Unsettled American Jews and the Movement for Justice in Palestine

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Oren Kroll-Zeldin explores how activists address Israeli government policies of occupation and apartheid, and seek to transform American Jewish institutional support for Israel.

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Oren Kroll-Zeldin explores how activists address Israeli government policies of occupation and apartheid, and seek to transform American Jewish institutional support for Israel.

Image courtesy of interviewee. March 5, 2024

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This video video discusses the evolving perspectives of young American Jews regarding their relationship with Israel and Palestine, focusing on how this shift is influencing Jewish identity and activism. The author shares their motivation for writing a book that explores these changing attitudes, particularly among younger generations who are increasingly engaging in Palestine solidarity activism.

Key themes include a recognition of a generational divide in support for Israel, the impact of Palestine solidarity activism as an expression of Jewish identity, and the need for a nuanced conversation within Jewish communities about the state of Israel. The author emphasizes their own journey of unlearning previous teachings from mainstream Jewish education and highlights how personal experiences with Palestinian narratives influenced their perspective.

The research underpinning the book is primarily ethnographic, drawing on interviews with young Jewish activists and analysis of social media discourse. The findings reveal three main tactics used by these activists:

1. **Targeting Mainstream Jewish Institutions**: Young Jews are challenging established Jewish organizations to align their practices with Jewish values of justice and peace, particularly concerning the Israeli occupation.

2. **Co-resistance Activism**: This video video involves collaborative nonviolent actions between Jewish and Palestinian activists, emphasizing mutual support and shared futures.

3. **Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS)**: Activists engage in campaigns to apply economic pressure on institutions profiting from the occupation, despite the controversy surrounding BDS within the Jewish community.

The author argues that such activism is a valid expression of Jewishness and underscores the interconnectedness of Jewish and Palestinian liberation. This video video advocates for a recognition of dissenting views within Jewish communities and calls for a broader and more inclusive understanding of Jewish identity, particularly in light of contemporary issues related to Israel and Palestine.

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00:00.605 --> 00:05.305
The main motivation for the book was my recognition

00:05.805 --> 00:10.785
of the changing nature of the American Jewish conversation.

00:11.295 --> 00:13.945
With regards to the state of Israel,

00:15.615 --> 00:18.585
there's long been a,

00:18.625 --> 00:21.945
generational divide over support for Israel.

00:22.325 --> 00:24.665
So I was particularly interested in

00:24.765 --> 00:26.825
how young American Jews in particular

00:27.335 --> 00:29.905
have been changing their relationships to Israel

00:30.045 --> 00:34.065
and doing so with regards to Palestine solidarity activism.

00:34.615 --> 00:38.465
Part of this was based on how I was brought up

00:38.525 --> 00:43.505
and my own process of unlearning some of the main things

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that I was taught in my mainstream Jewish American

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educational spaces, realizing that

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what I was taught didn't match up with the realities

00:56.355 --> 01:00.255
on the ground, which I only learned much later on

01:01.035 --> 01:03.815
as I encountered Palestinian narratives

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and experienced what, it was like

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for Palestinian communities in Palestine

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and in unlearning all of the things that I was taught,

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I wanted to explore, well, how does this match up

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with the experiences of others?

01:23.235 --> 01:26.815
So I overtook undertook this autoethnographic

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research project that then turned into a much

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larger ethnographic project.

01:32.155 --> 01:35.495
And it is a particularly important topic

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now in 2024 and beyond

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because we're seeing such a lack of ability

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to hold nuance in the discourse around Israel Palestine.

01:48.425 --> 01:51.255
We're seeing a massive shift

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in the way Jewish American institutions

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and Jewish American communities are approaching Palestine

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solidarity activism,

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and they continue to exclude Palestine solidarity activists.

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My hope is that this book, in this particular moment

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will highlight the fact that the ways

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that young American Jews in particular

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engage in Palestine solidarity activism

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is actually an expression of their Jewishness.

02:24.205 --> 02:26.135
This is one of the ways that they're performing their Jewish

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identities and one of the ways that they

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are expressing their Jewish values, not only in solidarity

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with Jews, but in solidarity with Palestinians

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and other oppressed communities as well.

