Interview: Religious, Jewish, and critical of Israel (part one of two)
Interview with Rosamond from UK Jewish anti-Occupation group, Na'amod
‘Criticism of Israel is basically anti-Semitism’ — from the dregs of the tabloid gutter to the towers of Lambeth palace and Westminster, powerful defenders of the status quo have regularly repackaged this lie, and the consequences have been disastrous.
For Palestinians, it has meant demonising their struggle for justice and silencing their allies abroad through intimidation. For pro-Palestinian advocates it has meant (and continues to mean) job losses, public smear campaigns, accusations of terrorism and visits from the police. And for Christian Zionists, it has added a veneer of political righteousness to their questionable theology and their pitiless, cynical support for the modern state of Israel.
It’s all too familiar and all quite depressing. As Israeli forces continue to displace and slaughter the population of Gaza and detain huge numbers of West Bank Palestinians without charge, Western governments offer, at best, watered-down half-requests for restraint, while funding Israeli violence and seeking to outlaw criticism of its actions.
And yet, there have been signs of hope. An apparent awakening, among young people especially, to the cause of Palestinian liberation. Previously apolitical or non-activist folks taking to the streets to call for an end to the bombing. And the increased attention Israel-critical Jewish groups have received.
By now you must have seen them. Jewish Voice for Peace, If Not Now, Na’amod and other Jewish activist groups organising vigils, demonstrations and sit-ins to oppose not just the bombing of Gaza (and the appalling Hamas attacks of October 7), but Israel’s oppression of Palestinians generally.
Their work has been a powerful witness, a courageous message of solidarity that has carried a cost. For many Jewish activists, their speaking out has resulted in their being labelled ‘self-hating’, ‘terrorist sympathising’, ‘not real Jews’, or even, bizarrely, ‘anti-Semitic’. In some Jewish communities (Jewishness is not a monolith and widely differing opinions exist even within specific Jewish communities), to be critical of the Zionist project, of Israel’s policies and actions or of the Occupation has led to relationships being broken and a sense of (or actual practical) disconnection from a community of faith or culture.
Jewish groups and individuals have always been part of the movement for Palestinian liberation and justice, but their increased visibility now is an important part not only of disproving the idea that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism, but also of making sure the liberation movement makes no space for actual anti-Semitism.
All of that is just to introduce Rosamond. She’s part of Na’amod, who describe themselves as: “a movement of Jews in the UK seeking to end our community’s support for Israel's occupation and apartheid.” Rosamond graciously agreed to answer a few questions for Beer Christianity, but asked that we only use her first name, as her work is linked to a country cracking down on pro-Palestinian activism right now, and several of her Jewish activist friends have already faced unpleasant consequences. Which, while horrifying, reminds us how important the work of groups like Na’amod is.
An interview with Rosamond of Na’amod (Part 1 of 2)
[Beer Christianity:] Your own upbringing was not particularly Israel-focused. How different is that from the experience of Jewish friends, and what has that meant for your own political journey?
[Rosamond:] My experience might not be typical in that Israel-Palestine was barely discussed in my family—so much so that I first found about the conflict and the occupation from a National Geographic article when I was 8. When it did come up, there was a vague understanding that we were supportive of Israel as a safe refuge for Jews, but my parents didn’t support the occupation or, as far as I know, feel much connection to Israel. Later, I began to learn more about Israel-Palestine through friends, Jewish and non-Jewish, and then to read publications like +972 and Jewish Currents as well as historians and activists.
Among my Jewish friends, there’s a wide variety of experiences with Israel education. Some have had conflicts with their families after breaking with their Israel-focused upbringing; others grew up in Jewish families that were themselves critical of Israel or engaged in activism. For me, there was never a marked political shift: although I certainly don’t agree with my family on everything, Israel has never been central to my Jewish identity.
[BC:] What is Na’amod, and how/why did you get involved?
[R:] Na’amod is a movement of Jews in the UK seeking to mobilise our Jewish communities in support of freedom, equality, and justice for all Palestinians and Israelis. Specifically, our focus is an end to the occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem and an end to the blockade of Gaza.
I joined Na’amod in response to the violence in Israel-Palestine in May 2021. Until then, although I cared deeply about the cause, I’d been more involved in activism around other social issues. The extent of the violence in Gaza in 2021 was overwhelming and led me to seek out ways to get more directly involved. I chose to join a specifically Jewish organisation for two reasons: because I had encountered antisemitism in some other activist circles, and because it was important to me to distinguish Judaism from the actions of the Israeli government.
[BC:] We are told often that criticism of Israel is inherently anti-Semitic. As that narrative seems to be losing traction, what is important for people to know about the conflation of Israel with Jewish people?
Also, there has been a significant rise in incidents of anti-Semitism worldwide recently. How best can we resist this evil while still centring those who are facing extreme violence in the Occupied Territories?
