Diaspora

Diaspora is a brand new podcast from Jewish Voice for Peace. On our first season, we are talking about Zionism. Join Tallie Ben Daniel and Nava EtShalom, two Jews who have been working for Palestinian rights, as they talk to a lot of Jewish people who grew up Zionist without even realizing it, Jewish people who learned how to be Jewish through Zionism, and the ever-growing group of Jewish people who are rejecting Zionism. If you are curious about Jewish life, if you are part of progressive movements, if you are wrestling with Zionism, or if you just don’t quite understand what Zionism is - this podcast is for you.

Nava and Tallie start off the episode chatting about how Zionism got tangled up with Judaism and Jewishness. At [6:10], we hear from four JVP organizers about what Zionism meant to them growing up. We'd like to thank Rabbi Alissa Wise, Samantha Brotman, Alana Krivo-Kaufman, and Maya Edery for sharing your stories with us.Our theme music is "For Our Stories" by  Decibelists, off the album Decibelists (we mistakenly say that the album is called "Galapagos" in the episode!). Diaspora podcast is produced by Tallie Ben Daniel. It’s written and hosted by Tallie Ben Daniel and Nava EtShalom, and edited by Jenny Asarnow.

Tallie and Nava discuss what Zionism is - a form of Jewish nationalism.At [2:40] we hear from Dr. Rachel Feldman, who is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Franklin and Marshall College. She explains what Zionism meant for Jewish people in Europe, and some of the ways it became a central ideology for Jewish people in the United States.At [7:40] we also hear from Dr. Sherene Seikaly, who is Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She explains how Zionism impacted Palestinians, especially once the Israeli state was established.At [12:30] Tallie and Nava start discussing what "diaspora" could mean.We want thank to Professor Rachel Feldman and Professor Sherene Seikaly for their time and insights.Our theme music is the song “For Our Stories” by Decibelists, off the album Decibelists. Diaspora podcast is produced by Tallie Ben Daniel. It’s written and hosted by Tallie Ben Daniel and Nava EtShalom, and edited by Jenny Asarnow.Resources:You can find Dr. Seikaly's book, Men of Capital: Scarcity and Economy in Mandate Palestine, here.Dr. Feldman is currently working on her first book, The Children of Noah: Jewish Messianism in the Digital Age.We strongly recommend Melanie Kaye-Kantrowitz's The Colors of Jews, which you can find here.  

Tallie and Nava hear from Dr. Sherene Seikaly about the impact of Zionism on Palestinians, and then from Maisa Marror and Nadya Tannous from the Palestinian Youth Movement. We discuss three key dates in Palestinian history: 1948, 1967, and 1993.Follow and suppport the Palestinian Youth Movement: https://www.pymusa.com/Dr. Seikaly's book can be found here.For more on the closing of Osirin, see B'Tselem's report here.We’d like to thank Phyllis Bennis for factchecking this episode.  And big thanks to Dr. Sherene Seikaly, Maisa Marror, and Nadya Tannous for contributing. We want to hear what you think! What does the word “diaspora” mean to you? Do you think of yourself as living in diaspora? Record your answer - you can use the voice memos on your phone - and email your recording to podcast@jvp.org, and we might include it in a future episode!Music in this episode: "Marty Gots A Plan" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) and "Somewhere To Be" by Otis Galloway (https://filmmusic.io) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Our theme music is "For Our Stories" by decibelists, off their self-titled debut album.Diaspora Podcast is produced by Tallie Ben Daniel, written and hosted by Tallie Ben Daniel and Nava EtShalom, and edited by Jenny Asarnow.

For more on the Jewish National Fund and pine trees in Palestine, click here. For more on Christian Zionism, check out More Desired than our Owne Salvation: The Roots of Christian Zionism by Robert O. Smith.For more on Zionism and Jewish masculinity, we recommend Unheroic Conduct: The Rise of Heterosexuality and the Invention of the Jewish Man by Daniel Boyarin  

Tallie and Nava talk about how we changed our minds about Zionism.Credit for the phrase "hope is a discipline" goes to Mariame Kaba, an organizer, educator and curator who founded Project NIA in Chicago. You can follow her on twitter @prisonculture or at her website (http://mariamekaba.com)You can (and should!) read "Zionism from the Standpoint of its Jewish Victims" by Ella Shohat here: (https://palestinecollective.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/sephardim-in-israel_-zionism-from-the-standpoint-of-its-jewish-victims.pdf)Music in this episode is "All Other Things Considered" by Dresden, The Flamingo. Our theme music is by decibelists. (https://www.decibelists.com/)   

Music in this episode is by Kevin Macleod. Our theme music is by decibelists.You can find Amy Kaplan's Our American Israel  here. May her memory be a blessing. You can find Nava's chapbook, "Fortunately," here. You can join JVP for just $18 a year, and do so here: jvp.org/joinThank you. We love you.