khavershaft

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Yiddish חבֿרשאַפֿט (khavershaft).

Noun

khavershaft (uncountable)

1. (politics, Bundism) camaraderie or solidarity
   • 2016, Dieter Gosewinkel, Dieter Rucht, Gertrud Pickhan, chapter 5, in Transnational Struggles for Recognition: New Perspectives on Civil Society since the 20th Century‎^[1], page 164:

     However, self-assertion in an increasingly anti-Semitic climate was possible only through the strong internal coherence of the Bundist meshpokhe (family), which comprised a complex community of Jews from all walks of life – a community characterized by strong convictions and solidarity. The meshpokhedikeyt was apparently a trade mark of the Bund for contemporaries, too. However, meshpokhedikeyt and khavershaft (comradeship) did not mean that there were no conflicts. As in any proper family, there were repeated ‘family fights’ within the Bund – top–down between the party leadership and the party base, and horizontally between the moderate party majority, the Eynser, and the boisterous left wing, the Tsveyer. Nevertheless, internal conflicts were conducted in the context of a highly developed political culture of reflection and controversy, probably unprecedented in the history of political parties in the twentieth century.

   • 2024, Naomi Hemstreet, “Jewish Immigrants in Argentina: The Bund as a Transnational Connection”, in Young Historians Conference‎^[2], page 5:

     Finally, khavershaft highlighted internal networks of trust and solidarity that were important underpinnings of communities, especially for Bundist immigrants.