Jewcy Retreat 2004 Workshop
on Anti-Jewish Internalized Oppression (AJ-IO)

Developed by Jewcy members Stosh Cotler and Eric Hamako

Agenda:

-Icebreaker

-Group agreements

-Agenda

-Goals

-Theory & terms

-Pair share

-Anti-Jewish Internalized Oppression & race, class, & gender

-Healing: Mind/ Body/ Spirit

-Closing

*************************************************************************

Goals:

1.  Identify aspects of AJ-IO in society

2.  Understand how we take in anti-Jewish oppression

3.  Identify what we have personally taken in, and what we're struggling with.

4.  Identify ways to resist, cope with, and heal from AJ-IO

*************************************************************************

Anti-Semitism/ Jewish Oppression

-The systematic discrimination against, denigration, or oppression of Jews,
Judaism, and the cultural, intellectual and religious heritages of Jewish
people.

Common Characteristics:

-cyclical

-invisible

-minimized

-Jews in positions as "middlemen"

*************************************************************************

Institutions (brainstorm):

military

courts

police

schools

media

immigration

prisons

family

religious institutions

corporations

*************************************************************************

Oppressions (continua of violence):

-Anti-Jewish oppression

-Classism

-ableism

-racism

-transphobia

-sexism

-homophobia

-adultism

-ageism

-generationism

-sizeism

Continua of violence:

jokes, stereotypes, assimilation of different accents/ languages, Christmas,
discrimination, silencing, not funding, conspiracy theories, assault, access
to power, expulsion, no $$$/ resources, murder, erasure of history

*************************************************************************

(Drawing of person and vectors of oppression coming down from above, pushing
down into the body, leaving the body horizontally to other group members or
below to other groups' members

*************************************************************************

Pair Share:

1.  How have you been targetted by anti-Jewish oppression?

2.  What do Jews do that really drives you up the wall?

*************************************************************************

Statements for AJIO, Class, race, gender activity:

-I am athletic

-I come from a wealthy family

-I am smart

-My body is perfect as is

-I am frugal

-I am obligated to my community

-I am religious

-I don't fit in

*************************************************************************

1.  Silently (all at once): take a moment to reflect.  What types of messages
(about being Jewish) did you hear from your family, neighbors, schoolmates,
TV, etc. that shaped how you personally related to this statement?

2.  Share:  How did race, class and/or gender impact your relationship to
this statement and the messages you were getting?

*************************************************************************