Stefanie Fox: Not in Our Name - Jewish Anti-Zionism Amid an Expanding Iran War

What does it mean when the world's largest progressive Jewish organisation says "not in our name"? This week on the leadership podcast If You Were In Charge, Sanam and Kavita sit down with Stefanie Fox, Executive Director of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), to explore the growing movement of Jewish anti-Zionism in America and beyond. Stefanie walks us through how JVP now three times the size it was three years ago is organising hundreds of thousands of Jews to withdraw their complicity from Israeli apartheid and genocide through boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns, Israel bonds divestment at city and state level, and deep cultural work reclaiming Judaism beyond Zionism. From the mechanics of how American taxpayer money flows to the Israeli treasury, to the personal cost of leading a movement under legal attack and White House scrutiny, Stefanie offers a clear-eyed, hopeful account of what collective organising can achieve and why refusing the politics of despair is itself an act of resistance. We are also joined by Sanams daughter Soleh joins us from Cambridge. Where she gives her view on JVP and their role in the student protests over Gaza. A leadership podcast about people, power and possibilities. Guest: Stefanie Fox, Executive Director, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Links: Jewish Voice for Peace Wrestling with Zionism storytelling project If You Were In Charge Enjoyed this episode? Follow If You Were In Charge wherever you listen and leave a rating to help more people find the show. Get in touch and stay connected: Email ICAN: [email protected] Sign up to the ICAN newsletter: https://icanpeacework.org/2025/03/sign-up-to-icans-newsletter/ More from us: adapodcasts.com If You Were In Charge is brought to you by ICAN, the International Civil Society Action Network. An ADA Production. Original Music, Little Monster Media  Executive Producer: Pearse Lynch This is an ⁠⁠⁠⁠ADA Production⁠ TIMESTAMPED CHAPTER MARKERS 00:00 – 00:33 | Cold Open 00:33 – 01:27 | Intro & Welcome Sanam introduces the episode. Soleh joins from Cambridge. 01:27 – 02:16 | How they got Stefanie 02:16 – 04:36 | Soleh on JVP's cultural impact Separating anti-Zionism from anti-Semitism. 04:36 – 06:28 | JVP's statement on the war on Iran 06:28 – 08:50 | Asymmetric warfare If Iran survives, it's winning. The logic of escalation on all sides. 08:50 – 09:40 | Iran's opposition & the monarchists Both regime and opposition willing to sacrifice the nation. Reza Pahlavi's MAGA-style approach. 09:40 – 11:04 | Global ripple effects Gas shortages in India, Sri Lanka rationing, Pakistan's crisis — the war's worldwide impact. 11:04 – 13:31 | Geography & supply chains Soleh's generation discovering the Strait of Hormuz. 13:31 – 14:13 | Language & culture 14:13 – 15:43 | Happy Nowruz 15:43 – 16:35 | Human cost of targeted killings Larijani's assassination and 100+ civilian deaths. 16:35 – 17:17 | Transition to interview Stefanie welcomed on. 17:17 – 20:07 | Who is JVP? World's largest progressive Jewish org for Palestinian rights. 100+ chapters. Three times the size it was three years ago. 20:07 – 21:05 | Growth amid horror More grassroots power than ever, yet the genocide continues. 21:05 – 23:45 | What is Zionism? Why anti-Zionism? Zionism as political ideology leading to expulsion and ethnostate. True safety through solidarity. 23:45 – 26:23 | Self-censorship & the anti-Semitism smear Sanam on 20 years of self-censorship in America. South Africa parallel. 26:23 – 28:42 | JVP's day-to-day work Three pillars: political, financial, cultural. BDS campaigns and Israel bonds divestment. 27:38 – 30:27 | Israel bonds explained 30:27 – 32:20 | BDS-proofing the economy How Israel uses bonds to underwrite the war economy. Public opinion shifting. 32:20 – 34:31 | Complicity & tax resistance Nuremberg tribunals, aiding and abetting through taxes. BDS as collective action. 35:03 – 39:50 | Culture shift Anti-Zionist Jews since the 19th century. Identity fusion only since 1967. Wrestling with Zionism project. 39:58 – 42:54 | Sanam on Iranian Jews & identity Iran's Jewish community. Being labelled anti-Semitic in America for criticising Israel. 42:54 – 44:44 | Anti-Semitism & Zionism as "cousins" Montague and the Balfour Declaration. Both ideologies rooted in Western nation-state building. 44:44 – 47:17 | Threats, lawsuits & Project Esther Five active lawsuits. Named in Project Esther. On a White House list. 47:17 – 48:46 | Q: Radical idea that should be normal? 47:59 – 49:56 | Q: If you were in charge of US policy? Full divestment, end US funding of Israel, invest in life-sustaining programmes. 50:02 – 51:13 | Q: Billionaire / What gives you hope? No billionaires. Hope = organising and refusing the politics of despair. 51:13 – 53:50 | Tangible wins $30 million divested from Israel bonds in the last month. Mamdani's election. 53:50 – 58:41 | If you were in charge of the media Manufacturing consent. The debunked NY Times piece. Passive voice on Gaza vs. Ukraine. Assassinated Palestinian journalists. 58:41 – 59:32 | Closing "Hope is great, but it's the strategy that really matters." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices