The Jewish Bund and Political Imagination

In this episode of 'It Could Happen Here,' host Danelle Kurd interviews artist and writer Molly Crabapple about her new book, 'Here Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund.' The conversation centers on the Bund—a radical socialist movement in Eastern Europe that championed the concept of 'doikeit' or 'hereness,' asserting Jews' right to live, flourish, and belong in their ancestral homes despite systemic persecution. Crabapple traces her personal connection to the Bund through her great-grandfather, a member and artist, and argues that the movement’s legacy has been erased from mainstream Jewish memory, especially after the Holocaust and the rise of Zionism. She contends that the Bund’s anti-Zionist, anti-racist, and left-wing ethos offers a powerful alternative to the dominant narrative of Jewish identity tied to the state of Israel. The discussion explores how younger Jewish Americans are increasingly rejecting Zionist narratives not as a rejection of Judaism, but as a reclamation of a more inclusive, justice-oriented heritage rooted in diaspora pride and solidarity. The episode also critiques mainstream Jewish institutions for suppressing dissenting voices and maintaining a Zionist orthodoxy, while emphasizing the political and emotional power of recovering erased histories to inspire present-day resistance and imagination.