r/JewsOfConscience • u/MxScrunkly • Aug 12 '24
Creative Symbol created for and with antizionist Jews in mind, but can be used by any antizionist
LONG POST AHEAD: I am not Jewish (except some heritage) but im an artist and someone on Threads (Jewish anti zionist) wanted a symbol for Jews who are against zionism.
im using my throwaway account just in case, but my aim is to really not have my name attached to it if it is adopted just bc it feels weird to have that credit. so whoever wants to take credit instead its all yours. you guys can tweak it etc.
and PLS know i have good intentions but maybe ive crossed a line so sorry in advance if this is idk offensive?
But i tried to make something that couldnt be interpreted really any other way than intended.
The intent should be viewed as simple and complicated. Simple in terms of morals, complicated in the anti zionist Jewish identity like, you arent a monolith even within a common goal/cause. But that regardless how you are anti zionist and Jewish and what that means seperately and together
that this symbol right now (the genocide) should be a signal of "we stand by Palestinians and Palestine"
Because i know anti zionism isnt just about Palestine, its also about fighting antisemitism. I wanted this to be dimensional
Im not great with explaining how i feel and think but i really hope ive made it understandable
i personally prefer the simplicity of the version without the flower, but the flower adds meaning and recogniziability. I tried to think of different ways one might use it (emoji, sticker, etc) and even drew it like one might scrible on a notebook
Ill delete this if people say i should but otherwise take this and run with it. take credit, change it, build off etc.
also: when i say it doesnt represent a 2 state solution i mean in the neo liberal zionist leaning type way.
2 state out of strategy/necessity/etc as agreed upon by palestinians, this symbol could stand for.
overall it should be the equivalent to Listening to Palestinan needs, and also Fighting Antisemitism, and how it connects. It is solidarity and hope and fighting together and uplifting. thats the intention
EDIT: I forgot to mention, but the reason why i chose the magen david was bc i hate how the symbol has been "tainted" by israel. People see it and automatically think israel and what israel is doing. Ive seen quite a few people see the star and immediately talk about israel even if was just a Jewish person looking for a necklace. Its really unfortunate and yeah
i wanted a symbol that would pull away from that, so that when they see it they think Jewish and Good rather than Zionist and Israel and Genocide. People have started morphing it together with the swastika and it makes me sick
I was going to do blue but that would invoke israel. i was going to do gold or yellow but i felt that that could invoke another bad image. so i went with white to mean hope, and all that.
But if the community things a menorah might be better then have at it. Someone asked for a Menorah version so I made a few variations, with flames, simplified, etc.
anyone can redraw this and what not.
This in all, as symbols are supposed to unify and signal to other anti zionist jews. But it can also be used by non Jews, like how non Black people have BLM Fist stickers. But this symbol was specifically created with Anti zionist Jews in mind
13
10
Aug 13 '24
Stickers would be great! I would order some :)
5
u/MxScrunkly Aug 13 '24
Which design would you want? Any tweaks? Someone mentioned not feeling comfortable with the flag, so ill be making some with just the flag colors
And i wouldnt want to take the money myself so id need to figure out how to make it go into a GFMs or organization, so if anyone can help me with that! Or if someone wants to do it, ill send files
3
Aug 13 '24
Or just at cost too.
I think top right one. It's also aesthetically pleasing and unique enough to be a cool sticker. Or the one on top left, maybe with a little tweak. Idk what, but it's just kinda busy
2
u/MxScrunkly Aug 13 '24
and youre talking about the poppy star ones not the menorahs?
and ill mess around possibly within a few days. ill just make a ton of variations to choose from
1
Aug 14 '24
An idea I had, is the top left one, if you took away the shadows, and then just "filled in" sections of it staying within the lines with the flag colors, such as the left bottom point with red, the top point with black , and bottom with green, with middle white, could be a very cool abstract Palestinian flag. Rest of sections could be white or blue or something. I would love to see that option actually.
3
Aug 13 '24
Oh and I personally would need the flag to be in it. So it's clear I support Palestine and Jews. As a non religious person myself I don't want something that can be misinterpreted as simply religious , or it could be bad and misinterpreted as Zionists if people don't get the Palestinian reference
5
9
Aug 13 '24
[deleted]
5
u/MxScrunkly Aug 13 '24
Shouldnt it be 4 colors? Or i guess, is white considered a color?
And ill see if i can make some alternative versions!
6
1
u/Specialist-Gur Ashkenazi Aug 13 '24
That’s a fair point, yea on second thought I think I agree with this!
1
4
u/robinufromatree Aug 13 '24
Why not the Star of David with just the poppy in the middle, instead of the Palestinian flag? Please hear me out - as people have mentioned earlier, the Palestinian flag is a national flag, it represents its people, and it’s people have been brutalised by people who say they are Jewish, so it’s a valid point to not put the two together. It could also lead to people conflating Judaism and Palestinian people, which I’m certain Palestinian people would be opposed to, though of course I don’t speak for them.
The poppy, however, I think is a wonderful idea, since even apart from being the Palestinian poppy it is (internationally I think) a symbol of peace, which is on the opposite side of Zionism. (I know it’s certainly used in the UK to represent remembering those who died in WW1 and the desire for peace.) Being anti-Zionist is about more than Palestine alone, it’s about opposing settler colonialism and everything that comes alongside that, and there are still other countries in the world which are suffering from the after-effects of colonialism (e.g. DRC). Using the poppy instead of the Palestinian flag would make it have a more expansive meaning, of not just opposing Zionism in Israel and Palestine, but opposing Zionism and colonialism globally.
