In the penultimate episode of our Christian Zionism series, rabbi Brant Rosen discusses his journey out of Jewish Zionism and his thoughts about the war in Gaza. For the rest of the conversation rabbi Rosen discusses Christian Zionism and the harms that he, as a Jewish person and a rabbi, sees in this sort of problematic and harmful Christian support for Jews and Israel.

For Patreon supporters, Daniel and rabbi Brant discuss antisemitism and how it has been weaponized to silence and vilify any critique of the actions of the state of Israel at the expense of Palestinians suffering under occupation. To access this extended conversation and others, consider ⁠supporting us on Patreon⁠.

Rabbi Brant is a reconstructionist Jew and the rabbi of Tzedek Chicago synagogue in Chicago. He is a vocal activist for justice and human rights, particularly in Israel/Palestine. After publicly wrestling with his relationship to Israel and openly questioning his lifelong Zionism, he eventually became a prominent Jewish presence in the Palestine solidarity movement and co-founded the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council. He has also written numerous essays on antisemitism, Zionism and “reclaiming Judaism from Zionism”, as well as a number of poems about Gaza and the situation in Palestine/Israel.

Rabbi Brant Rosen's writings have appeared in many journals and publications, including Newsweek, the Chicago Tribune, the Jewish Forward, Tikkun and Truthout. He is also the author of the popular Jewish social justice blog, Shalom Rav; his curated collection of blog posts and reader comments, Wrestling in the Daylight: A Rabbi’s Path to Palestinian Solidarity was published by Just World Books in 2012 (updated in 2017). 

Rabbi Brant has contributed essays to a number of anthologies including "Zionism and the Quest for Peace in the Holy Land," "On Antisemitism: Solidarity and the Struggle for Justice," and "Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism: Stories of Personal Transformation." He is also a prolific poet and liturgist whose prayers and poems can be found on his blog Yedid Nefesh. In 2018, Tzedek Chicago published his chapbook of prayers, "Songs After the Revolution: New Jewish Liturgy."

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Poems read in the episode:

El Male Rachamim for Gaza

For Gaza: Psalm 126