Podcast Summary: The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Episode 3611 — The Secret History Zionist Have Hidden w/ Molly Crabapple

March 30, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Sam Seder is joined by artist and author Molly Crabapple to discuss her new book, Here Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund. The conversation unearths the nearly forgotten history of the Jewish Bund—a powerful, internationalist, socialist, anti-Zionist movement—and explores how its legacy complicates the narrative that Zionism was and is the only political home for Jews. The discussion is rich with historical context, personal stories, and a keen sense of urgency around reclaiming alternative Jewish histories amidst contemporary crises in Israel-Palestine and beyond.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Scene: Wars, Politics, and Protests

• Current Events Briefing (00:55 – 07:04)
  • Ongoing US/Israel war with Iran: Troop build-ups, claims by Trump to “obliterate” Iran’s infrastructure, and threats to take Iranian resources.
  • Economic impact: Oil companies’ profits soar due to war instability. Sam Seder notes, “You pull a barrel of oil out at $30, but you’re making $80 profit now because scarcity raised the price” (07:11).
  • Domestic politics: The House Republicans own the DHS shutdown; US protests (largest single-day protest in US history); Supreme Court considering birthright citizenship.
• Media Critique, Rhetoric, and Strategy (09:14 – 17:17)
  • Discussion of Trump’s public statements admitting to violating the law regarding war powers.
  • Democratic Party leadership, especially Chuck Schumer, critiqued for being “ambivalent” towards Trump’s war agenda for political maneuvering, not genuine opposition.

    “Schumer…wanted this war and thought he could get it and still blame Trump.” — Sam Seder (12:14)

  • Both parties seen as cynical: “The Zionist donor class likes this war…They think it hurts Trump. So it’s a twofer for them. The impacts on our economy and humanity be damned.” — Emma Vigeland (12:33)

Main Interview: The Lost History of the Jewish Bund

Introduction & Family Legacy

• Sam Seder introduces Molly Crabapple and her familial connection:
  • Crabapple’s great-grandfather, Samuel Rothbard, was a Bundist and artist whose “memory paintings” of Volkovisk depicted everyday Jewish life—from rabbis to revolutionaries (26:07–27:32).
  • The spark: A painting called "Itge the Bundist", showing a woman throwing rocks in a protest, led Molly to ask “Bundist, what’s that?”—the doorway to her book’s research.

Context: Jews in the Russian Empire

• Life in the Pale of Settlement (28:45–35:40)
  • Jews faced triple oppression: no political rights, crushing poverty, and violent antisemitism.

    “You could be sent to Siberia for having a book club…the Czars spent all your money on diamond magical eggs.” — Molly Crabapple (28:45)

  • Jews were confined in the Pale after the partition of Poland; millions fled due to violence and poverty.
  • Anti-Jewish quotas, forced conscription, and pogroms were omnipresent horrors.

Origins & Philosophies: The Bund vs. Zionism

• Zionism & the Bund Emerge Simultaneously (1897) (28:45–33:47)
  • Zionism, led by Theodor Herzl, was a response to the impossibility of assimilation after the Dreyfus Affair—Herzl sought a Jewish state, even considering Uganda.
  • Bund: 13 revolutionary Marxist Jews in Vilna, influenced by European leftist currents, envision a universalist socialism rooted in local Jewish culture and dignity.

    “You can have a multicultural, multiracial, democratic socialism…and don’t have to change who you are.” — Molly Crabapple (38:10)

  • The Bund wanted to stay and fight for justice where they lived, advocating “doikayt” (“hereness”).

Bund in Practice: Labor & Culture in the Old World and America

• Bund’s Ethos and Actions in Russia & Poland (38:10–54:57)

  • The Bund fought for cultural autonomy, Yiddish language, and proud Jewish cultural expression.
  • In Poland (post-WWI), Bundists built mutual aid societies, labor unions, children’s camps, a women’s movement, and a militia for self-defense.

    “They were the Black Panther Party of the Jewish world.” — Molly Crabapple (48:10)

  • The Bund faced increasing antisemitic violence from both state and right-wing nationalists.

• Migration to the US: Radicalism and Rebellion (42:21–46:28)

  • Crabapple’s great-grandfather left after being involved in the defense against a pogrom, landing in New York amidst a thriving Yiddish socialist world.
  • The Jewish left, with the Bund as part of its DNA, was instrumental in American unionism and radical politics.

