The Myth of the "Self-Hating Jew"

The Anti-Zionist Jewish Fantasy of Solidarity Without Sovereignty

Last year, I came across a TikTok showing a self-proclaimed Jewish activist rejecting the notion that she was a self-hating Jew. She announced, “actually, I am such a self-LOVING Jew that I am able to imagine, advocate for, and desire freedom, dignity, and equity for more than just my own people,” before further elaborating on her anti-Zionist views.

Soon after, I encountered a reel of yet another so-called Jewish activist with her hand on her chest and the same holier than thou shtick; she preached, “see how I am an anti-Zionist  Jew… [I have] ethics…do you see how *I* read holocaust literature … [I’m] very thoughtful [,] very conscientious [, and] very academically motivated.” 

The self-righteousness of anti-Zionist Jews didn’t start on TikTok—and certainly doesn’t end there either. Be it those who named their anti-Zionist Reddit Thread Jews of Conscience, anti-Zionist Jews referring to themselves as prophets,¹² or smug tweets from anti-Zionist Jewish organizations showcasing their apparent moral superiority, it is evident that this virulent strain of self-obsession has become endemic among anti-Zionist Jews. 

The contagion presents with symptoms ranging from an inflated sense of self-importance and arrogant behavior to a constant need for admiration, a belief in one’s own exceptionalism, and a profound lack of empathy. Coincidentally, these are also hallmark traits of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD)³ as detailed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). According to the DSM, one hallmark of NPD is a grandiose sense of self-importance—where an individual grossly overestimates their own value, intelligence, or capabilities.

Past research has found that narcissists strategically show off their superiority by attempting to beat others in performance settings⁴. A 2018 study, Narcissism as Motivation for Moral Conduct, explains that narcissists can achieve their goal of appearing superior by acting morally in a public setting. The study notes that narcissists may not be satisfied by ordinary contributions to society, but may seek more unique or sophisticated moral conduct that few others are able to perform. 

In short, narcissists may gravitate toward morally exceptional behavior—acts that set them apart—rather than engage in ordinary contributions to society. Anti-Zionist Jews are able to exhibit a desirable behavior (anti-Zionism) with the “credentials” of being Jewish, which of course, is only available to a few million people worldwide. The scarcity isn't because anti-Zionist thought requires particularly rigorous intellect, logic, or reason–it is simply because there are so few Jews in the world, and these anti-Zionists were lucky enough to be born Jewish. 

Consider the film Israelism – where IfNotNow founder Simone Zimmerman reflects on her Jewish upbringing and alleges that she was brainwashed to believe that Israel was infallible. While it’s unclear whether or not what Zimmerman described as “brainwashing” was anything beyond coloring in Israeli flags or putting money in the Tzedakah Box, Israelism insists that just like Zimmerman, *all* young Jews in the US are brainwashed into worshipping Israel. 

Anti-Zionist Jews who appeared in Israelism were met with overwhelming praise, being dubbed “brave,” “courageous,” “righteous,” and even “prophets.”  Dr. Einat Wilf explains that as a minority, Jews are in a precarious situation–because selling out other Jews comes with both immense pressure and tremendous reward: from TV appearances to awards, acclaim, air time, book deals, “respectability” and more, being dubbed the “good Jew” really seems to pay off. Unfortunately, it also seems to fuel their narcissism. 

Anti-Zionist Jews, both individually and through their organizations, often present themselves as possessing unique moral clarity or specialized insight. Whether it’s activist Katie Halper insisting that “anti-Zionist Jews are the only hope for Jews,” or Simone Zimmerman explaining her position that the October 7th Massacre was justified takes “a level of humility [and] complexity” that I guess the rest of us just don’t have. 

