UNSETTLED

A Jewish academic and activist delineates the history of Jewish social justice activism and solidarity with Palestinians.

Kroll-Zeldin, a professor of theology and religious studies at the University of San Francisco, examines the important tradition of speaking out against Israel’s oppressive practices against Palestinians, especially among Jewish American millennials and the Gen Z cohort. This activism emerged well before the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023; indeed, the author’s research emerged years before. Throughout, he highlights the significant work of grassroots organizations whose aims are generally “to end Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territories, abolish the mainstream Jewish community’s support for the occupation, and call attention to the freedom, dignity, and justice that Palestinians demand.” Kroll-Zeldin focuses on the strategies of four groups, “each integral to Jewish Palestine solidarity activism in the United States”: Jewish Voice for Peace, IfNotNow, the Center for Jewish Nonviolence, and All That’s Left: Anti-Occupation Collective. They “engage in direct actions in the United States that target the American Jewish Establishment, are deeply immersed in co-resistance [Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions] and solidarity activism with Palestinian communities in Palestine/Israel, and have become the subject of widespread media reporting in Israel” and the U.S. In the last chapter, Kroll-Zeldin champions the successful strides of the BDS movement and how associating with it has resulted in a “red line” being drawn by the Israeli government and caused considerable backlash for the participants. While some of the groups are anti-Zionist, Kroll-Zeldin asserts they are not antisemitic. Given the current conflict in the Gaza region, readers will hope for an updated edition of this study.

A solid demonstration of why unconditional support for Israel is no longer acceptable to many young Jewish Americans.