1
u/MxScrunkly Aug 13 '24
Yeah i definitely see that now, and someone mentioned just using the colors (im not sure if thats also ok?) but i did do some with the poppy! I dont really care for left 24 ones they were the first i did.
And yeah i really like that explanation. Sorry my blood sugar is low rn, but im glad for feedback. I hope the photo attaches. iff not ill reply with the picture
*
2
u/Specialist-Gur Ashkenazi Aug 13 '24
I’d order stickers! I can’t speak for all Jews but I like these, and I appreciate your willingness to ask if you’ve crossed a line :) but I love them!!!
1
Aug 14 '24
Where do you order stickers from? Looking to make a few myself but need the inside scoop on the best vendor.
1
u/Specialist-Gur Ashkenazi Aug 14 '24
Oh god idk! I usually use Etsy? But I’m not sure on vendors honestly
1
u/MxScrunkly Aug 14 '24
i was going to use redbubble but im going to check out a few other sites
there might be a wait since i have to remake these in the right size and i have to tweak some but when its ready ill make another post
im not sure how much to do on markup. all earned would go to a cause, not me, so i have to figure out which specific one and how to do that. might take a little bit time to set up
this will also be available as other items to, but ill start with stickers since ppl mention those
2
1
u/ImNotRealTakeYorMeds Aug 16 '24
I once tried to do something like that.
that is what I managed.
I did not want to include the David shield, because it is also a religious symbol, and I wanted to not include it.
I included the blue color to represent israel as a nation rather than using a religious jewish symbol, and the dove (technically a biblical symbol) represents peace and is not specific to judaism or islam but both.
However I like the poppy idea, but it was too difficult to draw in my near zero experience in inkspace. as it is both the national flower of Israel and Palestine and represents peace.
2
4
u/throwingaway_999 Aug 13 '24
Green line and meaning is insulting imo. It implies Jewish help is needed to regrow Palestine.
Jewish help is needed, but only to combat the narrative of the Jewish extremists in Israel.
Also, remember, to those in Gaza and Palestine, in her prisons and camps, their oppressors are jewish. The oppressors oppress in the name of their jewish religion. The oppressors use their jewish teachings to justify their depravity. The oppressors made their jewish religion the face of this genocide.
So trying to amalgamate Judaism and its symbolism into the Palestinian peoples struggle (which started after Palestinians gave refuge to the Jews of WW2) would likely not be welcome by the people of Gaza. And probably offensive to them too.
2
u/Specialist-Gur Ashkenazi Aug 13 '24
I agree, though it makes me sad to think of.. there were indigenous Jewish people living in Palestine prior to the formation of Israel :(
5
u/throwingaway_999 Aug 13 '24
Absolutely.
This is nothing against Jews themselves. Their religion has been hijacked by the worlds colonisers.
1
1
u/Mammoth_Scallion_743 Jewish Communist Aug 14 '24
DM me
I would like to purchase as many as I can of the menorah stickers
1
u/reenaltransplant Mizrahi Aug 14 '24
I tried to do something like this once for us Arab Jews as an Arab-Jewish flag to show that these don't have to be exclusive identities.
There should also be something anti-zionist that isn't necessarily tied to Arab colors (the Palestinian flag colors are more broadly also an Arab symbol).
1
u/MxScrunkly Aug 14 '24
Do you have any suggestions? Because i wanted this to be specifically about Palestine, for Anti Zionist Jews (who asked for it) but youre right, when its not thr specific flag it really ends up representing Arabs in general. Which isnt bad, but i just feel im going beyond what was asked for.
Tbh this was supposed to be taken over by someone else by now, but now im a little overwhelmed with taking on tweaking and making so many variations myself. Im not complaining bc im glad they resonate with people, i just didnt plan this far ahead.
I have an idea for hand clasped together where the hands wrists/arms end up morphing together like a heart. I was thinking of adding text but idk what it could say.
Its just bc of the inicial request, my brain kind of stagnated on the flag and jewish symbols. But now it seems like its gotten away from that and now is just a symbol for antizionism in general? idk
But with feedback and preferences i think this:
- I will still make stickers and items with some of the designs shown (plus new ones ive made and havnt uploaded yet) simply because some people like them and resonate with them. I dont think anyone has said any particular one is offensive (except for the green boarder) so ill just upload the best variations
but 2. overall im going to see if i can create something that encompasses JUST anti zionism as a whole, to represent being against antisemitism, zionism, regardless of who you are. No recognizable colors or symbols to any group. that way its even more clear what is being said. Bc some of the symbols without the explanation might be seen as "Does this mean youre jewish anti zionist? or are you palestinian and jewish? etc"
i didnt expect my symbols to be popular and spread around, but like for example, the watermelon at first might have been unsure what it means. but now we all know it means Palestininian/Palestine resistance/liberation. So the idea was that idk. sorry im rambling i hope im making sense
i would REALLLLY love if anyone knows especially, any palestinian jewish anti zionist artists/designers to maybe take on this project whom will have more understanding of this. Im not Palestinian or Jewish, just anti zionist and pro palestine and pro jewish. So I feel like theres some designs that im missing out on
overall ty for the comment im going to keep that in mind!
all this feedback is great and is helping me narrow down and think outside what i originally started out with.
•
u/AutoModerator Aug 12 '24
Remember the human & be courteous to others. If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them.
Archived links: Wayback Machine / Archive.ph / 12ft.io
Video links (if applicable): Downloadvideo Link / SaveVideo Link
Please consider signing this petition, started by Rabbi Brant Rosen of Tzedek Chicago.
https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/not-another-bomb-sign-on-letter?source=direct_link&referrer=group-jvp-2
Excerpt:
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.