From New York to Canada, the UK, Australia, and beyond, anti-Zionist Jewish organizations often insist on two premises: 

1. We [anti-Zionists] alone understand communal solidarity; meaning all oppression is inextricably linked

2. With our specialized understanding of solidarity, we will build a future free of all racism, bigotry, and violence.

Anti-Zionist Jews’ belief that they are privy to a unique understanding of communal solidarity doesn’t just create a superiority complex, it also exaggerates their already inflated ego and unrealistic sense of their own capabilities. To the second premise; in a phenomenon not unlike messianism, anti-Zionist Jews consistently reference a utopia they are building: a world free of oppression, violence, and all evil. See the below examples:

While a world free of ills, bigotry, and evil sounds wonderful, anybody with even a basic grasp of human nature or world history understands that it’s not attainable. The unfortunate reality is that we live in a world where evil exists; a world plagued by genocidal regimes, terrorist networks, human trafficking, state-sanctioned violence, and other horrors. Yet, anti-Zionist Jews genuinely believe that through their supposed unique moral insight, they can bring about a world without violence or injustice. This saviorist messianic like vision is what’s commonly referred to as a delusion of grandeur; a false belief that one possesses extraordinary talents or abilities.

And I get it—because reality sucks. The clash here is not between two movements each seeking self-determination. From the very beginning, the conflict was between Jews fighting for self-determination—and Arabs fighting against Jewish self-determination. I reiterate: the struggle is not between Jewish nationalism and Palestinian nationalism, but between a people asserting their right to sovereignty and those who deny that right altogether. This is not a complex observation. It can be deduced by listening to Palestinians’ words and observing their actions—like, say, rejecting offers for a Palestinian state on at least five occasions, one of which was followed by a wave of suicide bombings, stabbings, shootings, and other terrorist attacks.

When Jews say we want sovereignty and independence, our adversaries say we should know our place as Dhimmis. But accepting this reality necessitates admitting that antisemitism is not just a product of White Supremacy but can also be rooted in Islamism or traced back to other non-European origins. Yet, anti-Zionist Jews would likely deem the mere acknowledgement of this truth as racist or Islamophobic. Instead of recognizing that this century old conflict is steeped in Islamist antisemitism; an annihilationist and genocidal ideology, anti-Zionist Jews retreat to an escapist delusion that says we can fix this with kindness! Rather than believing Hamas when they say they want to repeat October 7th, anti-Zionist Jews insist they will create a future where violence will be eradicated. Living in such delusion may seem incomprehensible to most Jewish people, but it is the logical conclusion of fervently ignoring history and reality, as anti-Zionists have so often done.

Further, anti-Zionist Jews love to claim that “none of us are free until all of us are free,” but refuse to acknowledge what so many⁵⁶ celebrated as “freedom” on October 7th: the slaughter, rape, kidnapping, and torture of innocent civilians. They cannot contend with the fact that those who broke through the Gaza border didn’t go to pray at the Al Aqsa Mosque or search for their ancestors’ homes lost in 1948 or 1967. Instead, they roamed the streets, music festivals, kibbutzim, and beaches armed to the teeth just planning to murder as many people as possible. 

Let’s be clear: anti-Zionist Jews are not self-hating—they are self-deluding narcissists. When faced with uncomfortable truths, they retreat into comforting lies; fantasies of moral exceptionalism that cast themselves as saviors. They call for “liberation” without ever defining it, because to define it would mean facing the fact that “liberation,” to many people, means October 7th.

Rather than contend with such brutal implications, they insist that calling for an intifada or abolishing the Jewish state is simply “criticism of the Israeli government” while framing their ideological adversaries–Zionists, who simply believe that the Jewish state should be allowed to exist–as blind supporters of the Israeli government and warmongers foaming at the mouth with bloodlust, despite the fact that we never wanted this war. But again, truth doesn’t matter to anti-Zionist Jews, because their strategy isn’t to debate us, nor even educate themselves—it’s to strawman us, to twist every argument until we look like genocidal monsters and they, the noble dissenters: righteous, enlightened, and brave enough to “speak truth to power,” even if their “truth” is a complete lie.

1. https://x.com/neuroticjewgay/status/1901002373230981316

2. https://x.com/neuroticjewgay/status/1915154016134222157?s=46

3. This is not a clinical diagnosis. The comparison refers to behavioral patterns exhibited by certain organizations, which resemble traits associated with NPD as defined in the DSM. Narcissism exists on a spectrum and not all exhibiting such traits have a disorder.

4. https://jiss.org/documents/volume_8/JISS%202018%208(1)%2055-67%20Reflected%20Self.pdf

5. https://x.com/MariamBarghouti/status/1710535758476406795

6. https://www.adl.org/resources/article/anti-israel-activists-celebrate-hamas-attacks-have-killed-hundreds-israelis