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Check out Penny’s new page: »Palestine/Israel since October 7th!

Hear Penny’s October 10, 2023, hour-long interview on KPFA fm with host Mitch Jesurich, including call-ins: »The Palestine/Israel Conflict: Processing the Tragedy and Finding Justice

Hear Penny speak about “Jewish Ancestral Healing” — an audio interview by Rae Abileah, in the series hosted by Taya Ma Shere, August 2022: »Register here – for FREE – to receive the link to the hour-long interview

Check out Penny’s virtual webinar for the Boulder Jewish Community Center, moderated by Rabbi Tirzah Firestone (11/14/21): »Choosing Justice Despite our Fears: Uprooting Internalized Antisemitism & White Supremacy

Confused about anti-Semitism?

Learn more, in a digestible way—including the connection to white supremacy and white nationalism:

Bring me to your town, bookstore, synagogue, women’s center, school, community group, conference, book club to do a READING or a WORKSHOP or both! »Talks & Workshops

HOPE into PRACTICE JEWISH WOMEN CHOOSING JUSTICE DESPITE OUR FEARS

In these times of war, inhumanity, and a myriad of crises, there is also inspiring activism. Hope into Practice is an activist’s call to heal the world: about human liberation, linking personal healing with social justice.

Anchored in Jewish ethical tradition and community-building – and sharing stories from Jewish women and gender-queer folks – it includes themes of racial justice & white privilege, to healing internalized anti-Semitism; from anti-Semitism & Islamophobia to alliance-building; from historical Jewish resistance to persecution to healing ancestral Jewish trauma; and from Jewish multiculturalism to human rights in Israel-Palestine.

"Let’s remember the connections between our own immigrant pasts and those trying to slip across U.S. borders to escape grinding poverty…"
»TOGGLE VIEW full excerpt from Hope into Practice

Excerpt from Hope into Practice for these times!

“Let’s remember the connections between our own immigrant pasts and those trying to slip across U.S. borders to escape grinding poverty. The connections between today’s racial profiling and our own histories…between pogroms or forced exile and current Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportations, wrenching apart families. Between coerced service in the tsar’s army and the recruitment of young people of color to fight U.S. wars, when no other jobs can be found, much less affordable education. Between our own exodus from tyranny in Egypt, and liberation struggles the world over.

Our security as US Jews lies in our relationships with our allies and with each other, our hope in what we can create together: solidarity rather than separation. Speaking out against crimes targeting our people, we speak out just as strongly against crimes targeting others… Whenever we say NO—to racism and Islamophobia, hate crimes and bullying, the scapegoating of immigrants and gays [and Jews]—we break a consensus built of fear/greed/ignorance; we encourage others to openly resist, to lead.”

»TOGGLE VIEW table of contents with excerpts

Hope into Practice Table of Contents

  • Introduction »Excerpt
  • Part One: How Did Things Get So Hard?
    • Chapter 1: Anti‐Semitism 101 »Excerpt
    • Chapter 2: Insider/Outsider: Jews, Race, and Privilege
    • Chapter 3: Let’s Talk about “Jewish Power”: Rethinking Stereotypes
  • Part Two: Wrestling with the Voices
    • Chapter 4: The Trickster in our Heads: Internalized Jewish Oppression
    • Chapter 5: Suckled on Worry
    • Chapter 6: “Hello Assimilation, Goodbye Persecution”
    • Chapter 7: “There is a ‘Real’ Jewish Woman and I Am Not Her”: Too Much/Not Enough »Excerpt
    • Chapter 8: Push/Push/Push for Perfection
    • Chapter 9: “Where Do I Belong?”
    • Chapter 10: Taking Egypt Out of the Jews »Excerpt
  • Part Three: Creating a Future
    • Chapter 11: On the Front Lines: an Activist’s Vignettes
    • Chapter 12: Cracking the Code of Our Conditioning
    • Chapter 13: Jewish‐Positive »Excerpt
    • Chapter 14: Liberatory Healing
    • Chapter 15: Hope into Practice: Choosing Justice Despite Our Fears »Excerpt
  • ACTION‐ORIENTED READER’S GUIDE »Excerpt

PRAISE for Hope into Practice

Penny Rosenwasser and Hope into Practice fans Nancy, Elena and Rachel

“A wonderful, gutsy, and inspiring book. Penny Rosenwasser takes on the most explosive issues in American Jewish life today—racism and anti-Semitism, victimization and privilege, and Jewish politics around Israel and Palestine–and she does it with a generosity of spirit and a clear head. A vision of a progressive Jewishness for a multicultural 21st century comes through proud and clear.”

—Karen Brodkin, Author, How Jews Became White Folks and What That Says About Race in America, & Professor of Anthropology, UCLA
Canvassing in Reno, NV, for the mid-terms, with Seed the Vote!
Canvassing in Reno, NV, for the mid-terms, with Seed the Vote!

“Rosenwasser knows her audience. I felt that she was writing to me and my cohort of young adult, Jewish female community organizers and activists trying to live a principled life in a world rife with contradictions …[The book’s] pages are saturated with Rosenwasser’s brilliant thinking and unwavering love for the Jewish people. I was brought to tears more than once…Hope into Practice is an absolutely inspiring call to action. Because, if not together, how?”

