Right Then, Right Now: Ronald Aronson and Jonathan Judaken in Conversation about Sartre, Anti-Semitism, and Israel–Palestine

This conversation between Ronald Aronson and Jonathan Judaken explores Sartre’s evolving views on anti-Semitism, Israel, racism, and the Palestinian struggle. Sartre first became a significant cultural-political force as a critic of anti-Semitism and as a supporter of the national liberation struggle of Israeli Jews. Then, faced with the Israeli-Arab and then the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he refused to abandon his support for Israeli Jews even while embracing the validity of the Palestinian cause, including at times the use of ‘terrorism as a weapon of the weak’. His nuanced, situated, and insightful views prove valuable to revisit in light of October 7 and the ensuing war.