Jews Against White Supremacy (JAWS)

JAWS’s activist activities include mobilizing anti-Zionist Jews; engaging in direct action opposing Jewish Zionist institutions and cultural Zionism; creating educational initiatives to support its ideology; building networks of anti-Zionist Jews and their allies; and working to hold Israel accountable as an “apartheid state.” ³

History and Leadership

Jews Against White Supremacy was founded in August 2023. ^{4 5 4} As of August 2024, the organization claimed branches in Philadelphia, New York City, ¹ the San Francisco Bay Area, Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom. ^{6 3}

Michael Wisnefsky and Rebecca Gross are two of JAWS’s organizers. ⁷ Wisnefsky has said that fighting Zionist institutions that have been responsible for “perpetuating a genocide in Palestine” is at the core of JAWS. ³

Activities

Jews Against White Supremacy was founded as an explicitly anti-Zionist, anti-colonial, anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, and internationalist organization. ¹ JAWS exists to fight for what it calls the liberation of Palestine by any means possible, claims that it is an imperative for Jews to oppose Jewish Zionist institutions, ³ and states that action against Jewish Zionist and secular Zionist institutions such as arms manufacturers is critical. ⁶

The organization is a self-described “revolutionary socialist,” intersectional feminist, queer, and trans organization that opposes white supremacy, Zionism, antisemitism, racism, Islamophobia, transphobia, and homophobia. ⁵ JAWS claims that genocide is being committed in their name as Jews and that that the entire Zionist project has been committed in their name as well. ⁶

Activities

Jews Against White Supremacy works to challenge and abolish Zionist Jewish institutions. Its activist activities include organizing anti-Zionist Jews, taking direct action, running educational campaigns, and building networks. ⁶

In November 2023, JAWS published an article claiming that everyone must oppose what they call “Zionist settler colonial genocide.” It said it must be unabashedly anti-Zionist, support a ceasefire in Gaza, and that the organization must not stop until “Palestine is free from the river to the sea.” ⁶

Some of the organization’s key objectives include the mobilization of anti-Zionist Jews; direct activism and action opposing Jewish Zionist institutions and cultural Zionism; educational initiatives to support its ideology; building networks of anti-Zionist Jews and their allies; and holding Israel accountable as an “apartheid state.” ³   

JAWS is a signatory of Safety is Not Transnational’s petition opposing the criminalization of students, faculty, and others for speaking out and organizing against what it calls the “genocide of Palestinians in Israel.” ⁸ JAWS shared a post claiming that “Zionism is a form of settler colonialism; it’s an extension of Western imperialism, and that the ruling class understands any anti-Zionist formation is anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist.” ⁹

JAWS has recruited new members with slogans and posters saying that “if you are anti-Zionist, anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, and support Palestinian liberation by any means necessary, please join in its fight to dismantle the Jewish Zionist.” ²

JAWS has hosted an event at University of California Santa Cruz that was condemned by the pro-Israel group StandWithUs for requiring attendees to affirm that “antizionism is not antisemitism.” ¹⁰ The group is a signatory of a letter of organizations opposing the left-of-center Anti-Defamation League organized by DropTheADL. ^{11 7}