Zochrot (Remembrance) is a Jewish activist group based in that advocates for the interests of Palestinian Arabs and opposes the perceived expansionist policies of the Israeli state.

Background and Initiatives

The group was founded in 2002 following the collapse of the Israel-Palestinian peace negotiation proceedings that began in Oslo, Norway and ended with the start of the second Palestinian Intifada (Uprising). The group’s overarching objective is to normalize the idea that the Arab populations of the Gaza Strip, West Bank of the Jordan River, and other contested areas must be allowed to reclaim the lands which they left or were removed from following the 1948 Israeli War of Independence and subsequent conflicts. According to Zochrot, the lack of knowledge of and unwillingness to reckon with what Palestinians call the Nakba (Catastrophe) of losing their ancestral homeland has led to an “impasse” in Israel-Palestinian peace negotiations. The group also opposes Zionism as a political ideology, arguing that the Israeli state must end policies perceived to privilege the interests of Jews and marginalize Arabs. According to Zochrot, Zionism is “inseparable from race ideologies” such as “white supremacy,” as well as an impediment to advancing left-wing gender and class ideologies. ¹

In addition to its advocacy aimed at other Jews, Zochrot offers a variety of resources to Palestinians intended to educate them on their history from an Israel-critical perspective and develop their national consciousness. This includes tours of former Arab areas now inhabited by Jews, informational publications, and digital media offering proposed views of a future pro-Palestinian state on current Israeli territory. ^{2 3} In addition, the group has hosted several “Return Conferences” for pro-Palestine and anti-Israel activists to network and organize. ⁴

Zochrot has received funding from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a grantmaking organization associated with the Rockefeller Foundation, one of the most influential left-of-center philanthropic institutions in the United States which was founded by members of the industrialist family. ⁵ Zochrot has also had a number of its informational resources included in the United Nations (UN) database on the Israel-Palestine conflict. ⁶

Leadership

Tom Pessah is a member of the Zochrot board of directors. He was previously involved with the United States-based far-left group National Students for Justice in Palestine. ^{7 8}

Rachel Beitarie is the director of Zochrot. She also founded PSee, which she describes as “an independent feminist media organization” in Israel. In addition, Beitarie has worked for a pro-Palestinian legal activist group and reported on human rights issues in China. ⁹

Liat Rosenberg is the resource development coordinator at Zochrot. Rosenberg, who describes herself as a “political feminist activist,” was the group’s previous director. ¹⁰

Yaara Begner Alaluf is the political education coordinator at Zochrot. She identifies herself as a “feminist political activist” and has been involved with left-wing causes in Israel and Germany. ¹¹

Associates

Scott Leckie, a prominent legal activist involved with refugee issues around the world, presented to Zochrot in 2005. Leckie has worked in more than 80 countries and claims that his “interventions” have helped prevent “hundreds of thousands” of people from being evicted or displaced. In his address, Leckie argued for a large-scale restitution program to be imposed on Israeli authorities and society to allow Palestinians to take the lands and homes which they claim were previously theirs or the property of their expelled ancestors. ¹²

In 2017, Zochrot activist Jessica Nevo participated in a forum organized by the UN together with representatives of the American Friends Service Committee, a left-of-center Quaker advocacy organization, as well as the United States-based pro-Palestine group Jewish Voice for Peace. The forum was convened to mark 50 years of what it called “Israeli occupation” and expressed support for the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. ¹³

Funding

In 2020, Zochrot received more than $300,000 in grants and contributions. According to the Israeli government’s registrar of nonprofit organizations, the group received more than $2 million from foreign governments between 2012 and 2021, and between 2017 and 2019, nearly 80 percent of donations came from sources outside of the country. Funders of Zochrot have included the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the British partner organization of Oxfam America, the Quaker-aligned American Friends Service Committee, the Mennonite Central Committee, and the pro-Palestinian Jewish Voice for Peace. ¹⁴

1. “Our Story.” Zochrot. Accessed June 18, 2023. https://www.zochrot.org/articles/view/17/en?Our_Story
2. “Tours.” Zochrot. Accessed June 18, 2023. https://www.zochrot.org/tours/all/en?Tours
3. “Our Story.” Zochrot. Accessed June 18, 2023. https://www.zochrot.org/articles/view/17/en?Our_Story
4. ^[1]“Return Conference.” Zochrot. Accessed June 18, 2023. https://www.zochrot.org/sections/view/27/en?Return_Conferences
5. “Zochrot.” Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Accessed June 18, 2023. https://www.rbf.org/grantees/zochrot
6. ^[1]“Zochrot Archives.” United Nations. Accessed June 18, 2023. https://www.un.org/unispal/document-source/zochrot/
7. “Staff and Board.” Zochrot. Accessed June 18, 2023. https://www.zochrot.org/articles/view/21/en?Our_People
8. “Zochrot.” NGO Monitor. Accessed June 18, 2023. https://www.ngo-monitor.org/ngos/zochrot/
9. “Staff and Board.” Zochrot. Accessed June 18, 2023. https://www.zochrot.org/articles/view/21/en?Our_People
10. “Staff and Board.” Zochrot. Accessed June 18, 2023. https://www.zochrot.org/articles/view/21/en?Our_People
11. “Staff and Board.” Zochrot. Accessed June 18, 2023. https://www.zochrot.org/articles/view/21/en?Our_People
12. Scott Leckie. “Refugee Property and the Right of Return.” Zochrot. April 2005. Accessed June 18, 2023. https://www.zochrot.org/publication_articles/view/51016/en?Refugee_Property_and_the_Right_of_Return
13. “Nobel Peace Laureate Stresses Need for Greater Civil Society Involvement in Push to End Occupation of Palestinian Lands, in Keynote Address to June Forum,” United Nations. June 30, 2017. Accessed June 19, 2023. https://press.un.org/en/2017/gapal1390.doc.htm
14. “Zochrot.” NGO Monitor. Accessed June 18, 2023. https://www.ngo-monitor.org/ngos/zochrot/