UpFront episode revisits Jewish Bund and anti-Zionist left
Marc Lamont Hill speaks with Molly Crabapple in a 25-minute Al Jazeera program on the Jewish Bund, anti-Zionism and the Jewish left today.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
2 min read
Al Jazeera’s UpFront has published a 25-minute episode examining the legacy of the General Jewish Labour Bund and its place in debates about the Jewish left today. The program matters because it connects a 19th-century socialist Jewish movement with current questions about anti-Zionism, culture and political identity.
In the episode, host Marc Lamont Hill speaks with Molly Crabapple, whom Al Jazeera identifies as an Emmy Award-winning artist and author. The discussion centers on the Jewish Bund, anti-Zionism and the state of the Jewish left in the present day, according to Al Jazeera.
A socialist Jewish movement
Al Jazeera describes the General Jewish Labour Bund as a revolutionary socialist movement founded in 1897 in the Russian Empire. The movement organized Jewish workers, promoted Yiddish culture and democracy, and opposed Zionism, according to the network’s description of the program.
The episode frames the Bund not only as a historical organization but also as a political memory whose relevance remains contested. Al Jazeera says the program asks what remains of that memory and whether the Bund’s vision is finding new life among parts of the Jewish left today.
The Bund’s anti-Zionist stance is one of the main themes identified by Al Jazeera in its description of the interview. The program places that stance alongside the movement’s commitments to labor organizing, Yiddish culture and democratic politics.
Crabapple joins Marc Lamont Hill
Crabapple appears as Hill’s guest for the full program, according to Al Jazeera. The network presents the conversation as part of UpFront, Hill’s interview program.
Al Jazeera published the episode on July 19, 2026. The listing also includes video and audio playback options, with the video running 25 minutes.
The program’s stated focus is historical and contemporary: it looks back to the Bund’s origins in the Russian Empire while asking how its ideas are remembered in the Jewish left today. Al Jazeera does not provide further details in its program description about specific arguments made during the interview.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.