The University of California at Berkeley's library has a Jewish museum.  Its official name is The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life.  Who was the person whose name appears on its plaque? Here is a brief bio-sketch.  He was born in Northern California in 1877, and his name at birth was Julian Leon Magnes.  He became a rabbi and a leader of several groups known for their pacifist activities during WWI and for other progressive causes.  For example, he spoke on behalf of anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti, whose case was a cause célèbre of the radical left in the first half of the 20th century.  His contemporaries described him as highly articulate and influential, which makes him a Bernie Sanders of his time. But he was also an ardent Zionist, which would make him anathema to many of Bernie Sanders's supporters.  This seeming paradox has a simple explanation.  The meaning and connotation of the word Zionism has...(Read Full Article)