The Bund, Zionism, and the Holocaust

• Rivalries, Realignment, and Tragedy (56:15–67:32)
  • Bundists saw early Zionists as delusional or as distracting workers from class struggle.

    “They literally thought it was a scam by Jewish bosses to distract from the fact they weren’t paying their Jewish workers living wages.” — Molly (56:15)

  • Tensions deepened as Zionists made deals with anti-Semitic regimes to facilitate emigration (“Go to Palestine!”), which the Bund saw as capitulation to ethnic cleansing.
  • During WWII, the Bund led underground resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto. Bundists and socialist Zionists ultimately joined forces in armed struggle against Nazis.

    “The Bund writes the first major Jewish report of the Holocaust…and the Western world, as we all know, does not do anything.” — Molly (61:08)

The Bund After the Holocaust & Its Erasure

• Suppression, Coercion, and Displacement (74:40–78:04)
  • Post-WWII, survivors struggle to rebuild—facing pogroms in Poland and indifference or obstruction from Western democracies.
  • Zionist organizations dominate the administration of displaced persons camps, coercing Jews into emigration to Palestine. The Bund is suppressed in Poland by Communists and marginalized in exile.
  • In the US, the Bund dwindles to a community institution—the political force and its history largely disappear from mainstream Jewish memory.

Relevance & Revival: Why This History Matters Now

• Reclaiming Diasporic, Socialist, Anti-Zionist Jewish Identity (78:04–82:16)
  • With Zionism deeply conflated with Jewish identity, Bundist history offers a vital alternative: an affirmative, positive Jewish tradition rooted in solidarity, socialism, and resistance to nationalism and settler colonialism.
  • Crabapple:

    “The worst thing that Zionism did…was they stole our history…[turning] everything that happened in the Diaspora into the story of weak Jews who were murdered, and the only salvation was to be a big strong Zionist…This is a lie.” (80:30)

  • Encouragement for young Jews questioning Zionism: “You do not have to reject being a Jew because you reject the disgusting ideology of Zionism. You have a history and you have a heritage to be proud of.” (82:16)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bundist Philosophy:

  “You can fight for a better world with people who are very, very different than you. And you don’t have to change who you are.” — Molly Crabapple (38:10)

• On Zionism’s Bargain with Power:

  “Zionists started cutting these really, really messed up deals. The same Polish government…is giving weapons, money, and military training to the Zionist paramilitaries in Palestine…while murdering Polish Jews.” — Molly (56:15)

• On Historical Erasure:

  “Another crime that they did was that they stole our history…This is the time for us to rediscover our ancestors, the people who fought for freedom, for justice, for the better and more beautiful world.” — Molly (80:30)

• On the Urgency for Today:

  “I don’t think there’s ever been a more appropriate time for the emergence of a democratic, socialist, anti-Zionist movement among Jews…” — Sam Seder (78:04)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:55–08:02 — Opening news and critique of war profiteering
• 09:14–17:17 — Political cynicism: War, legality, and party gamesmanship
• 24:20–27:32 — Molly Crabapple enters—family story, the mysterious painting, and roots of fascination
• 28:45–33:47 — The origins of Zionism and the Bund
• 34:12–40:03 — The Pale of Settlement and layers of Jewish oppression
• 42:21–46:28 — Jewish migration/activism in the US
• 48:10–54:57 — The “Bund as Black Panthers” and interwar Poland
• 56:15–67:32 — Bund vs. Zionism; Holocaust era alliances, splits, and tragedies
• 74:40–78:04 — Postwar suppression, destruction, and the Bund’s last chapters
• 78:04–82:16 — Why Bundist history matters now, reclaiming Jewish identity

Takeaways

• The Bund’s story is a buried yet vital chapter in Jewish and leftist history, offering a radically different vision of Jewish identity—one rooted in solidarity, multiculturalism, democratic socialism, and resistance to nationalism and colonialism.
• Zionism’s dominance and its conflation with Jewishness is a recent, contested phenomenon; reclaiming Bundist history offers both hope and resources for anti-Zionist Jews and allies today.
• Crabapple’s book, built from personal family history and deep research, aims to reinvigorate a lost political tradition for a new generation facing renewed fascism and war.

Calls to Action

• For listeners intrigued by these themes, Molly Crabapple’s book Here Where We Live Is Our Country is out next week; Majority Report members will receive some free copies.
• Sam Seder: “Give it to your relatives, especially the ones who are wrong. I love a passive aggressive book.” (83:18)