[R:] The conflation of Jews with Israel means that, on the one hand, charges of antisemitism can be weaponised to dismiss legitimate criticism of Israeli policies; on the other, diaspora Jews (and uninvolved Israeli civilians) are wrongly held responsible for injustices perpetrated by the Israeli government. The politicised weaponisation of antisemitism accusations also weakens our ability to address real antisemitism when it occurs. To give an example, a pro-Palestinian slogan that is not antisemitic might be labeled as such by far-right Israeli politicians in an effort to stifle criticism. If that same slogan were then graffitied on a synagogue or a Jewish school to target Jews as supposed representatives of Israel, that would be antisemitic — but the blurring of the lines between antisemitism and criticism of Israel, as well as the widespread conflation of all Jews and Jewish institutions with the Israeli government, can make it hard to maintain that distinction.
It’s not difficult to oppose both the extreme violence civilians in Gaza are facing and the recent spike in antisemitism: both stances are part of a commitment to collective liberation. The idea that it would be somehow contradictory to value both Palestinian and Jewish life and safety rests on an assumption that those things are necessarily opposed to one another, rather than inextricably connected.
We need an immediate ceasefire to prevent even more devastation in Gaza, a return of the hostages still held by Hamas, and an end to the ongoing Israeli occupation. At the same time, we need to oppose antisemitism when it occurs within or beyond our movements for liberation, including in the form of holding all Jews responsible for the Israeli government’s actions.
[BC:] Have you noticed a shift away from Zionism and/or support for Israel’s actions among Jewish people recently, or is the world just starting to notice that the Jewish community is not a monolith?
[R:] Jewish organisations that oppose the violence in Gaza, including Na’amod, have gotten a surge of attention recently, but Jewish criticism of Israel is nothing new. Still, there has been a big influx of new Na’amodniks as more people feel the need to take action against the violence in Gaza. I haven’t had the chance to get to know many of them personally yet, but I would expect that a lot of new members have been aligned with the movement for a while and were spurred to join by the need to respond the moment, as I was in 2021, rather than having undergone a sudden political shift.
[BC:] As a religious person, how does your activism in solidarity with Palestinians integrate with your faith life?
[R:] Na’amod includes both secular and religious Jews, so not everyone in the movement draws on religious values. Personally, though, faith is a huge part of my life and of my activism. An essential part of this is the belief that all people are made b’tselem Elohim, in the image of God. I think of solidarity as going through life trying to recognise God in every person you meet. You can’t do that and not want justice and equality for all people.
As a movement, we draw on Jewish tradition and values, whether members understand that in a religious or a secular way. For example, the “message” portion of our website includes a quotation from the Talmud (Shabbat 54b) that reminds us of our obligation to speak out against injustice, not just in Israel-Palestine but wherever we see it:
“Whoever can protest against members of their household and does not, is accountable [for the sins] of their household; if they can protest against their townspeople [and do not], they are accountable for their sins; if they could protest to the whole world [and do not], they are accountable for the whole world.”
On the podcast
Coming up next week, our guest will be an American academic and journalist who will be talking about Socialism and why it’s compatible with Christianity. We kind of assume most of our listeners are on board with Socialism, but we’re also aware that anti-socialist propaganda runs deep in many evangelical churches, so we’re aiming to address many of those old chestnuts that scare Christians away from leftist thinking. Send us your questions for them: beerchristianity [atttt] yahoo [dotttt] com and we’ll try to ask as many of them as we can.
Our last guest was also pretty great and had a lot of helpful and inspiring things to say, so if you haven’t checked it out yet, find Episode 89 with Maurice Carney now, wherever you fill your ears with goodness.
Other recent episodes have dealt with legal opposition to injustice, fighting the patriarchy and, predictably, Palestine.
The end bit
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The end end bit.
Hey. Thanks for reading. Been an up and down week for this moi, so having Rosamond kindly take the time to answer questions (even though she was busy and traveling and I was annoying and persistent) was really motivating and helpful. As is your taking the time to get in touch and support. Thank you! I’m off to see the band that has been my Spotify top listen two years running tonight, flying (gigging, navigating complex travel) solo. Thoughts and prayers! Hope you are doing well. This is a weird time of year for mental health, so be kind to yourself. Also, Na’amod, I’m so sorry for butchering your logo (and ours). Our designer was busy so I did it. It turns out I am not, in fact, a Renaissance Man.
Next one of these should drop on Sunday. xoxoxo J
I first became aware of how critical the issue had become with National Geographic's documentary "Water Wars." It is heartbreaking to see how the refusal of the governments involved can cause such devastation to the people. Though it would certainly be good for more Israeli people to denounce the apartheid practices of withholding water, stealing homes, and destroying farmland, it seems there has been a false narrative of "it's us or them."
A similar excuse with the mass violence even against Palestinian children, where the government and the IDF make clear statements that it is necessary to prevent the same from happening to Israelis. No different than the fear-mongering that surrounds the issue of immigrants world-wide.
If only people would open their eyes to the fact that we must succeed as a world united in these times of crisis. Our world is in grave danger, both the establishments that we have created and the natural world that we have polluted. If we think only of ourselves, we will all fail together.