Who was he?
In 1913 (at age 20), he went to the United States to complete his higher education, attending New York University where he studied mathematics, political science, and education.
After graduating in 1917, the young Menuhin recognised his disenchantment with the developments of political Zionism. Unwilling to associate himself with those who, in his opinion, were degenerating Judaism, he decided to remain in the United States.
Moshe Menuhin settled in California with his wife and small son Yehudi. During those early years, he devoted himself to guiding the phenomenal musical genius of his son. However, Mr. Menuhin never lost interest in the political happenings in the Middle East. As a conscientious Jew, he was particularly concerned about the fate of the uprooted Arab inhabitants of Palestine and the bitter dispute between the Arab countries and the "Jewish" nationalists.
Mr. Menuhin, along with other prominent American Jews, helped establish a new organisation, Jewish Alternatives to Zionism, Inc.. The purpose of JAZ is to conduct an educational program applying Judaism's values of justice and knowledge to the Arab-Israeli conflict, thereby attempting to advance the cause of peace in the Middle East through a rejection of Zionist Israel's "Jewish people" group nationality claims, which automatically relate Jews to the state of Israel. JAZ finds these claims to be "inconsistent with American constitutional guarantees of individual citizenship rights and responsibilities for Jews as for all other Americans".
Moshe Menuhin was born in Russia in 1893 to a distinguished, religious Jewish family. When the family moved to Palestine, Moshe was sent to Orthodox Jewish schools, first to Yeshivas in Jerusalem, then to the nationalistic Hebrew Gymnasia Herzelia in Jaffa-Tel Aviv.
About his book... A protest against the identification of Judaism with Zionism, Moshe Menuhin's work propounds the theme that Judaism as a faith must not be equated with a national movement. Any indiscriminate mixture of the two can result only in the corruption and decay of Judaism.
The book was originally published in 1965, and the author gave permission for the Institute of Palestinian Studies to do a reprint in 1969, which carried an additional appendix or PostScript resultant from the Six-Day War in which Israel systematically attacked the Kingdom of Transjordan and annexed a large part of its territory.
The United Nations made a very poor and ineffective complaint at that time (Resolution No.222), which has been another thorn in the side of the Arab nations ever since.
"The Decadence of Judaism in Our Time"
Driven by a strong sense of duty and anxious to preserve the spirituality and universality of Judaism, Moshe Menuhin decided to record his conclusions in this book. As expected, the book stirred up much excitement in the United States and in the world in general.
Selected Preface Excerpts
I have reached the age and stage in life... (in 1969 he was 76) ...at which an intellectually honest, free and independent man is moved by an inner compulsion to stand up and bear testimony to the beliefs, convictions and conclusion of a lifetime.
As a conscientious Jew, I feel it necessary to set forth my views on Jewish history after studying and observing for many years the lofty and dignified Judaistic past of pure ethics, philosophy and religion, on the one hand, and the current decadent, tragic and revolting perversion of it into boisterous "Jewish" nationalism - Judaism turned into rampant Israelism - on the other.
It is not an easy or a pleasant task to perform; yet my very strong sense of duty and my anxiety compel me to undertake it. I am absolutely convinced of the truthfulness of my studies, observations and conclusions. I serve nobody's interests, and I am paid by no one.
Yet, though I carefully and honestly stick to facts, I know that I am bound to antagonise the fanatical and professional idealists among the "Jewish" nationalists...
I have entitled this book The Decadence of Judaism in Our Time, but I almost prefer an earlier title, "Jewish" Nationalism: A Monstrous Historical Crime and Curse. Please take your choice. Both titles mean the same thing to me.