Jews Step Forward: Leaving Zionism Behind

"Jews Step Forward" is based upon interviews with 24 American Jewish activists, spanning generations, socioeconomic divides, geographical locales, and extremely varied experiences inside religious practice and observance. Every interviewee began as a devoted follower of the state of Israel and each one reflects upon his or her own journey from deeply socialized ‘group think’ to a ‘eureka moment,’ where they were compelled to leave hasbara [Zionist propaganda] behind. While official American Jewish organizations still support Israel without scrutiny, an increasing number of mainstream Jews just can’t go with the old story or current PR, for which Israel pays so exorbitantly every year to manage their image and ’brand.’

𝗔 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝗯𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗷𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝗝. 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝘇𝗮𝗲𝗲
𝗖𝗮𝘀𝘁: http://jewsstepforward.com/cast.html
𝗦𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗮, Archivist
𝗝𝗼𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘆, Composer
𝗗𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗵, Palestine Poster Project of over 8,000 archived images at Columbia University
𝗪𝗲𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲: http://jewsstepforward.com/

The American media is saturated with entertainment violence. However, on the subject of Israel, there is a blanket blackout on showing any violence perpetrated by its Jewish citizens or military. Consequently, war crimes can remain conjecture, a ‘he said, she said’ with no visual evidence. Our film moves from the safety of intellectual abstraction to visceral reality, as we don’t visually tiptoe around the institutionalized racism and atrocities discussed.

“The light began to dawn as I learned the Jewish haven I had welcomed, was established on the land the Palestinians have a right to claim as their own…..the more I read, the greater my sense of betrayal.”
—Rachelle Lubarsky Marshall

“I realized that Israel was on the wrong side of all the struggles for freedom and national liberation I supported, that it backed dictatorships in Guatemala, Chile, Brazil and elsewhere. The more I learned about Israel, the more I realized that what I had been taught growing up was a lie.”
—Ellen Davidson

“Look at the large number of Jews in the anti-Occupation movement. These are people who have been told since babyhood that Israel is everything…. And the miracle of this is that so many people who were brought up like that began to see with their own eyes."
—Dorothy Zellner

𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗:

"Jewish Critics of Zionism and of Israel’s Treatment of the Palestinians"
https://dissidentvoice.org/2010/04/jewish-critics-of-zionism-and-of-israels-treatment-of-the-palestinians/

"AMEU - 'Jews Step Forward'"
https://ameu.org/Current-Issue/Current-Issue/2019-Volume-52/Jews-Step-Forward.aspx

"Miko Peled on 'Jews Step Forward', AMEU Volume 52 Issue 1"
https://youtube.com/watch?v=LL8N83xB6cU

"'Jews Step Forward' Panel Discussion"
https://youtube.com/watch?v=DRcBE21aJuw&feature=share

"Jews Step Forward" (Trailer)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap76r1qWB40

𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗘:

"Jews Step Forward"
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ruMxrJwS3so