Young, Jewish and Left – a documentary film

May 29, 2009 — Mira Vogel

Young, Jewish and Left – you’ll be interested in this documentary film, which is about much more than young Jewish activists being made to feel uncomfortable in their movements.

Posted in antisemitism, The Left. 16 Comments »

16 Responses to “Young, Jewish and Left – a documentary film”

  1. yishaym Says:
    May 29, 2009 at 9:22 pm

    yeah!
    let’s organise a screening..

    Reply
  2. Stick It Where the Sun Don’t Shine. « ModernityBlog Says:
    May 30, 2009 at 7:36 pm

    [...] see Engage and We Are All Tali Shalom Ezer. Update: I’ll bet that Ken Loach would hate this film. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Cannes Snubs Ken LoachEdinburgh International Film [...]

    Reply
  3. David Rosenberg Says:
    May 31, 2009 at 11:20 am

    Very glad to see you promoting the excellent film “Young Jewish and Left” here. I saw it last year at a film event organised by Jewdas at the Rio cinema in Dalston, and it includes a number of proud, secular, Jewish anti-Zionist activists (whose views don’t normally get such a warm welcome here) alongside others who are more sympathetic to Zionist ideas or are more motivated by Jewish religion/sprituality

    it would be great to have another screening of it here followed by an open discussion.

    Reply
    • Mira Vogel Says:
      May 31, 2009 at 12:36 pm

      Hello David R

      “it includes a number of proud, secular, Jewish anti-Zionist activists (whose views don’t normally get such a warm welcome here)”

      Well, this blog is mainly about the antisemitism in the movements with with you and I feel affinity and the way in which it is taking cover under anti-Zionism, so there won’t be a welcome for anti-Zionists unless they are actively addressing antisemitism – as the women in the trailers I showed were (I hope they are typical of the film or I’m going to feel like a bit of a nob end).

      However, I think there’s toleration, and considerable interest in identifying and holding up not-racist anti-Zionist positions as examples against the racist ones.

      Reply
      • Mira Vogel Says:
        May 31, 2009 at 12:44 pm

        Although the women in the trailers were not anti-Zionist so far as I could see.

        Reply
        • contestedterrain Says:
          May 31, 2009 at 4:20 pm

          hi Mira,
          if you are going on the trailer that you linked to from my blog, then you might have a skewed perception of the film. the focus is not antisemitism, israel, nor antizionism. it is more about jewish left identity in the U.S., particularly in regards to gender, and secular jews. at least from what i remember. i found it worthwhile, but depends on what you are looking for.
          cheers,
          ct

        • contestedterrain Says:
          May 31, 2009 at 5:12 pm

          oh yeah, the film also focuses on the issue of whiteness, and ethnic diversity within the jewish population, so for example ashkenazim and mizrachi.

        • Mira Vogel Says:
          May 31, 2009 at 5:44 pm

          Thanks CT. I took the two YouTube clips from the front of the YJ&L site – one of which is on antisemitism, and the other on Arab Jews who self-identifying as such, one at the same time as claiming a Jewish homeland in Israel. It seemed to me this was diversity, like you say, and stereotype-busting, but not of the type conducive to being abused by the Good-Jew-Bad-Jew dichotomists.

        • Mira Vogel Says:
          May 31, 2009 at 5:45 pm

          Bother, how much narrower does this get?

  4. zkharya Says:
    May 31, 2009 at 12:27 pm

    Personally I think endorsing anything organized by “Jewdas” problematic. I think “Jewdas” is a problem, from its name down to everything else.

    “Jewdas” takes the European cultural Christian version of “Jew/Judah” and “appropriates” it, I suppose, as African-Americans might use “nigger”.

    “Judas” is a Christian word. I have no wish to “appropriate” or “reclaim” it for myself. I have a big problem with “Jewdas” and so, I think, should everyone else.

    Reply
  5. zkharya Says:
    May 31, 2009 at 2:26 pm

    I’m not shocked, I’m disgusted. By the site generally. I think the whole thing very queer (not in the “gay” sense). Jews that have to express themselves in this inverse Christian imagery, very odd, and culturally bankrupt.

    Reply
  6. Saul Says:
    May 31, 2009 at 3:55 pm

    David R. and I differ and disagree on many things. However, I think we are at one on Jewdas.

    Jewdas come from the tradition of the Jewish anarchists who in a century or so ago would hold dances, dinners, etc. on Kol Nidre and serve unkosher meat. (I do hope Jewdas will forgive me presenting them in such formal terms!)

    I know many people who attend Jewdas’s “dos” and have a fine old time. As David notes, it a fairly broad church.

    It is also a good antidote to the frightening number of young “born again” Jews who think they know all there is to know about religion without the effort of study.

    I think also that Jewdas is important and necessary in the wake of the rather(!) reactionary turn taken by British orthodoxy (i.e. the appointment of Libubowitz rabbis in many mainstream communities.)

    This does not mean that one remains uncritical of some of their stunts, anymore that one should remain uncritical of the stunts of “officialdom”.

    At least Jewdas’ site make me smile – in pretty much the same way I smiled at the wonderful and shoud-have-been winners Stavros Flanerty!

    Reply
    • Brian Goldfarb Says:
      May 31, 2009 at 10:43 pm

      Saul: “the frightening number of young “born again” Jews who think they know all there is to know about religion without the effort of study.”

      Sound just all those vulgar Marxists out there in the BDS groups, attacking “the Jews” as _the_ lobby par excellence and controllers of world capitalism. Fit in well with Bill’s “too smart to study, too stupid to learn” gang as well.

      Reply
  7. Absolute Observer Says:
    June 1, 2009 at 1:40 am

    Brian,
    And don’t forget the vulgar anti-zionists who think there are only two (and a half) historians of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

    Reply

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