About Us: We are a network of Mizrahi Jews (Jews of Arab and African descent), Jews from the global South, and Jews of Color living in Western countries. The IJAZ Network is committed to challenging the white racism within Jewish communities and the privileging of Ashkenazi Jewish traditions, history and culture.

As such, the JoC-Mizrahi Network seeks to promote the voices, cultural work, writing and activism of Jews of Color, Jews from the global South and Mizrahi Jews. IJAZ is committed to confronting the role of white anti-Zionist Jewish activists and activism in undermining alliances between Mizrahi Jews and Palestinians in their struggles against Zionism.

Purpose and goals: Some of the project ideas have included:

• Increase visibility of the voices, cultural work, writing and activism of Jews of Color, Jews from the global South and Mizrahi Jews

• Support the building of joint Mizrahi-Palestinian struggles against Zionist colonialism and racism

• Support the inclusion of Mizrahi anti-Zionist voices and perspectives in anti-imperialist movements

Current projects: Building of off interest from our Mizrahi Jewish organizers in Israel, there is interest in an international digital storytelling project to capture the histories and perspectives of Mizrahi anti-Zionists, anti-Zionist Jews of Color and anti-Zionist Jews from the global South.

Past projects: Mizrahim and Jews of Color DiscussionOn Sunday, July 27th, 2008, two IJSN (now IJAN) participants hosted a Mizrahi and Jew of Color event in San Francisco, CA that was attended by about 20 Mizrahi, JOC, and allied participants.

The speaker panel was composed of Reuven Abarjel, Arab Jewish co-founder of Israel's Black Panther party and activist working in Mizrahi, prison and anti-occupation struggles and Marcelle Edery, Arab Jewish feminist activist and organizer of the Single Mother's Tent to secure rights for single Jewish and Palestinian women in Israel. Both were in town for the first IJSN international meeting.

Reuven and Marcelle screened informational films about Jews of Mizrahi descent and the structural racism they encounter within the state of Israel, especially highlighted in the cases of Iraqi children being "treated" for ringworm with radiation.

The ensuing discussion treated the questions of the potential for joint Palestinian and Mizrahi struggles, connections to racism against Jews of Color in the U.S. and the implications for local organizing and strategy.

About Us: The Cultural Network is dedicated to promoting and defending art and cultural work that express resistance to Zionism and Israel. This will include supporting and organizing events, exhibits, film and cultural festivals, concerts and performances of this cultural resistance.

In addition, this network will increase visibility of diverse Jewish anti-Zionist perspectives, politics and narratives through the use of multi-media and popular educational tools.

We will create and provide space for Jewish anti-Zionist poets, writers, musicians, performers, filmmakers, photographers and other artists to participate in IJAN through cultural offerings in support of and in conjunction with other Network projects, campaigns and activities.

Purpose and Goals: The cultural sector seeks to:

• Use diverse digital and print media to make visible anti-Zionist Jewish narratives of unlearning Zionism and visions of a world without Zionism;

• support the visibility of Mizrahi Jewish experience, history, tradition and politics through supporting the creation and sharing of Mizrahi art, media and culture [click here for learn more about Mizrahi organizing]

• promote and defend art and cultural work that express resistance to Zionism and Israel through supporting and organizing events, exhibits, film and cultural festivals, concerts and performances of this cultural resistance

• engage a network of artists and performers to contribute toward the IJAZ Network organizing and campaigns We hope to have conversations over email about the role and work of the Cultural Network.

About Us: We are academic and graduate student activists interested in the building of social justice in the Middle East by supporting an international network to further anti-Zionist thinking, writing, discussions and activism. Though our main site of activism will be universities, we will collaborate with other parts of the network on local, regional and international activities and campaigns.

Though the academic network is being initiated by anti-Zionist Jewish academics as part of the broader work of IJAN, we welcome the participation of and input from all anti-Zionist academic activists and hope to work with, collaborate with and support other anti-Zionist efforts.

Purpose and goals: The academic network seeks to connect people working in academia with one another, students and activists to:

• provide defense of and support for anti-Zionist academics and academics who are critical of Israel;

• promote anti-Zionist research, analysis, discussions and writing through on-campus events, film series, speaking tours and book releases, promote anti-Zionist thinkers with speaking tours, book releases

• produce documentation and materials for organizing and education such as a report on the censorship of cultural work, academic work and organizing that is critical of Israel, reports on the movement of Jews toward conservatism as a result of Zionism, including alliances with Christian fundamentalists, etc.

• collaborate with other parts of the network on an on-line journal

Current projects: There are no immediate projects planned beyond the longer term goals above. Following the launch we hope to have conversations over email about the role and work of the Academic Network.

Past projects: Though there has been interest in building an academic network as part of IJAN, we have not yet formed one.