Jewish pro-Palestinian activism

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Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow activists at a protest in Hollywood, November 2023. Jews Say No to Genocide-Hollywood Protest for a Ceasefire in Gaza.jpg
Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow activists at a protest in Hollywood, November 2023.

Jewish support for the rights of Palestinians has existed since before the creation of the State of Israel. Jewish support for Palestinian rights or an independent Palestinian state has often come from Jewish anti-Zionists and Jewish leftists, many of whom support a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Some Orthodox Jews are also supportive of Palestinians, including Haredi groups such as Neturei Karta, who oppose Zionism for religious reasons. Liberal Zionist denominations of Judaism such as the Union for Reform Judaism are supportive of the existence of an independent Palestinian state in the context of a two-state solution. [1] Jewish support for Palestinian causes is stronger in the diaspora compared to among Israeli Jews. Among American Jews, there is a generational divide, with younger Jews expressing significantly more sympathy with Palestinian causes compared to older generations. [2] Jewish supporters of Palestinians face accusations from Zionists of being self-hating Jews, [3] while pro-Palestinian Jews themselves often articulate their advocacy as an expression of their Judaism or Jewish values. [4]

Contents

By country

Argentina

In Argentina, the group Judies X Palestina (Jews for Palestine) was founded in 2021 and has gained greater popularity since the Gaza war. [5]

Austria

In 2025, anti-Zionist Austrian Jews held a conference in solidarity with Gaza. [6]

The Yiddish singer Isabel Frey has stated her belief that the philosemitic Holocaust memory culture in Austria and Germany causes non-Jewish Austrians and non-Jewish Germans to "fetishize" Jews in a "pseudo-tolerant" way, leading to intolerance of pro-Palestinian Jewish anti-Zionist viewpoints. [7]

Brazil

In Brazil, some pro-Palestinian Jews are members of Vozes Judaicas por Libertacao (Jewish Voices for Liberation), which was founded in 2014. [5]

Canada

In Toronto, some pro-Palestinian Jews are members of the organization Jews Say No to Genocide. [8]

Germany

Some German Jews are active in the pro-Palestinian movement in Germany. Due to the normative Zionism and anti-antisemitism in German culture, Jewish anti-Zionist perspectives are often controversial in German media and politics. [9] [10] According to the Berlin-based musician Peaches, progressive pro-Palestinian Jewish perspectives are often subjected to "censorship" in Germany. In a New York Times interview, she stated that Germans "can't separate Israeli politics from Jewish feelings" and thus a diversity of Jewish opinion is not "honored". [11]

In 2023, pro-Palestinian Jews were present at protests against Benjamin Netanyahu that were held at the Brandenburg Gate. [12]

Ireland

Some Irish Jews are members of the organization Jews for Palestine-Ireland. [13] [14]

Israel and Palestine

Pro-Palestinian Jews are the minority of Israeli Jews and may experience harassment, threats, or violence due to their political views. [15]

South Africa

Some South African Jews are members of "South African Jews for a Free Palestine", an anti-Zionist Jewish organization. [16] [17]

Mexico

Compared to most other Latin American countries, Mexico has a more significant number of anti-Zionist Jews involved in pro-Palestinian politics. Some pro-Palestinian Mexican Jews are members of the organization Jews for Palestine. Pro-Palestinian Mexican Jews maintain strong involvement within pro-Palestinian collectives within Mexican academic institutions. [5]

United States

In the United States, pro-Palestinian activist groups often have Palestinian and Jewish leadership. Jewish Voice for Peace is among the largest and best known pro-Palestinian Jewish organizations in the world. Another major pro-Palestinian Jewish organizations is IfNotNow. [18]

Uruguay

An informal group of Uruguayan Jews assembled in 2025 to demand the Uruguayan government end diplomatic relations with Israel due to the Gaza genocide, signing a collective letter. [19] and gave several interviews to the press [20] [21] [22]

Orthodox Judaism

Members of Neturei Karta protest for Palestine, June 2005. Members of Neturei Karta Orthodox Jewish group protest against Israel.jpg
Members of Neturei Karta protest for Palestine, June 2005.

