Albert Einstein and Hannah Arendt's 1948 open letter on Israel

In an open letter published in The New York Times on December 4, 1948, Albert Einstein, Hannah Arendt, Sidney Hook and other Jewish intellectuals warned Americans against supporting Menachem Begin’s Freedom Party, Herut. They described it as a fascist movement descended from the Irgun, a militant group that had fought British rule in Palestine. The signatories argued that the party’s democratic language concealed a record of ultranationalism, political intimidation and violence, and that Begin’s U.S. visit sought to win money and public backing ahead of Israel’s elections.

The letter points to the April 1948 attack on Deir Yassin as evidence of the Irgun’s conduct, saying its fighters killed civilians and then publicized the massacre. It also accuses the movement of intimidating Jews who opposed it, undermining labor unions and promoting a leader-centered state. The writers contrast these practices with what they regard as the constructive work of building Jewish communities and defending Palestine, in which they say Herut had played little part. Written amid Israel’s founding and the 1948 war, the letter reflects anxieties among prominent Jewish figures that the new state could be shaped by authoritarian nationalism. Its signatories urge Americans not to lend Begin’s movement legitimacy or support.