for obtaining sovereignty, the Jewish members of the Communist Movement in Israel presented an opposition. They made an attempt to undermine the Zionist narrative and Zionism itself as a value. In the public eye, its activists were tied to treason and turning their back to the national struggle. The conduct of the Jewish communists in Eretz Yisrael is a case study for the ability of ideological commitment to keep its seniority when facing opposite its members' national loyalty.

The book A Red Star in the Israeli Flag presents a complex relationship between the Zionist Movement and the approach to it by members of the Communist Movement. The latter brought together various ideological streams and perceptions regarding Zionism, and its leadership did not always express the ideological variety that was common amongst its members. The Labor Movement was initially a home to members of the Communist Movement and they took part in acts of settlement and protection, but following their split and the establishment of a separate movement, its members' positions became more radical and this climaxed with their renouncement of the Zionist ethos. The attempts to recreate a dialogue with the Zionist Movement were led by the Jewish section of the Communist Movement. Its Jewish members recruiting to serve in the Second World War alongside Yishuv people, despite the objection of its Arab leaders, accelerated the splitting. The War highlighted the connection with the Yishuv and a Zionist stream was forming in the Movement. The events of the Second World War and the establishment of the State of Israel faced the leaders of the Communist Movement with the need to define their relations with the newly-formed state, its socialist-like actions and the value of Zionism. Jewish communist leadership continued denying Zionism as a value and attempted to replace it with values such as patriotism and nationalism. The Communist Movement tested the willingness of Israeli society and political system to accept an ideological group that takes part in Zionist causes and yet refrains from siding the value of Zionism.