With 'Jew Jitsu', Dmitri Shufutinsky wants to flip anti-Israel arguments on their head

How many times have you heard claims that Israel is an imperialist country? That Israelis are settlers on Arab land? That Israel is an apartheid state? As a black, gay Jewish man, Dmitri Shufutinsky has heard it all. He spent years on American campuses before flying to the Middle East and joining the Israel Defense Forces, giving him a full view of what the common anti-Israel arguments are. Too much time and energy, he felt, was being spent focusing on right-wing antisemitism. He wanted to look at the left.

After the conflict that erupted between Israel and Hamas in May 2021, Shufutinsky decided to start writing a book to counter the common talking points. He finished the entire manuscript before Oct. 7, 2023—and now, one year after the Hamas attack that saw 1,200 Israelis killed or kidnapped, he's finally publishing it under the title of Jew Jitsu: Turning Our Enemies’ Arguments Against Them.

Shufutinsky joins to discuss his book and some of the themes behind it on Rivkush, The CJN's podcast spotlighting notable Jews of colour.

Credits

• Host: Rivka Campbell
• Producer: Michael Fraiman
• Music: Westside Gravy

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