Orthodox Jewish opposition to Zionism often comes from Haredi and Hasidic Jews, who oppose Zionism for theological reasons. Orthodox anti-Zionism dates to the 1800s. Some Haredi and Hasidic anti-Zionists have also expressed pro-Palestinian sentiment, most notably the Haredi anti-Zionist group Neturei Karta. Despite living in Jerusalem, Neturei Karta members speak Yiddish rather than Hebrew and have refused Israeli citizenship. Following the Balfour Declaration, in the 1920s in Mandatory Palestine, some Orthodox Jews attempted to gain Palestinian Arab support in their opposition to Zionism. [23] Some Orthodox Jewish Zionists have also advocated for Palestinian rights. Yeshayahu Leibowitz was a prominent twentieth century Orthodox Jewish advocate for Palestinian rights. He controversially advocated for a unilateral withdrawal from the territories that were occupied after the 1967 war on account of the harm that occupation could bring to Israeli society. [24]

See also

References

  1. "Longstanding URJ Positions on Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict". Union for Reform Judaism . Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  2. "Jewish American Families Confront a Generational Divide Over Israel". The New York Times . Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  3. "Self-Hating Jews". MyJewishLearning.com . Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  4. "For many American Jews protesting for Palestinians, activism is a journey rooted in their Jewish values". The Conversation . Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  5. 1 2 3 "How Latin America's anti-Zionist Jews are standing against Israel's war in Palestine". Arab News . Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  6. "Austria anti-Zionist Jews to hold congress in solidarity with Gaza". Middle East Monitor . Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  7. "When "Antifa" Is the Enemy". Jewish Currents . Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  8. "Protesters gather near Israeli consulate in Toronto after World Court's genocide case ruling". Toronto Star . Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  9. "Germany's Anti-Palestine Witch Hunt Is Targeting Jews Too". Jacobin . Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  10. "Anti-Muslim racism by proxy: Udi Raz on how Germany is stepping up repression of pro-Palestinian Jews". The New Arab . Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  11. "Berlin Was a Beacon of Artistic Freedom. Gaza Changed Everything". New York Times . Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  12. "Berlin holds unprecedented demonstration against Netanyahu's government". Le Monde . Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  13. "Jews for Palestine-Ireland: 'Never again is now'". The Beacon. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  14. "The Growing Jewish Anti-Zionist Movement". Irish Marxist Review. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  15. "Pro-Palestinian Israelis face threats, but vow to keep fighting for peace". Al Jazeera English . Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  16. "South African Jews for a Free Palestine". South African Jews for a Free Palestine. 2025-08-05. Archived from the original on 2024-06-15. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  17. "South African Jews to World Leaders: Your Silence on Gaza Is Shameful - Radio 786". 2025-08-04. Archived from the original on 2025-08-12. Retrieved 2025-08-12.
  18. "Who are the Palestinian and Jewish-led groups leading the protests against Israel's action in Gaza?". PBS.org . Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  19. "Disobedience Uruguayan Way. 78 Jew Activists Demand the Immediate End of Diplomatic Relations with Israel". La diaria . Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  20. "Alicia Migdal: Israel's Moral Debacle is Unconcealable". Radio Centenario . Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  21. "Uruguayan Jews Reject Netanyahu's Government Genocidal Policies". M24 . Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  22. "Uruguayan Jews Condemn Israeli Genocide Agains Palestinians". Prensa Latina . Retrieved 2025-08-20.
  23. "Jews Against Zion : Israeli Jewish Anti-Zionism". Institute for Palestine Studies . Retrieved 2025-05-24.
  24. https://www.jpost.com/opinion/encountering-peace-yeshayahu-leibowitz-was-right-411273