Who are we?

because we stand within and in solidarity with youth movements for social justice throughout the world;

because we refuse to be pawns in a colonial project that seeks to use "our future" to justify it's atrocities;

because we will no longer remain invisible as Zionist student organizations speak for Jews on our schools and campuses and attack our fellow student groups struggle for justice in Palestine and critical of Israel.

because we seek to be a part of the movement for a free Palestine and want to build our capacity to work strategically, consciously and powerfully as we do so; and

because for some of us, using our Jewish identity to play a strategic part in an anti-imperialist, anti-racist movement is the only way we feel connected to jewishness; and for others of us, our Jewish identity, which is so important to us, is deeply intertwined in our commitment to anti-imperialist, anti-racist struggle; and for all us forging a positive and powerful relationship between our jewishness, political vision and the struggle for justice in Palestine, feels critical and important.

We hope to build a network of Jewish, anti-Zionist, anti-racist, anti-imperialist student activists to create opportunities for support, collaboration and development of the organizing work we are and wish to be engaged in for justice in Palestine and beyond.

Current work:

Ideas for projects of the network:

• Increasing anti-Zionist Jewish participation in Boycott, Divestment and Sanction campaigns and Palestine Solidarity organizing more broadly
• Collaborating and lending an anti-Zionist Jewish voice and labor to the organizing of PSM groups on campuses
• Creating a youth/student track of the Network North American Convening 
• Coordinating anti-Zionist Study into Action groups for academic credit 
• Organizing spoken word/music/arts events that feature anti-Zionist Jewish and Palestinian voices
• Developing an anti-Zionist Jewish campus organizing toolkit
• Creating internship opportunities for college student with the Network
• Organizing a campus speaking tour of anti-Zionist voices
• Collaborate with the academic network on strategic defense and promotion of anti-Zionist thinkers and writers
• Holding an anti-Zionist Jewish arts and organizing camp for high school students
• Coordinating Unlearning Zionism workshops for college students and high-school age youth

More information about next steps coming soon!

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.