02:38.955 --> 02:42.815
So I think in this particular moment, we need to hold on

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to nuance, and the research in this book focuses deeply

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on some of the nuances internal in the American Jewish

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conversation about the state of Israel.

02:53.875 --> 02:56.655
The research for this book is mainly ethnographic,

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so I conducted, a lot

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of in depth ethnographic interviews

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with young American Jewish activists involved

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with the Palestine solidarity movement.

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These interviews, most of them were in per in, in person,

03:12.865 --> 03:15.405
but many of them were also conducted online.

03:15.625 --> 03:20.365
During the C 19 pandemic, I also did a lot

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of ethnographic work

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and field work on the ground in the West Bank

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and in East Jerusalem

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and in the state of Israel, with the Center

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for Jewish Nonviolence in particular,

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participating on a delegation of the center

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for Jewish nonviolence in the West Bank.

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Um, and I also did,

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social discourse analysis, particularly on social media

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because a lot of the activism right now is taking place

03:56.425 --> 04:00.445
online on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,

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and looking at the changing nature

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of the conversation on social media help to elucidate

04:10.825 --> 04:12.325
the broader conversation.

04:12.945 --> 04:14.965
So that, those are some of the main methodologies

04:15.275 --> 04:16.525
that I I used.

04:16.795 --> 04:20.005
This book overall looks at the involvement

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of young American Jews in the Palestine Solidarity Act,

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in the Palestine solidarity movement.

04:26.025 --> 04:30.085
And they are engaged in this as again, a

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way of performing their Jewish identities

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and of acting out their Jewish values.

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They see that participating in Palestine solidarity

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activism, anti ooc occupation activism,

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anti-apartheid activism is a Jewish value in and of itself.

04:50.925 --> 04:52.425
In doing this research, I

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discovered three main methodologies

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that young American Jews in particular are engaged in

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with this movement.

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The first is targeting mainstream Jewish

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American institutions.

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The mainstream Jewish establishment is

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very clear on having a pro-Israel approach

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in terms of its education, in its funding priorities.

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And they have very successfully over the last six,

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seven decades created,

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a system in which being Jewish is often equated

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with support for Israel.

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And there's no real room for descent

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in targeting these institutions.

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The young American Jews say you are the organizations.

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You are the institutions that taught us

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what it means to be Jewish.

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We learned our Jewish values from you, values of freedom,

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dignity, peace, justice, Tik,

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repairing the world,

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and we see a gap in the way

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that you taught us how to be

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and what you actually do, particularly with regards

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to Israel and Palestine.

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As a result, they, these activists said, we're going

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to target you because we want you to change.

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We no longer want you to teach us only what it means

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to be pro-Israel,

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but we also want you to have consistency with your values.

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If you are going to say peace, justice

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and freedom are important.

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We want to see that happen across the board

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with everything including Israel and Palestine.

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The main thing that I looked at in terms of how

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young American Jews targeted

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the mainstream Jewish establishment is

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through the Birthright Israel program.

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On, in the summer of 2018, a group of activists

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with the group, if not now,

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walked off their birthright program in

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a defiant act of public protest.

07:14.805 --> 07:17.665
And that changed the conversation in how people,

07:17.795 --> 07:20.305
young people in particular look at the birthright program.

07:20.445 --> 07:22.265
And this is the main program that

07:22.825 --> 07:25.825
educates young American Jews today on Israel.

07:26.445 --> 07:29.665
So looking at, at this birthright protest,

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this walk-off was one way of understanding

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how young American Jews target the mainstream Jewish

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establishment to say, we want you to change.

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We want you to, no longer support the Israeli occupation

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of the Palestinian Territories,

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and we want you to educate us differently.

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The second strategy

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that the activists use is co resistance activism on the

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ground in Palestine and Israel.

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Co resistance means

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that Palestinian activists invite Jewish, Israeli

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and Jews from the international community to engage

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in nonviolent protest

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and direct action on the ground in their communities.

