From Jewish immigrant labor organizers in New York City, to revolutionaries in Europe and Latin America, to the Black Panthers - many organizations have used study as an integral part of building movements.  The International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) hopes to builds on these legacies, using political education to inform our anti-Zionist and Palestine solidarity work.  It is with this vision that we are developing our Study to Action program. 

IJAN's Political Education and Leadership Development work group is in the process of revising the syllabus that was piloted during our 2007-2008 study groups, offering more political analysis, multimedia and curricular tools, as well as tools for facilitators and study group organizers.   To access the outline of the revised syllabus, click here. We welcome your input and ideas for study materials and curricular tools.

In Fall 2007, IJAN hosted six study groups around the United States, using a syllabus developed by the IJAZ Network activists Ora Wise, Haley Pollack, and Ryvka Bar Zohar.  Participants in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Miami, New York, Detroit and Philadelphia came together to explore the history of Zionism and the development of Palestinian resistance, as well as histories of Jewish resistance that have been erased by Zionism.  To access the 2007 syllabus click here .

Through political education, we are working to build a framework for a shared understanding of imperialism, colonialism, and Zionism, and locate our work within different political ideologies, tendencies, and movements, and within a history of anti-Zionist and anti-imperialist struggle and strategy.   We will use study to inform our campaigns and tactics and assess our context, conditions, and strategic role.  We hope that through this process we will build relationships within the network, and deepen our strategy and practice as we support our personal transformation and emotional divestment from Zionism.

This is an ongoing project. If you would like to start or join a study group in your area, click here to contact us.

Log into the old website for access to Study Group materials

Political Education and Leadership Development

The study into action program is part of our plans for broader political education and leadership development programming. These include:

Ongoing Member Development

• Organizing workshops and institutes
• Mentor/ Buddy system for support and development of members who are new to activism
• Boycott, Divestment and Sanction Institute
• Delegations to Palestine
• Develop training to develop member facilitation, discussion and presentation skills  

Public Education

• Develop and offer "Unlearning Zionism" workshops
• Make our "Emerging anti-Zionist Discourse & Movement" presentation available
• Identify other trainings and workshops needed
• Develop conference workshop and presentation modules

Educational Materials and Media

• Identify and create potential position pieces/ educational materials
• Develop capacity to write articles for submission and posting
• Partner with cultural network on developing popular educational tools
• Partner with academic network on educational materials, writing, editorials and possible on-line journal
• Develop an interactive website that will support the self-organization and collaboration of study groups

These are some of our ideas; please share yours with us at .

click here for Syllabus, etc.