Tzedek Chicago is a Progressive Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is one of the first synagogues in the United States to officially declare itself anti-Zionist.[1]
The congregation is led by rabbi Brant Rosen and is understood to meet at 649 Michigan Avenue, in Evanston, a northern suburb of Chicago.
History
Tzedek Chicago was founded in 2015 in Lincoln Square by the former Reconstructionist Rabbi Brant Rosen as a non-Zionist synagogue.[2] The synagogue is dedicated to social justice, universalism, and anti-racism. Many members are Millennials who feel unrepresented elsewhere in the Jewish community.[3]
The synagogue has around 300 members and 200 member families.
Anti-Zionist advocacy
In March 2022, Tzedek Chicago shifted from non-Zionism to anti-Zionism by declaring anti-Zionism to be a "core value". Rabbi Rosen stated that "Jews have a moral precept of pursuing justice and standing in solidarity with the oppressed", naming anti-Zionism as part of that effort by standing in solidarity with Palestinians. 72% of Tzedek Chicago's membership agreed with the move to declare the congregation anti-Zionist, with the rest of the members choosing to accept the decision and remain part of the congregation. A small number of Jews joined the synagogue after the decision was made to become anti-Zionist. Outside of anti-Zionist Hasidic sects such as the Satmar and a handful of non-Zionist progressive synagogues, very few synagogues in the United States openly distance themselves from the Zionist movement.[1]
While recognizing the importance of the Land of Israel to Jewish liturgy, tradition, and identity, the synagogue objects to the "fusing of Judaism with political nationalism", "openly acknowledging that the creation of an ethnic Jewish nation state in historic Palestine resulted in an injustice against its indigenous people – an injustice that continues to this day."
The decision to become anti-Zionist was highly controversial amongst pro-Israel activists, who have harshly criticized Tzedek on social media. Daniel Koren, director of the pro-Israel Hasbara Fellowships Canada, said, "I don't think they know what Judaism even is." Many pro-Israel Jewish groups in Chicago have shunned Tzedek. They are not listed on the directory of synagogues maintained by Chicago's Jewish United Fund, a historically Zionist organization.[4] The Zionist Organization of America's Morton Klein and Elizabeth A. Berney claimed that Tzedek Chicago is "an offshoot of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) that distorts and omits the essence of Judaism".[5]
References
- ^ a b "Preaching to the margins: Chicago synagogue adopts anti-Zionism as a 'core value'". The Times of Israel. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ "Chicago synagogue excoriated for shift from 'non' to 'anti' Zionism – Maybe the problem isn't the 'anti' but the 'Zionism'". Religion Dispatches. April 22, 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ "Why Millennials flock to Chicago's non-Zionist synagogue". The Times of Israel. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ "Chicago synagogue officially designates itself 'anti-Zionist'". The Forward. April 2022. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
- ^ "ZOA investigates anti-Zionist, JVP offshoot 'congregation'". Jewish News Syndicate. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