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This means Jews and Palestinians are resisting mechanisms

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and the architecture of occupation

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and apartheid collectively together.

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The idea is that Jews can leverage their privilege

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as Jews in Israel in order

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to both symbolically

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and materially impact everyday life for Palestinians

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on the ground.

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The co resistance model of activism

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is a way for Palestinians

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and Jews to say, we want to work together

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towards a shared future rooted in equality.

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This means that they are building the infrastructure

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for what a shared society in Israel

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and Palestine could look like moving forward.

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And this is a great appeal for young American Jews

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because this is a way for them to, number one,

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bear witness to occupation.

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But number two, put their bodies on the line

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and say, we are ready to leverage our privilege

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and do what it takes to change

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how things are here on the ground.

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And we want to do this as Jews to say, this is important

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to us to participate in as Jews.

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The third strategy

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and tactic of activism is participating in

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boycott, divestments and sanctions campaigns.

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The BDS movement, this is by far the most controversial

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of this activist strategies

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because the mainstream Jewish establishment has created a

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veritable red line that excludes supporters

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of BDS from their communities.

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It is very likely that outspoken

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BDS activists will be ostracized from their communities,

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from their Jewish communities,

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will lose professional opportunities,

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might even lose some important friendships or relationships

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because of their support for this movement.

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BDS campaigns are attractive to young American Jews

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because this is a strategy

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that they see having been successful

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in apartheid South Africa in terms

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of ending the apartheid regime there.

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And it is the most prominent

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nonviolent form of Palestinian activism,

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and this is attractive to young American Jews.

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Furthermore, young American Jews want

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to participate oftentimes in BDS campaigns

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because they have material impact.

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They can say, we want to look at

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how things are happening in our community,

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who in our community is profiting off

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of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories,

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or who is benefiting in some way from the

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relationship with Israel.

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And they can target local institutions, local

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companies, and

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therefore have a very targeted

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and winnable approach

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that might have a material impact on the ground.

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Most of the activists involved in this movement, the

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participation in these three strands of activism, is a way

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for them to use their bodies to,

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in the service of justice.

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They see that Jewish safety

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can only come when there is safety for everyone.

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Jewish liberation can only come when there is

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liberation for everyone.

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This includes

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and is, especially with regards to Palestinians.

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The activists participate in this movement

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and these three strands, these three tactics of activism

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as a way of ensuring that the safety of Jews, the liberation

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of Jews, is intertwined with the liberation of Palestinians

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and everyone it is be.

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It is their way of participating in an intersectional

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movement rooted in justice for all, no matter what.

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And to them, that is the most important way

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of acting out their Jewish values.

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It is a way of reclaiming Judaism from Zionism

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and reclaiming their Jewish identities from

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Israeli state violence.

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My ultimate desire for this book is for readers

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to understand that Jewish descent against Zionism

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and Jewish dissenting views about the state of Israel

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are quite normal.

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That this has always been the case ever since the

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Zionist movement started.

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And ever since the state of Israel was established,

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there was always Jewish descent against that.

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This book looks at a new strand of

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that Jewish descent by focusing on young American Jews.

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My hope is that readers will understand

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how this contemporary moment

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and this contemporary movement

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of Jewish descent against Zionism is part

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of a longer history

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and should be normalized that the activists involved in this

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or Jewish anti-Zionism more broadly should not be

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grounds for dismissal from a Jewish community.

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And my hope is

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that readers will actually understand this form

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of anti-Zionism

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and Jewish Palestine solidarity activism, again,

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as an important expression of one's Jewishness

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and of one's Jewish values.

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These people who are involved in this movement

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that are the focus of this book are deeply committed

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to their lives as Jews

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and are committed to showing up as Jews.

14:21.595 --> 14:23.815
And the more institutions

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and individuals try to create

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a Jewish community that is devoid

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of anti-Zionist politics, the less relevant they will be

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to a younger generation of American Jews.

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And so in order to remain relevant,

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the Jewish institutions must adapt.

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They must change in order to be much more inclusive of a

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Broader politics.

