r/JewsOfConscience • u/AutoModerator • Aug 07 '24

AAJ "Ask A Jew" Wednesday

It's everyone's favorite day of the week, "Ask A (Anti-Zionist) Jew" Wednesday! Ask whatever you want to know, within the sub rules, notably that this is not a debate sub and do not import drama from other subreddits. That aside, have fun! We love to dialogue with our non-Jewish siblings.

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u/SpiritualUse121 Non-Jewish Ally Aug 07 '24 edited Aug 07 '24

Hope everyone is having a good week!

1/2 Despite growing up around Jews, I know next to nothing about Judaism. This is due to most being secular and then ultra orthodox which are quite insular. I do not have a Jewish community around me now & live in a Zionist AF country. How can I learn more about Judaism, without being bombarded with Zionism?

2/2 Help - I am unable to reconcile a thought, as any sectarian violence has never made sense to me:

From my own ancestry & studies in anthropology; people chop & change religions, combine cultures, evolve new cultures, etc. I have Palestinian acquaintances that can trace Jewish ancestry. We also know some Jewish populations also converted EG Sephardic & Kaifeng.

According to Dr. Arthur Rupin, the Zionist colonization expert, made the startling assertion that the Arabs of Palestine were descendants of old Palestine Jews who had been converted to Mohammedism.

Is this logical / rational to you? Is it a common or accepted train of thought?

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u/sar662 Jewish Aug 07 '24

If you are looking for a Judaism 101, take a look at Herman Wouk's book "This is my God". He works through both the theology and the majority of Jewish history in a clear and accessible fashion. I don't remember how he portrays the Zionist movement and the modern state of Israel but it's definitely not something that is a major theme of the book. I think it's a chapter towards the end that you can just skip.