Artist and author Molly Crabapple has released a new book detailing the history of the Jewish Labor Bund [1].
The work aims to resurface a largely forgotten chapter of Jewish history by highlighting a secular, socialist alternative to Zionism [5]. By documenting the movement's stance on labor and nationalism, Crabapple provides a historical example of Jewish identity rooted in socialist revolution and anti-Zionism [5].
Released in April 2026 [1], "Here Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund" examines the Bund's role as a revolutionary party. In an interview that aired on May 14, 2026 [2], Crabapple said, "The Bund was a secular, socialist revolutionary party that fought for freedom and dignity for Jews."
The book focuses on the Bund's opposition to both antisemitism and the rise of nationalism. Max Strasser said in The New York Times that the book tells the story of a movement that fought those forces with equal fervor [1]. This historical perspective challenges contemporary narratives by presenting a version of Jewish political organization that rejected the necessity of a separate nation-state in favor of internationalist class struggle.
Crabapple's approach to the subject is informed by her background in art. She learned to paint from her mother, who in turn learned from her grandfather, a post-impressionist painter [4]. This artistic lens accompanies the historical research used to reconstruct the Bund's legacy for modern readers.
The project seeks to provide contemporary readers with a blueprint for a non-Zionist Jewish identity [5]. By analyzing the Bund's socialist framework, Crabapple said that the movement's history remains relevant to current political discussions regarding labor, ethnicity, and national identity.
“The Bund was a secular, socialist revolutionary party that fought for freedom and dignity for Jews.”
The revival of the Jewish Labor Bund's history serves to diversify the historical record of Jewish political thought. By emphasizing a secular, anti-Zionist, and socialist tradition, the work provides a historical precedent for Jewish movements that prioritize international labor solidarity over ethnic nationalism, offering a counter-narrative to the dominant 20th-century political trajectories of the Jewish diaspora.
