Wrestling with Zionism

Conversation with Sarah Sills, a life-long “artist-activist” and member leader of Jewish Voice for Peace, NYC

Hundreds of thousands of people in the American Jewish community have been mobilizing over the past year – and in recent months with more urgency and pain than ever – to demand that the U.S. government no longer support the State of Israel with money and weapons. They are members and supporters of Jewish Voice for Peace, the world’s largest Jewish organization that stands in solidarity with the Palestinians by opposing Zionism. Members include Israeli Arabs and Palestinian Jews and they fights for all minorities, including black and queer minorities. They define Israel’s current war in Gaza as “a continuation of the Nakba and of 75 years of Israeli occupation and apartheid.” They oppose Zionism, which they consider, as in the 1975 UN resolution, “a form of racism”. They have 83 locations spread across the United States.

“Self-hating Jews” is how they are labeled by pro-Israel Jewish communities for supporting Palestinian rights. When directly accused of anti-Semitism, they retort: “If you have been wanting a Jewish community with justice at its core; if you have been looking to turn your anger and grief into meaningful, strategic action: join us, you belong here.” And, above all, they work to move the attitude of PEP’s, that is, of all liberal and progressive Jewish people who fail, however, to make a judgment on Israel’s occupation policy.

Sarah Sills, 67, is a member leader of JVP-NYC and a life-long artist-activist. She is also a co-editor of A Land With A People: Palestinians and Jews confront Zionism. She grew up in a progressive, secular Jewish family, marched against the Vietnam War at an early age and was active in anti-racist work in high school. She studied Chinese in college and then organized trade union trips to China for the Teamsters Union. She co-led one of these trips and was intrigued, even with its shortcomings, by the ways the revolution was bolstering the lives of the most disadvantaged. She worked for a Haitian newspaper in the 80’s and traveled to Haiti to help document Jean Bertrand Aristide’s presidential inauguration. In the early 90’s during El Salvador’s civil war she helped raise money for women’s cooperatives.

She didn’t find her true political home until after her trip to Palestine in 2012. That experience made it clear that her Jewish identity mattered and she made a commitment to support the Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice, equality and dignity.

How much courage did it take for you to take such strong positions, such as calling for the disarmament of Israel, in a community that is held together by very strong cultural ties, historical events, and collective traumas, of which the Shoah is perhaps only the largest scale?

No courage in my case as I did not grow up in a household that followed the Zionist playbook. In fact, I don’t recall Israel being talked about at all although in retrospect I realized that my grandmother was most likely a Zionist. Prior to my trip to Palestine, I would have described myself as a humanist before saying I was Jewish. I have so much respect for our many JVP members who have had to unlearn Zionism and also have to navigate very challenging relationships with their families and others in their Jewish communities.

What was your personal encounter with JVP?

A year after my husband, David Bragin, and I returned from Palestine, we attended our first JVP meeting. It was a small group of mostly older members and we were lucky to hear from the then executive director who was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about Palestinian rights. At a protest soon after I was greeted warmly by a young staff person and that encounter pulled me in. The next year I became part of the Artists Council and attended a weekend retreat with other artists from across the country. Throughout that weekend I was blown away by the level of organization and care that went into the meetings and events; its feminist and queer leadership; the sharp analysis and strategic focus; and the culture of care, respect, warmth and humor. I had found my political home.

You are a graphic designer, aren’t you?

I came to design through my activism. My parents were secular Jews and humanists who instilled a strong sense of justice and the importance of fighting for what’s right in all of their children. We marched for civil rights and against the Vietnam War and at an early age I was offended by the unattractive designs of fliers handed out at these actions. I thought I could do better and while I never studied design or went to art school, I always volunteered to make fliers and posters when they were called for and eventually started teaching myself design programs on the Mac and getting work, first in production and then design. I’ve been doing pro bono design work since 1988.

How much does your role as an artist in society influence your work as an activist for JVP and vice versa?

