Who We Are

The American Council for Judaism holds that Jews do not constitute a singular nation or people, but rather represent a plurality of peoples united by their shared commitment to the ongoing, evolving interpretation and practice of Torah across diverse global contexts. The experiences of Jews under various nationalist frameworks highlight the ruptures and violence caused by nationalism worldwide. Judaism transcends national borders and nationalist ideologies, including Zionism, which have too often fostered division and violence. ACJ envisions a Judaism that embraces this global plurality, fostering connections based on ethical commitments rather than exclusionary national identities.

The term Torah encompasses the entirety of Jewish cultural, religious, philosophical, and practical development. Torah predates modern distinctions between “secular” and “religious,” reflecting the organic, dynamic evolution of Jewish traditions as they unfold continuously throughout history. This ongoing process connects diverse expressions of Judaism across generations, cultures, and geographies, rooting contemporary Jewish life in foundational narratives, values, and practices established in the earliest stages of recorded human history, and now shared worldwide.

There are many ways to interpret the different covenants between God and the patriarchs in Genesis. From our standpoint, it certainly is not clear that the Torah meant that a modern state was promised to Abraham or his descendants, and, in fact, as the covenant progresses, it suggests that the descendants will live all over the world. 

In Genesis 28:14, God promises Jacob (the ancestor of the Israelites and their descendants) that his offspring will be spread throughout the entire world, and will be a blessing to all the families of the earth, adding a specified layer to the covenant between God and Abraham regarding Judaism moving beyond the boundaries of “the promised land.” 

Tradition tells us that Torah has many faces, and in this instance, this wisdom holds true. The early Reformers objected to Zionism due to their belief that Jews are not a nation, and therefore Jewish nationalism is antithetical to our role in the world. Many Jews today object to the practices undertaken to accomplish and continue the Zionist project today on the basis of the ethics of Torah.

From another angle, some read religious Jewish tradition explicitly forbids a mass return to the land by Jews. Talmud Ketubot 111a states:

Jews should not ascend to Eretz Yisrael as a wall, but little by little… God adjured the Jews that they should not rebel against the rule of the nations of the world. And God adjured the nations of the world that they should not subjugate the Jews excessively.

This is commonly understood to be a prohibition of a mass forced return of Jews to Palestine prior to the coming of the Messiah.

The American Council for Judaism defines Zionism as the Modern Jewish nationalist movement, and, in positioning itself beyond nationalism, is therefore counter to Zionism’s totalizing nationalist aims for Jews worldwide. Jewish communal institutions which fall under Zionism’s umbrella exclude anti-Zionist, and non-Zionist, Jews from community resources. Further, Zionism's implementation of Jewish nationalism has historically acted to dispossess, subjugate, and kill Palestinians, a process which continues to this day. The American Council for Judaism opposes these totalizing claims of Jewish nationalism, as well as the actions taken by the state of Israel that are driven by Jewish nationalism, and seeks to support those who align with our goals of Judaism beyond nationalism.

While recognizing that the land of Israel has deep cultural, spiritual, and historical significance for Jews worldwide, ACJ asserts that this connection does not require the establishment or perpetuation of a state structured around Jewish privilege. Instead, ACJ advocates transforming Israel-Palestine into a genuinely pluralistic democracy where Jews, Palestinians, and all inhabitants are treated equally, with dignity and full civil rights.

Crucially, ACJ emphasizes that the Israeli government must responsibly confront the historical and ongoing harm inflicted upon Palestinians by the Zionist project—harms committed during the state’s founding, perpetuated through occupation, and intensified by systemic violence and oppression now widely recognized as meeting definitions of genocide. Justice demands a transparent process of truth-telling, tangible reparations such as the right of return and restitution, and meaningful reconciliation.

Informed by historical precedents of reconciliation such as those undertaken in South Africa and Ireland, these actions can foster genuine coexistence rooted in mutual recognition, equality, and respect. ACJ believes that only by honestly reckoning with past injustices and embracing democratic values grounded in Judaism’s ethical teachings of universal human dignity can Israel-Palestine achieve lasting peace, security, and healing for all its inhabitants.

The “old ACJ” was founded in a time prior to the state of Israel’s founding, prior to the totalizing hold Zionism has successfully gained over the primary bodies of the American Jewish institutional world, and prior to the proliferation of various Jewish denominations in America. Now, over eighty years on, the ACJ exists in a transformed cultural climate in which its founders’ viewpoints have been proven prophetic. As Jews all over America, and all over the world, seek new visions for how to understand themselves and practice their Judaism, the ACJ is poised to provide resources for the next stage of Judaism, moving beyond nationalism.

Just as “the old ACJ” was organized into chapters and provided those chapters with resources, “the new ACJ” enriches individuals through providing education towards personal practice, Jewish history, and finding or creating local communities of like-minded Jews.

Jews all over the world can benefit from the ACJ’s educational resources, and training on how to build communities of Judaism Beyond Nationalism wherever they are. The ACJ seeks to return the tools of Judaism to the hands of Jews themselves - and anyone interested can begin this journey with us.