национальные евреи

[pimlicodude]

From Solzhenitsyn:

«Сионисты, ортодоксы и национальные евреи должны были бы быть в первых рядах борющихся с советской властью и большевистским миросозерцанием»

This may seem a basic question, but the translation on the Internet of this passage says "nationalist Jews", but can национальный mean "nationalist" (which has a different meaning in English to "national"). Does it just mean "ethnic Jews" here? Or does it actually those who are nationalistic?

Of course, national, nationalist (used as an adj) and nationalistic have three different shades of meaning in English.

 

[Rosett]

Имеется в виду еврей по национальности (в СССР - «пятая графа», которая не всегда отвечает правилам этнического еврейства) только, нерелигиозный - в противопоставление идеологическим течениям (сионисты, ортодоксы и целая спектрограмма иных - от верящих в Иисуса до ультраортодоксальных хасидов).

 

[Kalaus]

Could Mr. S. (or rather D. Pasmanik, whom he is quoting) be referring to Churchill's categorization of "good" and "bad" jews (Churchill's 1920 newspaper article “Zionism Versus Bolshevism. A Struggle for the Soul of The Jewish People,” see quotations below)?

"Churchill identified three categories of Jews, two of whom he obviously put in the “good” category: First, were the “'National' Jews…who…while adhering faithfully to their own religion, regard themselves as citizens” of a country. Second, were the “International,” “terrorist” Jews. These were the “sinister” Bolsheviks who had fomented the Russian Revolution: “With the notable exception of Lenin,” he observed, “the majority of the leading figures [Trotsky, Zinoviev, Radek] are [atheistical] Jews.” Third were the Zionists, whom he saw as a formidable antidote to Bolshevism: “Zionism…has already become a factor in the political convulsions of Russia, as a powerful competing influence in Bolshevik circles with the international communistic system.” Source