Reviews
“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. ”
“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.”
“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.”
“Must Read! As a Palestinian Christian I have been immersed in both Christian and Jewish Zionism my entire life and as a careful observer of the Holy Land. I have witnessed the systematic conflation of Judaism and the ideology of Zionism. This book was refreshingly honest and courageous as each contributor shared their transformational stories about how they separated the two.”
“At a minimum then, dear Christians, if we wish to see positive change in the Holy Land, we need to read Karcher’s book and assess the importance of the reclaiming-Judaism movement.”
“The 40 personal narratives in this courageous and timely volume are stunning examples of the title. Each contributor, including the rabbis, was forced to make a choice between allegiance to Judaism and allegiance to the state of Israel. These are heart-tearing personal stories. Carolyn Karcher’s history of Zionism, based on the kind of impeccable scholarship she has displayed in her work on American cultural history, is itself worth much more than the price of volume. The book will surely help change the conversation about the relation between Judaism and Zionism.”
“If readers approach the book without preconceived notions and partiality, they will discover the intimate, agonizing, inspiring, tragic, triumphant, illuminating, and infinitely brave stories of spiritual and political transformation of 40 extraordinary people from various backgrounds.
What makes the stories so compelling is that they are all based on deeply personal experiences and introspections about the spirituality and morality of faith (Judaism) and ideology (Zionism). Otherwise, their transformations and subsequent passionate embrace of activism would have been impossible. All forty stories walk the reader through profound individual evolutions from embracing and never questioning Zionism to a visceral rejection of it after witnessing manipulated narratives, outright propaganda, erasure of Palestinian history and identity, and the Israeli government’s deliberate and systematic policy of ethnic cleansing and brutalization of the Palestinian people. . . .
In truth, the book is not only important for Jews. It is a moral guide to all of us – Jews and non-Jews alike – to see the decades-long injustice in Israel and Palestine for what it is, to examine our own moral compass, and take a stand, no matter how controversial or scary it may be.”
“In this essay collection, Karcher presents us with [40] Jewish individuals who have . . . come to the realization that the Zionist narrative with which they were raised has been turned on its head: the victims are now the victimizers of another people; the oppressed are now the oppressors.”
“This book shows us that a new generation of American Jews is rejecting nationalism and seeking to restore the humane Jewish moral and ethical tradition. As a result, there is every reason to be hopeful about the future. This book deserves a wide readership. It is an important step in rethinking the path organized Judaism has embraced in recent years—-a path leading away from Judaism’s unique historic contribution.”
“Enlightens the mind and touches the heart – Every American, whether Jewish or not, will benefit from the insights offered here.”
“This is a important book and recommended for those interested in better understanding the particularly aggressive form of Zionism practiced by the Israeli regime in its occupation of indigenous Palestinian lands.”
“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.”
“An extraordinary collection of personal truth-telling. This book needs to be widely read, because Judaism needs to be liberated — “reclaimed” — from Zionism not just among individuals, but from the public’s, and politicians’, understanding as well.”
“If you want to understand the key differences between Zionism and Judaism and the liberating power of Judaism as a religion, then read Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism: Stories of Personal Transformation.”
“As a non-Jew with a passionate interest in the fight for justice in Palestine, I was interested in hearing how my Jewish brothers and sisters came to join this fight. . . . The stories are inspiring – and I hope they are widely shared both inside and outside of the Jewish community”
“This is a terrific book. . . . a real eye-opener for many people and especially most Jewish people.a real”
“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……Their commitment to live a Jewish life without Zionism bodes well for the future of Judaism.”
“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.”
“Susie Linfield’s, The Lions’ Den: Zionism and the Left from Hannah Arendt to Noam Chomsky,”(Yale University Press) and Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism: Stories of Personal Transformation, (Olive Branch Press), edited by Carolyn L. Karcher, published around the same time in 2019, are very different books.. . . Linfield’s book has been reviewed in the New York Times, Commentary magazine, and the Nation. “Reclaiming Judaism” has not, as far as I know, been reviewed by any mainstream publication. Yet, this is an important book that deserves more attention. My sense is that it is the more balanced work. I encourage readers to go through both and make up their own mind.”
