In this episode, part 2 of our 2-part miniseries on US labor and imperialism, Jeff Schuhrke joins us to take a deep dive into his new book, No Neutrals There, exploring US labor's support of Zionism.

Jeff Schuhrke is a labor historian, journalist, union activist, and assistant professor at the Harry Van Arsdale Jr School of Labor Studies, SUNY Empire State University. He's the author of Blue-Collar Empire: The Untold Story of US Labor's Global Anticommunist Crusade, and No Neutrals There: US Labor, Zionism, and the Struggle for Palestine.

The conversation opens with a history of Zionism, looking at the rise of Zionism and crucially contrasting it to the Jewish Labor Bund and their different approach to Jewish emancipation. We then present a history of the settler-colonial project which became Israel, looking at the labor landscape in Palestine during the first half of the 20th century (the Great Arab Revolt, WWII, the period of the Holocaust) and exploring US labor's role in supporting the Zionist project ideologically, financially, and even militarily throughout the Nakba and the creation of the State of Israel.

We then talk about how US labor's support (specifically the AFL-CIO's) for Zionism after the creation of the state of Israel, providing billions of dollars of support and lobbying on behalf of Israel, providing crucial early support.

Part 1 of this miniseries took a deep dive into Jeff's book Blue-Collar Empire, looking at US labor's role in supporting imperialism and anticommunism.

Further resources:

No Neutrals There: US Labor, Zionism, and the Struggle for Palestine
Blue-Collar Empire: The Untold Story of US Labor's Global Anticommunist Crusade
Donate to ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid)
Donate to MECA (Middle East Children's Alliance)
Amazon Labor Union
BDS Movement
Block the Boat

Related episodes:

US Labor & Imperialism Pt. 1: the War Against Communism w/ Jeff Schuhrke
Listen to our ongoing Palestine series
From the Frontlines: Organizing Against Amazon w/ Chris Smalls and Mars VerroneFrom the Frontlines: Organizing Against Amazon w/ Chris Smalls and Mars Verrone
What Is To Be Done? with Breht O'Shea and Alyson Escalante

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Intermission music: "No Rest" by No Rest (Please support their fundraiser for a Palestinian family)

Cover art: Berwyn Mure

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US Labor & Imperialism Pt. 2: Zionism w/ Jeff Schuhrke (Palestine Pt. 16)

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US Labor & Imperialism Pt. 2: Zionism w/ Jeff Schuhrke (Palestine Pt. 16)