Dr. Elana Maryles Sztokman was raised and socialized into religious Zionism, and moved to Israel as a young mother where she devoted herself to Orthodox Judaism, education, and fighting for Israel. Until she landed in a pro-Israeli advocacy job and discovered some dark underpinnings of the ideology that she had dedicated her life to. And then everything started to unravel.
After years of seeking out the truth about the world in which she lives, Dr. Sztokman made some drastic changes in her life, becoming active in advancing shared society, peace, and a different vision for the entire region.
In this volume, Dr. Sztokman uses her professional of an rhetorical analysis cultivated from years of anthropological research, and unpacks the language and ideas that drive the pro-Israel advocacy movement and are used to justify cruel actions and attitudes. In the process, she makes some drastic personal changes, shifts her own Jewish identity, and advocates for a different vision of what it means to live in a Jewish state.
"One of the most insightful observers of contemporary Israeli culture, Elana Sztokman gives us a passionate critique of its political conflicts. With a sharp eye on the ways religion and gender are manipulated, she opens new ways of thinking about Judaism and Zionism that offer possibilities of a peaceful future."
Prof. Susannah Heschel, Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor, Dartmouth College
"A challenging and important read for those brave enough to question their beliefs to make the world a better place."
Julie Gray, author, The True Adventures of Gidon Lev, and Let's Make Things Better
"This is a must read for any American Jewish person who cares about Israel-Palestine and the people in it. It's a mirror we all need to look into."
Becca Strober, political strategist, educator, former senior director with Breaking the Silence, and Instagram influencer @becca explains the occupation
"A searingly brave look at Israel today and at what the area between the river and the sea can be, if only we can imagine a future defined by equality for everyone. Sztokman is the best kind of patriot: one who is not willing to give up on freedom, justice and compassion."
Mira Sucharov, Professor of Political Science at Carleton University, and author of Borders and Belonging: A Memoir
"Riveting! Elana Sztokman is an excellent writer, clear and illuminating. This book helped me understand my own feelings about the conflict and make some order out of everything we see and hear about it."
Reva Mann, author of The Rabbi's Daughter
"Honest, fresh, and heartfelt, Sztokman's very personal journey is a roadmap for two peoples to find their way to common ground. She teaches us that negating your adversary's story doesn't strengthen your own. An important approach to a critical subject at an inflection point for Israelis, Jews, Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims. A must-read."
A. J. Sidransky, author of Incident at San Miguel and Forgiving Maximo Rothman
Industry Reviews
Praise for In My Jewish State
"Mahatma Gandhi wrote: 'Be the change that you wish to see in the world.' Dr. Elana Sztokman's book 'In My Jewish State' is certainly worthy of this phrase. In a world and more specifically a region fraught with conflict, it is vital to read Elana's personal journey as she takes us through her own recognition that conflict is created by two (or more) parties, and reconciliation leading starts with true meaningful dialogue between people."
Ethan Kushner, Chair, American Democrats in Israel
"By sharing her difficult journey, Elana invites readers to question entrenched narratives, embrace empathy, and seek a more just and peaceful future. She is making a bold call for conscience and change in the face of systemic hate and prejudice."
Rabbi Jeanette Friedman, Jewschool
"While acknowledging the horror of that day for the innocent Israelis murdered, Sztokman builds a strong case for seeing October 7th as a pivot point to obtain a lasting peace. The book bares her compassionate Jewish soul as a social activist, organizer, and author, and offers a cogent argument for a peaceful solution to the seemingly unsolvable Israel-Palestine nightmare. Her combination of honesty, compassion .and incisiveness is remarkable."
Sandra Laub, Playwright/performer of her one-woman/many-voices play about October 7th, Picking Up Stones: An American Jew Wakes To A Nightmare
"A detailed and profound testimony of a Jewish orthodox woman's journey of liberation from the Zionist indoctrination of Hebrew schools in Brooklyn to the realization that Israeli crimes against Palestinians cannot be condoned. Though it is personal, the analysis is systematic and well informed, and can serve as an edifying source of answers to those who are in doubt about the truth in Israeli propagandic education."
Prof. Nurit Peled-Elhanan, Sakharov Prize Laureate for Human Rights and the Freedom of thought
"Elana writes from the heart with the academic training steering the analysis. Her style is clear, the approach simple and accessible for people with an open mind, without difficult or high-brow terminology. She has written with honesty yet humility and sensitivity, openly sharing pain and fears even as she addresses the 'need to distinguish between actual antisemitism and legitimate feedback about the pain we have been causing to others.' The book speaks to everyone, regardless of your background or religion. If we could all just try a little of Elana's approach, there would be less pain and more understanding."
Michele Ran, peace activator
"Elana Sztokman's journey - and her memoir capturing it - shows how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is perpetuated in part by the over-simplifying narratives people often hold. As an Israeli (and American) Jew, she shares her own process of gradually questioning and deconstructing the Jewish narrative, and then reconstructing a narrative which gives space for the legitimate needs and identities of both Jews and Palestinians while staying rooted in deep commitment to Israel and the Jewish people.
Rebecca Bardach, writer and activist
