Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism: Stories of Personal Transformation

by Carolyn L. Karcher

Overview

Today Jews face a choice. We can be loyal to the ethical imperatives at the heart of Judaism—love the stranger, pursue justice, and repair the world. Or we can give our unconditional support to the state of Israel. It is a choice between Judaism as a religion and the nationalist ideology of Zionism, which is usurping that religion. In this powerful collection of personal narratives, thirty-nine Jews of diverse backgrounds tell a wide range of stories about the roads they have traveled from a Zionist world view to activism in solidarity with Palestinians and Israelis striving to build an inclusive society founded on justice, equality, and peaceful coexistence. Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism will be controversial. Its contributors welcome the long overdue public debate. They want to demolish stereotypes of dissenting Jews as “self-hating,” traitorous, and anti-Semitic. They want to introduce readers to the large and growing community of Jewish activists who have created organizations such as Jewish Voice for Peace, IfNotNow, and Open Hillel. They want to strengthen alliances with progressives of all faiths. Above all, they want to nurture models of Jewish identity that replace ethnic exclusiveness with solidarity, Zionism with a Judaism once again nourished by a transcendent ethical vision. An introduction and afterword by Carolyn L. Karcher set the narratives in historical context. Contributors include: Joel Beinin • Sami Shalom Chetrit • Ilise Benshushan Cohen • Marjorie Cohn • Rabbi and Cantor Michael Davis • Hasia R. Diner • Marjorie N. Feld • Chris Godshall • Ariel Gold • Noah Habeeb • Claris Harbon • Linda Hess • Rabbi Linda Holtzman • Yael Horowitz • Carolyn L. Karcher • Mira Klein • Sydney Levy • Ben Lorber • Shoshana Madmoni-Gerber • Carly Manes • Moriah Ella Mason • Seth Morrison • Eliza Rose Moss-Horwitz • Hilton Obenzinger • Henri Picciotto • Ned Rosch • Rabbi Brant Rosen • Alice Rothchild • Tali Ruskin • Cathy Lisa Schneider • Natalia Dubno Shevin • Ella Shohat • Emily Siegel • Rebecca Subar • Cecilie Surasky • Rebecca Vilkomerson • Rachel Winsberg • Rabbi Alissa Wise • Charlie Wood

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781623719142
Publisher:	Olive Branch Press
Publication date:	04/12/2019
Edition description:	1
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	824,470
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 6.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Carolyn L. Karcher is professor emerita of English, American Studies, and Women’s Studies at Temple University and the author of many books and articles about the struggle for racial and gender equality in the U.S.

Table of Contents

Introduction: History of Zionism and And-Zionism from 1880-1948 Carolyn L. Karcher vii

Chapter 1 Rabbinic Voices

Non-Zionism and the New Jewish Diaspora Rabbi Brant Rosen 3

Zionism in My Life Rabbi Linda Holtzman 10

From Zionism in Jerusalem to Diasporism in Chicago Rabbi Michael Davis 16

Chapter 2 Transformative Experiences In Israel/Palestine

Becoming a Jew without Borders Joel Beinin 30

Remembering a Baghdad Elsewhere: An Emotional Cartography Ella Shohat 37

A Mural with No Wall Sami Shalom Chetrit 44

Their Cries I Cannot Forget: How My Investigation of the Yemenite Babies Affair Disillusioned Me with Zionism Shoshana Madmoni-Gerber 49

Coloring the Closets of Transparency: The Endless Struggles of One Feminist Mizrahi Lawyer Claris Karbon 61

Dismantling Zionism: Centering Equality and Justice Ilise Benshushan Cohen 74

X-Ray Glasses Cecilie Surasky 87

Finding Community and the Right Pair of Glasses Emily Siegel 93

Owe Me Nothing Tali Rusktn 106

Not a Birthright, an Obligation Charlie Wood 112

My Jewish Story Ariel Gold 124

From the Tokyo JCC to JVP DC Metro Carolyn L. Karcher 129

From AIPAC to JVP: My Evolution on Zionism and Israel Seth Morrison 141

Chapter 3 Voices From The Campuses

Wrestling with History: My Journey in the Movement for Palestinian Rights Ben Lorber 152

