What the Jews Can Learn from the Druze

My new essay in Sapir offers a revolutionary approach to allyship

David H.—I’m thrilled to share with you my latest essay in the journal Sapir. In it I critique the classical Diaspora model of allyship, in which we make allies only with those who share our broader vision of democratic, liberal values. and show how it has failed. I then propose an alternative “Druze model” that more appropriately fits the tumultuous moment we currently live in. As I write:

In the wake of October 7, when Jews around the world find themselves in the thick of an existential battle, arguments of this type no longer seem to make sense. True, we should never partner with outright antisemites, Left or Right. But we should no longer impose broader litmus tests on allyship. We should no longer, to use Hirsh’s formulation, “keep some distance from those who do not share our values.” We have tried this. It has failed us.

Instead, we should ally with whoever helps us win.

Read the essay here.