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Amanda Berman

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Amanda Berman is an American civil rights attorney. She is the founder and executive director of the Zioness Movement, also known as Zioness,[1][2] a progressive Zionist organization.[3]

Early life and education

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Berman graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a major in diplomatic history, and the Cardozo School of Law.[4] She was the director of legal affairs at the Lawfare Project before founding Zioness.[4]

Zioness Movement

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Pride flag with a Star of David

In 2017, Berman founded Zioness with a dozen friends following an incident in which three Jewish participants were removed from the Chicago Dyke March for carrying Pride flags featuring the Star of David. She organized the group’s first public action at SlutWalk Chicago, where participants displayed symbols incorporating the Star of David.[5] She stated that the group’s mission is to support Jewish activists across a range of social justice movements.

In 2017, Berman founded Zioness with a dozen friends after three Jewish participants at the Chicago Dyke March were ejected for carrying Pride flags adorned with the Star of David. Berman mobilized the new group to march in SlutWalk Chicago, a demonstration against sexual violence, bearing Star of David symbols. In 2019, stated that the group’s goal is to "empower Jewish activists in the future in every variety of social justice movement.”[6] That year, she was interviewed by NBC News for an article discussing divisions within the LGBTQ community regarding Zionism.[7]

The Zioness board includes Elisha Wiesel.[8] In her 2019 book How to Fight Anti-Semitism, Bari Weiss cited Berman’s position that antisemitism must be confronted equally, whether it comes from political allies or opponents.[9]

Berman has expressed the view that it is possible to be both Zionist and politically progressive.[10] She describes Zionism as a progressive liberation movement, and argues that Zionists have made longstanding contributions to progressive movements. She has called antisemitism in the British Labour Party harmful and has noted that white supremacist ideologies often target Jews for supporting other minority groups.[11]

In 2020, Zioness issued a statement condemning the murder of George Floyd and released a guide aimed at addressing antisemitism while supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.[12][13]

In late 2023, Berman criticized the comparison of racism in the United States to Israeli apartheid. She expressed concern over skepticism among feminists regarding reports of sexual violence committed by Hamas as argued against portraying the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in terms of Israel as the oppressor and Palestinians as the oppressed.[3][14] She also opposed intersectional efforts that treat antisemitism and Islamophobia as equivalent or inseparable.[15]

In August 2024, Berman stated in an interview with The Washington Post that American Jews largely still identify with the Democratic Party and believed anti-Zionism on the political left has grown since the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel.[16] On the sidelines at the 2024 Democratic National Convention, she moderated a Zioness panel on freedom of speech and antisemitism at universities featuring Erwin Chemerinsky and Catherine E. Lhamon.[17][18]

In September 2024, Berman served as emcee at a Rosh Hashanah ceremony held at the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C. Attendees included Michael Herzog, Deborah Lipstadt, and Anne Neuberger.[19]

Views on pro-Palestinian campus protests

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In April 2024, Berman stated in an interview with NewsNation that Columbia University was not doing enough to protect Zionist Jewish students during the Columbia University pro-Palestinian campus occupations.[20]

In November 2024, she told Moment magazine that targeting Hillel organizations on college campuses constitutes an attack on Jewish campus life.[21]

Selected articles

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  • Berman, Amanda. "Jamaal Bowman’s Defeat Is a Fatal Blow to Anti-Israel Left". The Daily Beast, 2024.[22]
  • Berman, Amanda. "Weaponizing ‘genocide’ against Jews & the truth". The New York Daily News, 2023.[23]
  • Berman, Amanda. "Reclaiming the real progressive movement". AM New York, 2023.[24]

References

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  1. ^ Jill Carvajal (March 6, 2024). "Progressive and Zionist: Social Justice and Jewish Identity with Amanda Berman, Zioness," Politics NY.
  2. ^ Zack Bodner (September 1, 2022), "At 125th anniversary of Zionism, looking forward to Zionism 3.0," JWeekly.
  3. ^ a b Schoenberg, Shira (November 13, 2023). "Is there a future for Jewish progressivism after Oct. 7?". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Amanda Berman at UC Berkeley Law". Brandeis Center - Advance the civil and human rights of the Jewish people and promote justice for all. April 17, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
  5. ^ Editorial, Jpost (August 11, 2017). "New 'progressive Zionist' group to march in Chicago SlutWalk". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  6. ^ Ladinsky, Kaylene (May 15, 2019). "Atlantans Eager to Launch Atlanta Zioness Chapter". Atlanta Jewish Times. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  7. ^ Scher, Avichai (June 21, 2019). "Israeli-Palestinian conflict tears into LGBTQ Jewish community". NBC News. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  8. ^ Weiss, Melissa (September 2, 2020). "Elisha Wiesel's next chapter". Jewish Insider. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  9. ^ Blum, Brian (July 30, 2024). "Bari Weiss's guidelines for how to fight antisemitism in the 21st century". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  10. ^ "Can You Be Zionist and Progressive? (Of Course!): Weintraub Israel Center to Bring Zioness Founder and Executive Director Amanda Berman to Tucson J, AZ Jewish Post". Arizona Jewish Post. December 29, 2024. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  11. ^ Melman, Lana (September 12, 2023). "REFLECTIONS WITH Lana Melman: It's not a Sophie's Choice". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  12. ^ Jeffries, Virginia (June 1, 2020). "26 Jewish organizations speak out on the death of George Floyd". The Forward. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  13. ^ Sobel, Ariel (June 10, 2020). "This Guide Helps Jews Tackle Anti-Semitism While Supporting Black Lives Matter". Jewish Journal. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  14. ^ Ziri, Danielle (October 27, 2023). "On Tree of Life shooting anniversary, liberal US Jews mourn alone over Hamas atrocities". The Times of Israel. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  15. ^ Deutch, Gabby (November 17, 2023). "Concerns rise over WH linkage of antisemitism, Islamophobia". Jewish Insider. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  16. ^ Alemany, Jacqueline (August 23, 2024). "Amid DNC protests, Jewish Democrats seek to claim political home on the left". Washington Post. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  17. ^ Fink, Rachel (August 22, 2024). "Antisemitism in the Academy: A DNC Panel Tries to Tackle Jewish Students' Fears on Campus". Haaretz.com. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  18. ^ Steinberg, Josh (August 23, 2024). "Ha'aretz Covers Zioness DNC Event: Antisemitism in the Academy: A DNC Panel Tries to Tackle Jewish Students' Fears on Campus". Zioness Movement. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  19. ^ Rod, Marc (October 1, 2024). "Ahead of Rosh Hashanah, Michael Herzog calls for Israel to 'reflect deeply' on mistakes surrounding Oct. 7". Jewish Insider. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  20. ^ "Columbia officials 'degrading the institution' for handling of protests: Amanda Berman". NewsNation. April 22, 2024. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  21. ^ Forman, Jacob (November 20, 2024). "Why Do Campus Protesters Want to #DropHillel?". Moment Magazine. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  22. ^ Berman, Amanda (June 26, 2024). "Jamaal Bowman's Defeat Is a Fatal Blow to Anti-Israel Left". The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  23. ^ Berman, Amanda (November 22, 2023). "Weaponizing 'genocide' against Jews & the truth". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  24. ^ Berman, Amanda (October 26, 2023). "Reclaiming the real progressive movement". amNewYork. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
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