Jewish Solidarity School

Fostering solidarity in the face of global fascisms

The Jewish Solidarity School (JSS) is run by a group of Jewish people, including academics, artists, and activists. Most of us were raised in British schools and synagogues. We established the School as a political education initiative to widen access within the Jewish community and beyond to forms of anti-oppressive knowledge that many of us were taught to turn away from — especially anti-Zionist thought. We hope that through political education, more of us will be able to engage in solidarity work in the face of global fascisms.

We believe that a liberatory form of Jewish education – committed to anti-racist, anti-Zionist values; in solidarity with Palestinian political education groups; and delivered in communal settings – will be critical to these transformations. By offering courses, written resources, events, and mentoring we hope to empower people to engage in difficult conversations, challenge reactionary worldviews, and ultimately move toward untangling Judaism from Zionism as part of a broader movement towards liberation and against fascism.

OUR schools and events

A critical introduction to Zionism, guiding participants through (amongst other topics) Christian Zionism and British Empire; Jewish political Zionism and settler colonialism; Palestinian and Jewish resistance to Zionism; and exploring post-Zionist futures. We will be generous in listening whilst being firm in our critical interrogation, and we ask participants to be open to the multiple perspectives that may emerge in the room. We welcome Jewish people (however identified) on anti-Zionist journeys who may or may not have complex, tense, and emotional attachments to Zionism and Israel. The curriculum has been written and will be facilitated by experts on Zionism, colonialism, genocide, and social justice.

Register your interest here

A discussion of the history of the idea that “Zionism is Racism”. We will look at this in the context of the Soviet Union, the UN, and the demands of the Palestinian left. We will then turn to an open discussion of thoughts and feelings surrounding this concept.