Introduction: What is Jewish dissidence?

Our introduction explores the concepts of Jewish dissidence in the former “Eastern Bloc,” tracing important historical moments in its post-WWII emergence, as well as its major proponents and themes. It will explore the inherent tensions in the notion of a “Jewish” dissidence, given the (often persisting) anti-religious and anti-Zionist ideological beliefs of many Jewish dissenters who were Communist party members returning from exile or were educated in these nations during the Cold War. Exploring private, intellectual and political networks, the essay proposes that Jewish dissidence emerged slowly and hesitatingly across the various nations composing the Eastern Bloc, albeit with marked regional variations, and then outline its key manifestations in public and private realms.