Constructions of Judeo-communism

Journal article

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In Journal Issue

Australian Jewish Historical Society Journal, 20, 1 (2010)

Author(s) Philip Mendes AbstractAt the end of 1948, the Melbourne Jewish Council to Combat Fascism and Anti-semitism was at the peak of its influence. The Council acted as the official public relations representative of the Victorian Jewish Board of Deputies (VJBD), and was also responsible for the public relations activities of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry whenever that body was based in Victoria. Its proactive campaigns against antisemitism were widely regarded as sophisticated and effective. However, by July 1952, the Council had been expelled from the Victorian Jewish Board of Deputies and largely marginalised by mainstream Jewry. This paper analyses the Council's involvement in a series of public disputes and controversies during 1949 and 1950 which progressively undermined its previously strong support in the Jewish community. Previous commentators on the Council have attributed its decline either to its links with communist and pro-Soviet groups and views, or alternatively to the impact of Cold War McCarthyism. However, this paper argues that the fall of the Council can best be explained by specific reference to Jewish political culture, including particularly the European Jewish experience of the nexus between antisemitism and anti-communism.
Year2010
Pages110-122