After a successful kick-off to a season of Arts, Culture + Community events with over 100 convening at the Tucson J earlier this month for a conversation with infamous author, Dara Horn, the Weintraub Israel Center is excited to welcome Zioness Founder and Executive Director, Amanda Berman to the J’s campus Sunday, October 15 from 6:30-8:15pm.
During the event, appropriately titled Can you Be Zionist and Progressive? (Of course!) Amanda will be in conversation with Tucson J President + CEO Todd Rockoff about Zionism as the expression of the Jewish people’s dream of liberation and self-determination, the intersection of Zionism and other progressive movements, and the inclusion of Zionists in social justice spaces.
Zioness is a coalition of Jewish activists and allies who are unabashedly progressive and unapologetically Zionist. Zioness fights for the advancement of social, racial, economic, environmental and gender justice in America. Zioness is rooted in Jewish values, stands for justice and equality, and fights against all forms of oppression. As the Founder and Executive Director, and former civil rights attorney, Berman works to empower and activate Zionists on the progressive left to stand proudly in social justice spaces as Jews and Zionists.
“There are times when Jews who hold progressive values and have a love for Israel and Zionism are finding it challenging to be welcomed in social justice spaces. I am excited to have Amanda here to help equip and inspire Jews and allies to fight for social justice in the US as proud Zionists,” said Abbii Cook, Director of the Weintraub Israel Center. She added, “This conversation is deeply aligned with the Zionism 3.0 Framework which guides WIC programming in that it presents the community with an opportunity to approach the topic recognizing that: we can be unified without being uniform, we can engage as equal partners, and we can recognize that there is a multiplicity of voices around Israel.”
All are welcome to join in what is sure to be an interesting and thought-provoking evening. “If you care about civil rights, and human rights, and social justice, and equality, and human dignity for all people –– you care about Zionism,” said Berman in a video on the Zioness website.
The cost to attend is $18; pre-registration is requested and tickets will also be available at the door. The program is presented by the Weintraub Israel Center, a partnership between the Tucson J and Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona. The signature arts and culture series of which this event is part is made possible thanks to the generosity of the Patron of the Arts Society. To learn more and register, click here.
