My great grand father was a Bundist. That's how that side of my family got refugee status in the USSR relatively early, because he knew Communist cadre and they put in a good word for him. I deeply respect him especially during that period, but i also he's now zionist1/9

that is to say, despite his orientation for a 'socialist future', my great grandfather and the political movement he was a part of compromised into imperialist and especially settler relationships. Bundists in our current time predominantly exist among settler Jews2/9

This has to be explained.

1 aspect of that explanation has to do with the Shoah and the particular experience during of Ostjuden Ashkenazim.

Bundism's historical critique of zionism was that it was 'utopian'. This is so well-known that it's thrust of Oy Ir Narishe Tsionistn3/9

Bundism counterposes to zionism, doikayt, or "hereness". Which is admirable in Poland, but also naturally develops settler moves to innocence and 'self-indigenization' when the Bundists in question are settlers.

...But we live in time when Zionism is realer than Bundism...4/9

This is because of the Shoah, with not just centuries of experience with german-russian-polish etc. antisemitism, but with the eliminationist drive of that specific Nazi project.

Zionism, as well as the international communist movement, provided 'outs'.

But such fundamental compromises force new trajectories or merger onto old ones that were previously rejected. And as the international communist movement wavered on zionism, the Bundists like my family who were initially anti-zionist became zionists oppressing Palestine.5/9

Inexcusable right? Yes, but it leads to more...

For instance, what is the Bundist perspective on the Shoah after-all of this?

The hot take here is that it dovetails with the zionist one. That is:Strong Jews who resisted; and the rest who went 'like sheep to the slaughter.'6/9

this necessarily paints millions of those who were killed without offering physical resistance as weak and pathetic, so much 'human dust' instead of martyrs

There are exceptions like Marek Edelman, but he is also exceptional in having stayed in Poland until his death in 2006.7/9

If you have a zionist explanation for the Shoah, the international communist movement fails to provide correct leadership, *and* zionism and other settler-colonial projects (in particular, kanada, u.s., n.z. and australia) are the 'outs' from Shoah and enduring antisemitism.8/9

Then:
You end up spending the time role-playing Yiddishist (with varying levels of knowledge of Yiddish and traditional Ostjuden Ashkenaz), attacking Black and/or Indigenous people who criticize you for being ... effectively just another settler/zionist policing Genocide w/ H 9/9