14:52.115 --> 14:53.325
With regards to Israel

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and Palestine, Jewish survival has always been predicated

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on adaptability.

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And this is a crucial moment for

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American Jewish life in particular that must adapt

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to include the voices highlighted in this book.

Quick Answers

Changing Perspectives: American Jews and Israel

00:00:00 - The main motivation for the book was my recognition of the changing nature of the American Jewish conversation. With regards to the state of Israel, there's long been a, generational divide over support for Israel. So I was particularly interested in how young American Jews in particular have been changing their relationships to Israel and doing so with regards to Palestine solidarity activism.
00:00:38 - and my own process of unlearning some of the main things that I was taught in my mainstream Jewish American educational spaces, realizing that what I was taught didn't match up with the realities on the ground, which I only learned much later on as I encountered Palestinian narratives and experienced what, it was like
00:01:13 - and in unlearning all of the things that I was taught, I wanted to explore, well, how does this match up with the experiences of others? So I overtook undertook this autoethnographic research project that then turned into a much larger ethnographic project. And it is a particularly important topic now in 2024 and beyond
00:01:43 - to hold nuance in the discourse around Israel Palestine. We're seeing a massive shift in the way Jewish American institutions and Jewish American communities are approaching Palestine solidarity activism, and they continue to exclude Palestine solidarity activists. My hope is that this book, in this particular moment
00:02:15 - that young American Jews in particular engage in Palestine solidarity activism is actually an expression of their Jewishness. This is one of the ways that they're performing their Jewish identities and one of the ways that they are expressing their Jewish values, not only in solidarity with Jews, but in solidarity with Palestinians and other oppressed communities as well. So I think in this particular moment, we need to hold on
00:02:48 - on some of the nuances internal in the American Jewish conversation about the state of Israel. The research for this book is mainly ethnographic, so I conducted, a lot of in depth ethnographic interviews with young American Jewish activists involved with the Palestine solidarity movement. These interviews, most of them were in per in, in person,

Jewish Activism and Palestine Solidarity Research

00:03:15 - During the C 19 pandemic, I also did a lot of ethnographic work and field work on the ground in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem and in the state of Israel, with the Center for Jewish Nonviolence in particular, participating on a delegation of the center for Jewish nonviolence in the West Bank.
00:03:47 - social discourse analysis, particularly on social media because a lot of the activism right now is taking place online on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and looking at the changing nature of the conversation on social media help to elucidate the broader conversation. So that, those are some of the main methodologies
00:04:16 - This book overall looks at the involvement of young American Jews in the Palestine Solidarity Act, in the Palestine solidarity movement. And they are engaged in this as again, a way of performing their Jewish identities and of acting out their Jewish values. They see that participating in Palestine solidarity activism, anti ooc occupation activism, anti-apartheid activism is a Jewish value in and of itself.
00:04:53 - discovered three main methodologies that young American Jews in particular are engaged in with this movement. The first is targeting mainstream Jewish American institutions. The mainstream Jewish establishment is very clear on having a pro-Israel approach in terms of its education, in its funding priorities.
00:05:28 - seven decades created, a system in which being Jewish is often equated with support for Israel. And there's no real room for descent in targeting these institutions. The young American Jews say you are the organizations. You are the institutions that taught us
00:05:57 - We learned our Jewish values from you, values of freedom, dignity, peace, justice, Tik, repairing the world, and we see a gap in the way that you taught us how to be and what you actually do, particularly with regards to Israel and Palestine. As a result, they, these activists said, we're going

