Jewish Conversion Student

Reading List

Traces of History: Elementary Structures of Race

The Making of Jewish Revolutionaries in the Pale of Settlement

Twenty Years with the Jewish Labor Bund A Memoir of Interwar Poland

Crisis, Revolution, and Russian Jews

Colonial Paradigms of Violence: Comparative Analysis of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Mass Killing

The Holocaust and the Nakba: A New Grammar of Trauma and History

With Freedom in Our Ears: Histories of Jewish Anarchism

A Fire in Their Hearts: Yiddish Socialists in New York

How Jews Became White Folks: And What That Says About Race in America

Modern Middle Eastern Jewish Thought: Writings on Identity, Politics, and Culture, 1893–1958

A History of Egyptian Communism Jews and Their Compatriots in Quest of Revolution

The Sultan's Communists: Moroccan Jews and the Politics of Belonging

On the Arab-Jew, Palestine, and Other Displacements: Selected Writings of Ella Shohat

Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab-Jew

When We Were Arabs: A Jewish Family’s Forgotten History

The Arab Jews: A Postcolonial Reading of Nationalism, Religion, and Ethnicity

(Do also check out Decolonize Palestine for the original resources as well as the reading list that centres Palestinians themselves)

News and Magazines

Jewish Currents [United States]

Treyf Podcast [Montreal, Quebec, Canada] (sadly defunct but you can listen to their older, archived podcasts which include some great interviews)

Edit: I think it's also worth adding The Electronic Intifada. It's not explicitly Jewish, but it often features interviews with and opinion pieces by anti-Zionist Jews while primarily being an outlet for Palestinians themselves.

Organisations

Jewish Voice for Peace [United States]

IfNotNow [United States]

Independent Jewish Voices Canada [Canada]

Jewdas [United Kingdom]

Jews Against Fascism [Australia]

Dayenu: New Zealand Jews Against Occupation [Aotearoa / New Zealand]

Sh'ma Koleinu – Alternative Jewish Voices [Aotearoa / New Zealand]

Synagogues

Tzedek [Chicago, Illinois, United States]

Chavurah For A Free Palestine at Kehilla Community Synagogue [Piedmont, California, United States]

Reading List

Antisionisme, une histoire juive

A Threat from Within: A Century of Jewish Opposition to Zionism

There Is Nothing So Whole as a Broken Heart: Mending the World as Jewish Anarchists

"Not by Might, Nor by Power:" The Zionist Betrayal of Judaism

Jewish Identity and Palestinian Rights: Diaspora Jewish Opposition to Israel

Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism: Stories of Personal Transformation

Parting Ways: Jewishness and the Critique of Zionism

Wrestling with Zionism: Jewish Voices of Dissent

Jews Against Zionism: The American Council for Judaism, 1942-1948

Organizations &c.

Jews Against White Supremacy [international]

Judaism On Our Own Terms [North America]

Kavod Boston [United States]

Loud Jew Collective [Australia]

Een Andere Joodse Stem - Another Jewish Voice [Belgium]

Shabbes 24/7 Collective [Belgium]

Junts - Associació catalana de jueus i palestins [Catalonia]

Tsedek ! Collectif juif décolonial [France]

Jüdische Stimme [Germany]

Jüdisch Antikolonial [Switzerland]

TzedekUKI [United Kingdom & Ireland]

while some of these do not describe themselves as anti-zionist, I think it can nevertheless be a good start to meeting like-minded people and building explicitly anti-zionist alliances

Miscellaneous

Disillusioned [podcast]

Matzpen [website, documents, videos]

Radical Jewish Calendar

Making Mensches

Center for Jewish Nonviolence [international]

Nashville Jews for Justice [United States]

Ratzon: Center for Healing & Resistance (x) [Pittsburgh, United States]

Jewish Solidarity Caucus (affiliated to DSA) [United States]

Mending Minyan [New Haven, CT, United States]

Jews for Racial & Economic Justice [NYC, United States]

LəA - Laboratorio Ebraico Antirazzista [Italy]

Jewish Bund [Germany]

Jüdisch-Israelischer Dissens [Leipzig, Germany]

Judeobolschewiener*innen [Vienna, Austria]

Union Juive Française pour la Paix [France]

Na'amod [United Kingdom]

Swiss Jews Against the Occupation [Switzerland]

Mesarvot [Israel]

Zochrot [Israel/Palestine]

Tzedek Collective [Australia]

Organizations at Universities / for Students

CUNY Jewish Antizionist Collective [NY, United States]

CUNY Jewish Law Students Association [NY, United States]

Jews for Palestine UIUC [Illinois, United States]

Jews Givin’ A Fuck @ Clark U [United States]

Harvard Jews4Liberation [United States]

Jewish Students' Kehillah [Manchester, United Kingdom]

Jewish Students For Justice [Oxford, UK] [inactive since Feb 2023]

Miscellaneous

The PQDJ Archive [art & advocacy]

Beyond the Pale FM

Shel Maala Yeshiva [online-centered]

The Queer Yeshiva [Europe]

LINKלינק [Bundist zine, Naarm/Melbourne, Australia]

Shomrim Media [podcast]

Synagogues

Synagogues Rising statement: "The inherent kedusha / sacredness of all life is the foundation of our commitments to antiracism, disability justice, trans and gender justice, Indigenous solidarity, Palestinian liberation, and combatting antisemitism"

as of October 2023, these are the communities in the network (besides Kadima RC and Kehilla CS in the original post):

Hinenu: The Baltimore Justice Shtiebel [Baltimore, MD]

Kol Tzedek [Philadelphia, PA]

The New Synagogue Project [Washington D.C.]

Black Jewish Liberation [US]

Boston Workers Circle

Coletivo Vozes Judaicas por Libertação [Brazil]

Diaspora Alliance [International]

Jewish Liberation Fund [US]

JOLT (Jews Organizing for Liberation and Transformation) Pittsburgh

Judíes X Palestina [Argentina]

Lefty Jews of Athens GA

Linke Fligl [US]

Miknaf Haaretz [UK]

Rad Yiddish [Toronto-based with online events]

South African Jews for a Free Palestine

This Is Not An Ulpan [Arabic & Hebrew language school]

More Books

Diaspora Boy [Eli Valley]

The No-State Solution: A Jewish Manifesto [Daniel Boyarin]

For Times Such As These: A Radical's Guide To The Jewish Year [Rabbis Ariana Katz and Jessica Rosenberg]

More Reading & Media

Aharon's Omphalos [blog]

Ayin Press [book publisher]

The Fire These Times [podcast]

The Jewish Diasporist [podcast]

Vashti Media [UK publication]

The Anarchist Sage/Der Goen Anarkhist: Rabbi Yankev-Meir Zalkind and Religious Genealogies of Anarchism

ביאָגראַפֿיע פֿון "אחד הרבנים המרגישים" Biography of “One of the Sensitive Rabbis”

International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network [international]

Judíos Antisionistas Argentina [Argentina]

Judeus Contra a Supremacia Branca [Brazil] (Brazilian chapter of Jews Against White Supremacy)

Jewish Action for Palestine Manchester [UK]

Jewish Network for Palestine [United Kingdom]

Black-Jewish Alliance [United Kingdom]

Jews Against the Occupation Australia

Jews Say No! [United States]

Shoresh שורש: Antizionist Israelis in the US [United States]

Jews Against White Supremacy NYC [US] (NYC chapter of Jews Against White Supremacy)

Hartford Jewish Organizing Collective [CT, United States]

Jewish Labor Bund

Organizations at Universities / for Students

Ne’ametz NYU [NY, United States]

Jews Against Zionism (at NYU) [NY, United States]

Jews Against White Supremacy @ UCSC [US] (USCS chapter of Jews Against White Supremacy)

UVM Jews for Peace [Vermont, United States]

my brain immediately:

I don't know if this January 2025 sampler of books about antisemitism is helpful, but I've also just been pointed towards the Jewish Book Council's Antisemitism section. If you want a modern explainer to introduce the topic to readers, I would also add We Need To Talk About Antisemitism by Rabbi Diana Fersko (came out in 2023, USA focus on examples).

I've specifically heard that Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories by Mike Rothschild and Everyday Hate: How Antisemitism Is Built Into Our World and How You Can Change It by Dave Rich are books from the Jan '25 list that I should consider, but I haven't read those and can't confirm if they should go on your list.

The U.S. and the Holocaust is a three part, six hour documentary from Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, and Sarah Botstein. It premiered on PBS in September 2022, and that page has additional info, episode guides, and a post-viewing guide. (There's also a specific tab for resources on using this in the classroom.)

As the title suggests, it's focused on USA history. Part One covers 'beginnings' (immigration in the late 1800s/early 1900s, eugenics, Jews were not considered white, historical xenophobia) to 1938, Part Two covers 1938 to 1942, and Part Three covers 1942 to 'present' (including a resurgence of antisemitism around the time of Trump's first administration).

“Architectonic Menorah”, Hanukah lamp, Richard Meier (American, b. 1935), United States, 1985, tin-coated copper

First, it's mostly my own term. Google won't get you much. “Conversion Industrial Complex” refers to the centralized bureaucratic process that converts to Judaism have to endure in order to become Jewish. This is not an exhaustive response, nor is it a “how to” guide. I approach this issue from a practical standpoint as much as a halachic one. I used accessible language and summarized wherever possible because the more people (Jewish or gentile) who understand this, the better. Questions are always welcome. Frame of reference is anti-zionist. 

Halacha (Jewish law) requires the following for conversions. Very few Jewish communities do not require the first two. 

Beit din (religious court) of 3 adult Jews

NB: does not have to be composed of rabbis, although this is more and more common as conversion becomes managed more bureaucratically/centrally

Immersion in a mikvah (ritual bath--can be indoors, or many natural bodies of water work) 

Circumcision for males (not always required for Reform)

Trans-related rules differ and are beyond the scope/point of this post. 

Here are the general means of getting a “recognized” conversion through different movements. (Again, not exhaustive, differs community to community, focusing on the USA.) 

Class cohort model: Few months of class with other students, accompanied by holiday observance for a year-ish. Students don’t automatically convert at the end and still have to finalize things separately (so it’s not like RCIA/bar mitzvah class/Alpha Course). 

Individual model: You study 1:1, requiring more self-study and self-advocacy, but still go via a larger denominational body or still-bureaucratic offshoot. This option tends to take longer, although if you have a lot of money it can go very quickly. 

Via the army: Israel will convert you to Judaism via the IOF, learning about Judaism-as-Zionism as part of the process. In case it’s not obvious, this is religious zionism and should not be supported. I won’t be going into this too much, but others are welcome to add. 

I am assuming that option 3 is bad on its face and will spend the rest of this post explaining the issues with the first two options. TL;DR Institutions that make it easy to exploit vulnerable people need to be changed. Conversions are meant to never be questioned, but in practice that happens a lot these days. Top-down control was never required for conversion and only leads to exploitation. 

Political influence: Conversions today are done or overseen by large Jewish denominations. There is no halachic basis for this; it is merely a consolidation of power. Even if your congregation is independent, your conversion will likely be done through a denomination. And every denomination has zionism as a core tenet, whether just politically (Reform) or also religiously (Conservative and Orthodox), or unspoken by heavily emphasized (Reconstructionist/most non-denom). 

How is this possible? Both conversions and ordinations require a rabbi, and for decades almost every rabbinical school (including every non-orthodox one in the USA) has required students to not be anti-zionist and to spend a year in occupied Jerusalem. This is why there are so few anti-zionist rabbis in comparison to the huge numbers of anti-zionist Jews. And this makes it very hard to convert as an anti-zionist. 

Note that Judaism being this centralized, with heads of denominations and countries having chief rabbis is a very new phenomenon. 

Minus political influence, there would still be racist elements because institutional Judaism in the west is extremely white. For clarity I will use examples, see below: 

Ethiopian Jews/Beta Israel: In addition to the racial violence/sterilization faced in Israel, Ethiopian Jews were forced to undergo orthodox conversion upon moving to Israel despite being one of the oldest Jewish communities in existence. In 2017, ultra-orthodox hechsher Badatz removed its certification from the Barkan winery because Ethiopian Jews worked there. 

Ongoing treatment of US-based Black Jewish groups, such as Beth Shalom B’Nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation led by Black Rabbi Capers Funnye. (Read this article) This congregation is halachically Jewish, even according to orthodoxy, but they are still regularly called not Jewish because they are a majority Black congregation and use the term “Israelite.” (That term has been used by Black Jews for over a century, much longer than the Christian anti-Jewish groups that use it. There are also plenty of shady white Christian groups that use the term “Israelite” without the US Jewish community batting an eye.) 

