Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism

Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism cover image

A Moral Imperative after the Gaza Genocide

Today, as Israel commits genocide in Gaza and accelerates the brutal ethnic cleansing of the West Bank, 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 and its war against the Palestinian people. It is a choice between Judaism as a religion and the nationalist ideology of Zionism, which has usurped that religion.

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About The Book

In this powerful collection of personal narratives, now revised and expanded, forty-seven 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. An added chapter, “Facing Israel’s Genocide in Gaza,” features eight new contributors. The editor’s preface, introduction, and afterword set the narratives in historical context.

Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism introduces readers to the large and growing community of Jewish activists who have created organizations such as Jewish Voice for Peace, IfNotNow, and Rabbis for Ceasefire. It aims to nurture models of Jewish identity that replace ethnic exclusiveness with solidarity, Zionism with Judaism once again nourished by a transcendent ethical vision.

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What People Are Saying

“As more and more people recognize the apartheid nature of Israel, there is no site of that shift more important than in the Jewish community. Carolyn Karcher has assembled a diverse set of personal journeys of Jews who have left their blind support of Israel behind in a quest for justice. This book shows us a path toward a Judaism that recognizes Israel's harm to the Palestinian people, but finds a future that condemns and escapes from that harm.”
Mitchell Plitnick, President, ReThinking Foreign Policy
"This book will be particularly useful for Jews who are beginning to question their own beliefs about Zionism. Many of the essays trace the personal journeys of Jews who have parted ways with Zionism, describing the difficult emotional and intellectual issues with which they grapple."
Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman - The Progressive
"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."
Eleanor Roffman - Mondoweiss
"One often feels alone in questioning and calling out Zionism. This book shows that not only are there many others around who have come to the same conclusions, they represent the varied experiences of many of us – they validate this process."
Gabi S. - Amazon.com
"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, Milbank Professor of International Law Emeritus, Princeton University
"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, Professor of Religion, Temple University