Cornerstones of peace

by Marla Brettschneider

Throughout the seventies, the idea of being "pro-Israel" was traditionally equated with support for the Israeli government and was central to an understanding of American Jewish identity. It was so central, argues Marla Brettschneider, that even committed activists who took issue with such a monolithic stance were silenced by mainstream Jewish organizations. But during the 1980s, a change took place. An explosion of new Jewish groups intent on challenging the dominant definition of the pro-Israel attitude transformed an increasingly closed Jewish community into one more democratic and inclusive. In Cornerstones of Peace, Marla Brettschneider skillfully combines a lucid review of Liberal political theory and its understanding of the role of groups in the political process, a sophisticated analysis of Hobbesian philosophy, and a rich history of Jewish activist groups like Breira, Americans for Peace Now (APN), and The Jewish Women's Consultation to ask: What can we learn about identity a