Episode 53: Rabbi Katie Mizrahi on being a Zionist and calling for a ceasefire, working for Palestinian rights and the anti-Israel upsurge on college campuses
Description
Rabbi Katie Mizrahi is a Zionist who was beyond devastated by Hamas’ mass killings, rape and kidnapping on October 7th. She reaffirms Israel’s right to defend itself. And she explains why she is opposed to how Israel has conducted its war and why she joined calls for a bilateral ceasefire. She expands on this line from her essay, “But here is the heart of the matter. I am not ready to become monstrous to defend my people from monsters.” We talk about the difficulty of interpreting events and the deluge of information and making informed decisions about where one stands. She shares how B’nai Havurah Denver Reconstructionist Congregation has responded these last seven months and how Zionists and anti-Zionist still inhabit the same community. Bryan and Rabbi Katie reminisce about what it was like to be in Israel in the 90s a time of hope and optimism. She shares her experience working against Israeli demolitions of Palestinian home and the trauma of witnessing the shooting of a Palestinian man. This episode is dedicated to Bryan’s late father, Robert.
Theme song, “Ilu Finu” by Rabbi Miriam Margles. Her album This is the Day is available for purchase at CDBaby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/miriammarglesandthehadarensemb
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Special Guest: Rabbi Katie Mizrahi.
Links:
- Read Rabbi Mizrahi's Evolve essay, "Zionist Rabbi For Ceasefire"
- Sign up for Evolve's free newsletter to stay up to date on the latest essays, videos and podcasts
- Explore Evolve's essays about the Israel-Hamas war
- Published in the Forward: "I run the Reconstructionist movement. We believe in Israel’s right to exist but reject litmus tests on Zionism"
- Read Reconstructing Judaism's public statements about the Israel-Hamas war
- Resources for Shavuot from Reconstructing Judaism
- The Art of Rebuke (a Sefaria source sheet)
- Sign up for Ritualwell's free Omer writing workshops
- Sign up for Ritualwell's in-person immersion, "Count On Telling Your Story"
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