Lemba tribe in Zimbabwe: Much of this tribe has been Jewish for centuries and can trace their Judaism back many generations, at least as far as many Ashkenazi Jews of European descent. But they can’t trace their Judaism back to Europe or the SWANA region, so most Jewish institutions don’t recognize them. 

Minus politics or racism, there would still be a hugely damaging power dynamic between converts and the huge institutions that control conversions. When conversion is so heavily institutionalized, even in a totally non-racist society, there would still be inexcusable power dynamics. Example below:  

Barry Freundel, former head of the RCA (Orthodox Rabbinical Council of America) in charge of a huge number of conversions in the DC area, and had huge amounts of authority over all US orthodox converts because he was head of the RCA. In 2014 he was exposed for sexually exploiting dozens of female converts (NB: most converts, especially those to orthodoxy, are female). 

I know several converts who faced abuse from their sponsoring rabbis, including those who converted through liberal movements, but Barry Freundel is the only example that has received publicity. 

All of these oppressive systems continue to this day. There are hundreds of Barry Freundels out there. A top-down system with no systems of accountability will mimic the power dynamics around it: racism, Jewish supremacy, and interpersonal violence of all kinds. 

This is why I call it “the conversion industrial complex.” And this is why I side-eye anyone who insists that someone who has been living a Jewish life for a long time but struggles to get their final paperwork signed (whether due to racism, zionism, or some combination of the two) is not Jewish in any way. This gatekeeping does not keep Jews (or “Jewish identity”) safe; it protects institutions that have no halachic or human right to exert this level of power in the first place. Again, I think it’s worth specifying that these are online interactions between strangers where someone’s halachic status genuinely does not matter. 

I know that de-centralizing this system would not get rid of issues overnight. Power dynamics and exploitation can exist between rabbis and conversion students, but huge orgs like the RCA, CRC, USCJ, etc. compound the issue. 

Either way, pikuach nefesh (Hebrew for preserving life--in this case, not subjecting people to racism and abuse) is more important than comfort with “doing things the way we’re used to,” aka “making converts grovel/perform Jewishness more than we ever do/do literally anything a rabbi tells them to.” Conversions were not always done this way. We can take away these power structures, and people’s conversions would be just as halachically sound without any of the trauma (which many converts I know refer to as “obligatory.”) 

I could go on for thousands more words, but I kept it relatively short so it was digestible. 

Because Hebrew is a gendered language, the Nonbinary Hebrew Project has created a third grammatical gender system! They are building a bigger tent for nonbinary Jews, guided by Torah and Talmud which teach us to rejoice that which cannot be neatly categorized.

The project is free, open-source, community-based, and grassroots. It lives and grows and changes with every single person who uses and adds to it.

Here are some example usages: Candlelighting Blessing: with gender-expansive God language

בְּרוּךֶ אָתֶה ײַ, אֱלֹהִימוֹתֵינוּ מַלְכֶּת הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְשֶׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתֶיהֶ וְצִוֶנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל שַבָּת

Bruche ateh Adonai, Elohimoteinu Malket ha’Olam asher kidshenu b’mitzvoteihe, v’tzivenu l’hadlik ner shel Shabbat. Blessed are You, God, Ruler of the universe, who sanctified us with the commandment of lighting Shabbat candles.

~~~

Kiddush: with gender-expansive God language

בְּרוּךֶ אָתֶה ײַ,  אֱלֹהִימוֹתֵינוּ מַלְכֶּת הָעוֹלָם, בּוֹרָאת פְּרִי הַגָּֽפֶן

Bruche ateh Adonai, Elohimoteinu Malket ha’Olam, borat p’ri hagafen. Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.

