Historical Analysis Reveals Soviet Anti-Zionism as a Strategic Replacement for Antisemitism

Historical analyses indicate that the Soviet Union strategically developed anti-Zionism as a means to replace and propagate classical antisemitism, a claim echoed in a recent tweet by user "Based Jew." The tweet asserted, "> The Soviets literally designed antizionism to replace classical antisemitism," further stating, "> Antizionists don’t know anything about their own movement." This perspective highlights a significant shift in Soviet policy, particularly from the mid-20th century onwards.

Initially, the Soviet Union, following Vladimir Lenin's rejection of Zionism as "bourgeois nationalism," briefly supported the establishment of Israel in 1947, believing it would align with socialist ideals. However, this stance rapidly changed as Israel fostered closer ties with the United States, prompting a return to an anti-Jewish campaign within the Soviet Bloc, notably culminating in the "Doctors' Plot." Anti-Israel propaganda intensified dramatically after Israel's decisive victory in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, becoming officially sponsored by the Communist Party and the KGB.

This propaganda, often termed "Zionology," frequently incorporated traditional negative stereotypes of Jews, presenting anti-Zionism as a legitimate political critique while simultaneously fueling antisemitic sentiments. Yuri Ivanov's 1969 book, "Beware! Zionism," for example, defined modern Zionism as "bellicose chauvinism and anti-communism," aligning with the Great Soviet Encyclopedia's characterization of Zionism as "racism, anti-Communism and anti-Sovietism." Critics, even within the Soviet Union, argued that such anti-Zionist literature "perceptibly stirs up anti-Semitism under the flag of anti-Zionism."

The Soviet Union actively orchestrated international efforts to equate Zionism with racism, most notably leading to the adoption of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379 in 1975. This resolution, which declared Zionism a form of racism, was strongly opposed by the United States, with Ambassador Daniel Patrick Moynihan warning that "The UN is about to make antisemitism an international law." Despite Soviet denials that their anti-Zionism was antisemitic, historians like Howard Sachar have compared the atmosphere of the Soviet campaign to Nazi-era characteristics, citing the saturation of racist canards.

The legacy of Soviet anti-Zionist discourse continues to be a subject of contemporary discussion, with scholars like Izabella Tabarovsky noting its success in stripping Zionism of its meaning as a national liberation movement. The "Zionism is Racism" resolution was eventually revoked by the UN General Assembly in 1991, shortly before the dissolution of the Soviet Union, marking a formal end to this specific international campaign. However, the historical analysis underscores the deep-seated connection between Soviet anti-Zionism and its antisemitic underpinnings.