Young Jews Demand Consistency in Values

00:06:29 - We no longer want you to teach us only what it means to be pro-Israel, but we also want you to have consistency with your values. If you are going to say peace, justice and freedom are important. We want to see that happen across the board with everything including Israel and Palestine. The main thing that I looked at in terms of how young American Jews targeted the mainstream Jewish establishment is
00:07:01 - On, in the summer of 2018, a group of activists with the group, if not now, walked off their birthright program in a defiant act of public protest. And that changed the conversation in how people, young people in particular look at the birthright program. And this is the main program that educates young American Jews today on Israel. So looking at, at this birthright protest,
00:07:33 - how young American Jews target the mainstream Jewish establishment to say, we want you to change. We want you to, no longer support the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories, and we want you to educate us differently. The second strategy that the activists use is co resistance activism on the ground in Palestine and Israel. Co resistance means that Palestinian activists invite Jewish, Israeli
00:08:09 - in nonviolent protest and direct action on the ground in their communities. This means Jews and Palestinians are resisting mechanisms and the architecture of occupation and apartheid collectively together. The idea is that Jews can leverage their privilege as Jews in Israel in order
00:08:37 - and materially impact everyday life for Palestinians on the ground. The co resistance model of activism is a way for Palestinians and Jews to say, we want to work together towards a shared future rooted in equality. This means that they are building the infrastructure
00:09:09 - and Palestine could look like moving forward. And this is a great appeal for young American Jews because this is a way for them to, number one, bear witness to occupation. But number two, put their bodies on the line and say, we are ready to leverage our privilege and do what it takes to change how things are here on the ground. And we want to do this as Jews to say, this is important to us to participate in as Jews.

BDS Activism and Jewish Identity Intersection

00:09:41 - and tactic of activism is participating in boycott, divestments and sanctions campaigns. The BDS movement, this is by far the most controversial of this activist strategies because the mainstream Jewish establishment has created a veritable red line that excludes supporters of BDS from their communities. It is very likely that outspoken BDS activists will be ostracized from their communities,
00:10:12 - will lose professional opportunities, might even lose some important friendships or relationships because of their support for this movement. BDS campaigns are attractive to young American Jews because this is a strategy that they see having been successful in apartheid South Africa in terms of ending the apartheid regime there. And it is the most prominent
00:10:44 - and this is attractive to young American Jews. Furthermore, young American Jews want to participate oftentimes in BDS campaigns because they have material impact. They can say, we want to look at how things are happening in our community, who in our community is profiting off of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories, or who is benefiting in some way from the
00:11:14 - And they can target local institutions, local companies, and therefore have a very targeted and winnable approach that might have a material impact on the ground. Most of the activists involved in this movement, the participation in these three strands of activism, is a way
00:11:48 - in the service of justice. They see that Jewish safety can only come when there is safety for everyone. Jewish liberation can only come when there is liberation for everyone. This includes and is, especially with regards to Palestinians. The activists participate in this movement
00:12:17 - as a way of ensuring that the safety of Jews, the liberation of Jews, is intertwined with the liberation of Palestinians and everyone it is be. It is their way of participating in an intersectional movement rooted in justice for all, no matter what. And to them, that is the most important way of acting out their Jewish values. It is a way of reclaiming Judaism from Zionism

Normalizing Jewish Dissent Against Zionism

00:12:48 - Israeli state violence. My ultimate desire for this book is for readers to understand that Jewish descent against Zionism and Jewish dissenting views about the state of Israel are quite normal. That this has always been the case ever since the Zionist movement started. And ever since the state of Israel was established, there was always Jewish descent against that.
00:13:21 - that Jewish descent by focusing on young American Jews. My hope is that readers will understand how this contemporary moment and this contemporary movement of Jewish descent against Zionism is part of a longer history and should be normalized that the activists involved in this or Jewish anti-Zionism more broadly should not be
00:13:53 - And my hope is that readers will actually understand this form of anti-Zionism and Jewish Palestine solidarity activism, again, as an important expression of one's Jewishness and of one's Jewish values. These people who are involved in this movement that are the focus of this book are deeply committed to their lives as Jews and are committed to showing up as Jews.
00:14:24 - and individuals try to create a Jewish community that is devoid of anti-Zionist politics, the less relevant they will be to a younger generation of American Jews. And so in order to remain relevant, the Jewish institutions must adapt. They must change in order to be much more inclusive of a Broader politics.
00:15:07 - and Palestine, Jewish survival has always been predicated on adaptability. And this is a crucial moment for American Jewish life in particular that must adapt to include the voices highlighted in this book.

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