r/JewsOfConscience Jewish Anti-Zionist 3d ago

Discussion - Flaired Users Only What book to give a Zionist?

My cousin is a Zionist. He made Aliyah and has served in the IDF in Gaza and Lebanon. He was in the brigade that responded to Oct 7 and lost one of his best friends to a Hamas bullet that day. I've spoken with him and he's open to learning more. I'm looking for a book to give him which is a very GENTLE introduction to an alternative viewpoint from Zionism, something that won't scare him. Can anyone recommend something.

181 Upvotes

73 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

25

u/Thisisme8719 Arab Jew 3d ago

He's one of the world's leading scholars on the Talmud and he studied under Saul Lieberman, but afaik he doesn't have rabbinic ordination

9

u/loselyconscious Traditionally Radical 3d ago

Yeah he got his PhD from JTS, maybe that's way they thought he did. 

9

u/Adept_Thanks_6993 Orthodox 3d ago

whoops

Still, read the book. It helped me figure out there was still a path for me in this community beyond Zionism

3

u/20263181 Jewish Anti-Zionist 2d ago

I struggled with this book so much đŸ¥´

3

u/Adept_Thanks_6993 Orthodox 2d ago

So did I! I struggled with gemara too, but I figured it out. That's the whole point of being Jewish: Do mitzvot and figure shit out

4

u/20263181 Jewish Anti-Zionist 2d ago

You make it sound sooooo simple! Imagine treating others as you would want to be treated…