~~~

Blessing over Bread: with gender-expansive God language

בְּרוּךֶ אָתֶה ײַ, אֱלֹהִימוֹתֵינוּ מַלְכֶּת הָעוֹלָם, הַמּוֹצִיאֶה לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ

Bruche ateh Adonai, Elohimoteinu Malket ha’Olam, Hamotzi'e lechem min ha'aretz. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has brought forth bread from the earth.

~~~

Waking-up Blessing: with gender-expansive language for the speaker, but traditional God language

מודֶת אֲנִי לְפָנֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ חַי וְקַיָּם, שֶׁהֶחֱזַרְתָּ בִּי נִשְׁמָתִי בְּחֶמְלָה, רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ:

Modet ani l'fanecha, melech chai v'kayam, shechezarta bi nishmati, b'chemla, raba emunatecha.

I give thanks before you, King living and eternal, for You have returned within me my soul with compassion; abundant is Your faithfulness!

~~~

Morning Blessing substitutions: with gender-expansive language for the speaker, but traditional God language

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁעָשַׂנִי בֶּת חוֹרין

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha-Olam, she-asani bet chorin.

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has made me free. ~~~

Soulmate Blessing: written by Ariel Ezekiel Tovlev, with gender-expansive language for the speaker's soulmate, but traditional God language

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אֶת יְדִידֶת נַפְשִׁי

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech haolam, asher asah et yedidet nafshi. Blessed are You, Ruler of the Universe, who created the companion of my soul.

~~~

Wedding-Enacting Words: with gender-expansive language for the one the speaker is marrying and for the ring, but traditional God language

הרי אתה מקדשה לי, בטבעת זת, כדת משה וישראל

Harei ateh m’kudesheh li, b’tabaet zet, k’dat Moshe v’Yisrael.

Jewish tradition teaches of numerous prayers recited before we sleep, for sleep is 1/60th of death. This guided booklet contains the traditional prayers often said at bedtime in English, Hebrew, and transliterated English for guided pronunciation.

here’s some different ways to greet someone on rosh hashanah:

I love giggling in private messages during zoom Torah study with another queer woman because we’re 12 years old and studying the Song of Songs.

I love sitting in someone’s living room watching the Prince of Egypt and we keep pausing it because someone in the room has a Point and we need to discuss it. And it takes us four hours to watch a two hour film.

I love Hillel sandwiches. I really do.

I love these silly arguments over frog vs frogs and even more so because I know that our rabbis and sages have been arguing about this for literally centuries.

I love that I cry during l’cha dodi every fucking time. Doesn’t matter the tune. Every. Time.

I love that I can say the words “erotic love is holy and sacred too” in a zoom room full of old people and none of them shut down the conversation.

I love that we have a holiday that traditionally means you study Torah all night long.

I love that we have another one that celebrates we got to the end of Torah. Let’s have a dance party and start over!

I love swaying while I pray.

I love that I can disagree with my good friend on fundamentals of our religion and that’s a good thing.

I love that I’m starting to be able to make connections with strangers and say “oh! I know xyz! Do you know abc?”

🇺🇸 Adafina is a classic Sephardic Sabbath stew similar to cholent among Ashkenazi Jews. It was prepared before sundown to comply with Sabbath laws, ensuring a ready meal the next day. This slow-cooked stew combines meats, vegetables, chickpeas, and eggs, transforming these ingredients into a delicately textured and flavorful dish. The recipe emphasizes using organic ingredients to enhance the taste, with the key ingredient being time, as the long cooking period perfects the flavors.

🇪🇸 La adafina es un guiso clásico sefardí para el sábado, similar al cholent entre los judíos asquenazíes. Se preparaba antes del atardecer para cumplir con las leyes del sábado, asegurando una comida lista para el día siguiente. Este guiso cocido a fuego lento combina carnes, vegetales, garbanzos y huevos, transformando estos ingredientes en un plato de textura delicada y sabor exquisito. La receta destaca el uso de ingredientes orgánicos para mejorar el sabor, siendo el tiempo el ingrediente clave, ya que el largo período de cocción perfecciona los sabores.

🇮🇱 La adafina es un guiso klasiko sefardí para el Shabat, parecido al cholent entre los djidyos ashkenazis. Se preparava antes del eskurezimiento para kumplir kon las layes del Shabat, assegurando una komida lista para el día sigyente. Este guiso kochido a fuego lento kombina karnes, verduras, garvanzos i wevos, transformando estos ingredyentes en un plato de textura delicada i sabor eskisito. La rezetika sujere uzar ingredyentes organyikos para mejorar el sabor, siendo el tiempo el ingredyente klave, pues el largo peryodo de kochura perfecciona los sabores.