As an artist-activist I play many different roles as a member leader of JVPNYC. I help bring artists together to create banners and other types of art for our actions and am gratified to be able to offer my graphic design skills when needed.
Since becoming involved with JVP I feel, for the first time in my life, that I’m able to bring my whole self to the work of organizing. Making art, connecting with artists, working with the strategy and tactical teams to plan the art needed for our actions, organizing art builds, advocating for musicality in our chants, sharing upcoming films and plays that relate to Palestine, focusing on making our messaging clear and beautiful are among the things I/we do as artists in the chapter.
I feel incredibly lucky to be part of an organization that values and prioritizes the role artists have to play in changing the narrative and moving people’s hearts and minds.

How much trust do you place in instruments like theater and books alongside mobilization in the streets?

I think they are incredibly important. We just had an event with Rashid Khalidi, author of “The Hundreds Year War” and the venue was packed. We encourage our members to form book groups and attend films and theater together.

More broadly speaking, what is in your opinion the relationship between art and human rights, and the responsibility of the artist?

Perhaps the best way to answer this is to talk about how I came to believe that art is a way to open people’s eyes and hearts.
My parents heralded art in all its forms: visual, music, theater, books, plays, poetry. They also valued artists who dedicated themselves to making the world more just, inclusive and beautiful.  We were introduced to Ben Shahn, Diego Rivera, Miro, Chagall and Picasso. We Shall Overcome was a soundtrack in our house as was the music of Pete Seeger, the Weavers, Miriam Makeba, Paul Robeson, Victor Jara, Mercedes Sosa, and Holly Near. We were encouraged to read Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, Maya Angelou among so many others. I still recall a poster in my mother’s office at the Human Rights Commission in Stamford, CT., which left a big impression on me. It’s a simple and whimsical drawing of a childlike flower with a thought provoking message: “War is not healthy for children and other living things.” So true.
Art, beauty and authenticity have the capacity to touch people’s hearts and this is often what moves people to action. As an artist I feel it’s my responsibility to do my best to create beautiful and powerful images.

Tell me about the “evening of theatre, poetry & conversation” called “Wrestling with Zionism”.

Wrestling with Zionism grew out of a JVP-New York City chapter meeting in 2015 where we read articles and shared our personal relationships to Zionism. Chapter members Rosalind Petchesky, Esther Farmer and I found these stories to be very compelling and decided to collect them into a self-published book which we called Confronting Zionism. All of the stories, with the exception of one by a Palestinian-American, were from Jewish American and Jewish Israeli members of our chapter.
Esther, who has a background in community theater, thought these stories would make a great performance piece which became “Wrestling with Zionism: A Readers Theater.” She directed and I produced ten performances which took place in churches and theater venues. No synagogue would host us. As time went on we invited Palestinian friends to share their stories so by the time we had our last performance, a few weeks before Covid descended, our cast was half Jewish and half Palestinian.
After each performance we invited the audience to turn to someone they didn’t know and share their thoughts about the play and/or their own stories vis-a-vis Zionism. Each time, within moments, there was utter cacophony. People always had a lot to say which was very gratifying. Many people shared with us how much it meant to them to be surrounded by mostly like-minded people as many people felt unsafe sharing their views with family and friends.

Let’s talk about PEPs. This is a key issue. And it ties in with the courage I was asking about as the first thing. What are the best tools in your opinion to engage other American Jews?

Wrestling with Zionism has been an excellent way of engaging with American Jews. We also have a project called “How to Have Hard Conversations” which equips people to engage with people who don’t agree with our positions. We often talk about the importance of reaching the “movable middle”, the people who are questioning or open to having conversations. PEPs often fall into that category. Our job is to help people see the contradiction in claiming to value freedom, equality and human rights for all while making an exception for Palestine. One of the lines that resonates for me is “Justice for all, not just us.”

How much did the Tent of Nation experience influence you? Do you still have a relationship with them?

I found their story heartbreaking and moving. I have not kept in touch. We also met Mohammed Sawalha on that trip, the Executive Director of the Palestinian House of Friendship in Nablus on the West Bank. Upon our return in 2012 I joined the American Friends of PHF and still work with this group closely, creating graphics and fundraising.