Moving Away from Zionism Yael Horowitz 162

An Epiphany in Slow Motion: Solidarity in Seven Parts Moriah Ella Mason 168

Denial Noah Habeeb 178

I'll Live Where My Feet Are: Imagining My Jewishness with and Beyond the Band Natalia Dubno Shevin 187

From Compost Queen to BDS: Arriving at Anti-Zionism through Environmental Justice Mira Klein 192

Faith, Loss, and Liberation Rachel Winsberg 199

Redefining My Values, Myself, and My Jewish Community Carly Manes 203

Healing Myself, Healing Community Jordan Wilson-Dalzell 208

My Journey from Zionism to Anti-Zionism Chris Godshall 219

To Dream of a lust Jewish Future in a World of Suffering Eliza Rose Moss-Horwitz 228

Chapter 4 Progressive Values Versus Zionism

Choosing a Different Path Alice Rothchild 236

Palestine and My Journey of Self-Discovery Ned Rosch 250

Widening My Field of Vision Rebecca Subar 259

Unlearning Zionism, Learning to Listen to Palestinians Sydney Levy 266

Escape from Zion Hilton Obenzinger 272

Choosing Sides Marjorie N. Feld 284

My Jewish Journey Hasta R. Diner 292

East of Eden and West of Jerusalem: Two Sisters on Opposite Sides of the Israel-Palestine Divide Cathy Lisa Schneider 301

Who Are the Chosen People? Linda Hess 308

A "Nice Jewish Girl" Critiques Israel Marjorie Cohn 325

Chapter 5 Reflections Of Leading Organizers

Zionism versus Anti-Zionism: Not My Main Concern Henri Picciotto 332

"The Discarded Materials Have Become the Cornerstone" Rebecca Vilkomerson Rabbi Alissn Wise 339

Afterword: American Jews' Changing Attitudes toward Israel, 1948-2018 Carolyn L. Karcher 349

Acknowledgements 373

Editorial Reviews

These powerful stories send a message about the resilience and passion of a courageous group of Jews who have come to the realization that the state of Israel's treatment of Palestinians does not live up to the ethical standards Jewish tradition demands. Taken together, their words challenge the idea that Judaism and Zionism are inseparable. Their commitment to live a Jewish life without Zionism bodes well for the future of Judaism.

Rebecca T. Alpert

Carolyn L. Karcher has superbly edited a fascinating collection of autobiographical essays describing how devout American Jews disentangled themselves from the distortions of Zionism. In the process they recovered their authentic religiously and ethnically framed identities. Required reading for Jews, and engaging reading for everyone.

Richard Falk

Carolyn Karcher has constructed an anthology that addresses the departure from Zionist ideology of a diversity of Jews from both the U.S. and Israel. Each section gives voice to a particular segment of Jews critically considering the impact of Zionism on their lives and choices, and most importantly, the life-threatening consequences of this ideology for Palestinian residents of Israel, and for those who live in the occupied West Bank and Gaza ' . This book is valuable in that it describes and gives voice to the challenge to distance one's self from an ideology that is presented as a liberation movement. These voices must contend with being called anti-Semitic and self-hating Jews by strangers as well as by family members. Jewish nationalism, as in other forms of nationalism spreading across the globe, is by its very nature discriminatory, creating Us and Them polarities that favor the dominant culture over all others. Israel has been able to do this because of American tax-payer money to the tunes of billions of dollars over the decades.

Eleanor Roffman

"[The contributors] walk the path of human rights activism inspired by the values of justice, solidarity, and equality held sacred in the prophetic Jewish tradition. These very personal stories inspire compassion, moral reflection, and, yes, courageous action. Such stories nourish the soul and are worth reading whether or not you are Jewish.

From the Publisher

"[The contributors] walk the path of human rights activism inspired by the values of justice, solidarity, and equality held sacred in the prophetic Jewish tradition. These very personal stories inspire compassion, moral reflection, and, yes, courageous action. Such stories nourish the soul and are worth reading whether or not you are Jewish.

Quaker Book Reviews Friends Journal