RECLAIMING JUDAISM FROM ZIONISM | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation
Date and Time
Nov 19, 2026 6:00 pm
Location
450K
450 K St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20001
Nov 19, 2026 6:00 pm
450K
In this powerful collection of personal narratives, forty-seven Jews of diverse backgrounds tell a wide range of stories about the roads they have traveled from a Zionist world view to activism in solidarity with Palestinians and Israelis striving to build an inclusive society founded on justice, equality, and peaceful coexistence.
Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism will be controversial. Its contributors welcome the long overdue public debate. They want to demolish stereotypes of dissenting Jews as ""self-hating,"" traitorous, and anti-Semitic. They want to introduce readers to the large and growing community of Jewish activists who have created organizations such as Jewish Voice for Peace, IfNotNow, and Open Hillel. They want to strengthen alliances with progressives of all faiths. Above all, they want to nurture models of Jewish identity that replace ethnic exclusiveness with solidarity, Zionism with a Judaism once again nourished by a transcendent ethical vision.
Carolyn Karcher is joining us on the Busboys stage alongside Eliana Fishman, Kate Sugarman, Adina Cohen, and Lily Greenberg Call to “walk the path of human rights activism inspired by the values of justice, solidarity, and equality held sacred in the prophetic Jewish tradition” (Friends Journal, Quaker Book Reviews. Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Karcher will be signing following the program.
This event is free and open to all. Doors open to guests at 5:30pm. Our program begins at 6:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of RECLAIMING JUDAISM FROM ZIONISM will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person and will not be livestreamed.
We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books
Carolyn L. Karcher is professor emerita of English, American studies, and women’s studies at Temple University. Her latest book is A Refugee from His Race: Albion W. Tourgée and His Fight against White Supremacy (2016).
Eliana Fishman lives, works, organizes, and prays in Washington, DC. She runs a Facebook group called “A Group for Zionists to Ask Questions, and for Jewish Non- and Anti-Zionists to Answer.”
Kate Sugarman has spent her career as a family doctor in community clinics for the underserved. She is an active member of D4CC, Doctors for Camp Closure. She is on the steering committee of Medical Providers Network at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest. She is an active member of Jewish Voice for Peace, DC Metro region.
Adina Cohen earned her law degree in 2011 while already well into her longstanding career in employment benefits. As a Senior Compliance Analyst, she is committed to ensuring fairness, clarity, and accountability in workplace benefits programs. In addition to her professional work, she has always maintained a strong commitment to public service within her county and activist communities.
Lily Greenberg Call is an organizer, activist, public servant, and Jewish community leader. She served as a political appointee in the Biden-Harris administration and was the only Jewish appointee to publicly resign from the administration in protest of US support for Israel’s war in Gaza.
BOOK DETAILS
Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism
A Moral Imperative After the Gaza Genocide
By Carolyn Karcher
October 13, 2026 | Paperback, 352 Pages, $25.00