—Liz Manlin, JewishCurrents.org
»View longer testimonial
photo showing Penny holding sign that says Stop Killing Black People

Hope into Practice…is a book for everyone, even recovering Catholics …Hope floats throughout this book and the question, ‘What could Jewishness be without suffering or victimhood?’ is asked in joy not shame. It is a question for all faith traditions.”

—Kate Clinton, The Progressive Magazine

“A powerful tool for today’s Jewish organizers and activists. Hope Into Practice acknowledges that we cannot wait to heal all our wounds before we can act–but cannot wait until our movements are successful before we turn to our healing.”

—M. Dove Kent, Former Executive Director, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice
Jews Reject Trump (Click to see larger)

“Thank you for this beautiful, loving and deep resource. Your history of antisemitism is so solid and accessible, so much love and care in this.”

—Rebecca Ennen, Deputy Director, Jews United for Justice

“When I first read the Table of Contents, I was surprised to feel tears arise: tears of need, hunger, yearning, promise. Penny’s book is filled with wild, truthful, and exuberant voices, you can feel their spirits in their words.”

—Rabbi Margaret Holub
Queremos un Dream Act ahora

“This is more than one Jewish woman’s vision and coherence: it is vision and coherence for the whole world’s healing. A few insights or stories from this book can sustain you for an hour, a season, or a lifetime.”

—Peggy McIntosh, Author, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”

“A stunningly well-researched history of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust…Book and author alike are…well-informed and impressively well-read.”

—IndieReader

“The history of anti-Semitism is fascinating. Many personal stories of Jewish women are genuinely instructive and revealing…The writing is both poignant and personal and always to the point.”

—Judge, 22nd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards
Penny Rosenwasser

“Fills a gap in the Jewish studies scholarship…Based on the bold assumption that communal and individual healing is integral to justice work, Rosenwasser’s multi-disciplinary work is at once a memoir, a Jewish feminist treatise, and an activist guide. Written from a poignant, personal perspective, Hope into Practice allows readers to reflect on their own struggles with Jewish identity, queerness, and ethical commitment in order to imagine a better future. A must-read for all Jewish feminists!”

—Dr. Alainya Kavaloski, former Jewish Caucus Chair, National Women’s Studies Association

“The book is brilliant, and is written in the great humanistic spirit of good anthropology.”

—Professor Smadar Lavie, author of Wrapped in the Flag of Israel: Mizrahi Single Mothers and Bureaucratic Torture, Center for Middle East Studies Visiting Scholar, UC Berkeley

“The Jewish women you’ll meet in this book will inspire you, make you laugh, and challenge you to be more fierce. This is a book about liberation from our narrow places and the power to change the world. No matter who you are, you’ll learn something new about being human.”

—Noah T. Winer, Co-founder, MoveOn.org; Board member, Jewish Voice for Peace
Penny Rosenwasser at a Stop Line 3 protest
A contingent of 1000 Grandmothers for Future Generations demonstrate to Stop Line 3 in Aitkin, MN, May 2021.

“I am reading her book right now and started crying one page in. It’s like someone naming things I never had a name for but always experienced.”

—Annie-Rose London, Moishe House, Oakland CA

“I have never thought of myself as being anti-Semitic or racist. Then I picked up Hope into Practice by Penny Rosenwasser…I never realized how indifferent I have been to anti-Semitism. She makes me want to work a little harder in trying to be the kind of person I want to be.”

—Presbyterian minister in Georgia

Faiths United for Black Lives Matter

“I cried through the whole first part, torn open by the known and unknown histories Rosenwasser exposes. As I continued reading, I was intermittently frozen with tears, nodding and saying yes, and turning to whoever was in the room with me to read paragraphs out loud…I long for Rosenwasser’s discussion of cycles of trauma to be present in mainstream Jewish institutions and community…Jewish women’s lives are the heart of this book…The questions she asks, the possibilities for healing that she offers, and the invitation to engage deeply with our whole selves is a galvanizing opportunity that I hope my community of Jewish women does not miss.”

—Jessica Rosenberg, Rabbinical student
»View full testimonial

Hope into Practice changed my life – mostly by giving me language to finally articulate one of my central experiences of Judaism & Jewishness…I could not feel more grateful to dream together of what real liberation might look like.”

—Leanne Gale

“Your book speaks to my own fears and how to overcome them to be a better ally. Denial of fear can be exhausting – while owning/accepting “yes there is fear, and I’m doing it anyway” frees my energy: to first put on my own oxygen mask, but then make room so others who are more threatened, can also breathe. Thank you.”

—Anonymous

A Few Testimonials from Penny’s Book Talks & Workshops

“While Penny’s book tells the stories of powerful Jewish women working to make change in their communities, her presentations themselves challenge us to engage with these questions with immediacy and love. Along with the others whose stories are recorded on the pages of her book, Penny exemplifies the activism and passion that inspires those of us working for justice in our communities today.”

—Elena Hoffenberg, Harvard College Progressive Jewish Alliance
Penny leading a When I Dare to be Powerful workshop at the Jewish Renewal Aleph/Kallah Retreat, Amherst MA, July 2018 - photo by David Hartzman
Penny leading a “When I Dare to be Powerful” workshop at the Jewish Renewal Aleph/Kallah Retreat, Amherst MA, July 2018. Photo by David Hartzman

“Penny opened a sensitive and profound conversation at our temple. I was hoping to bring an understanding of both privilege and internalized anti-Semitism to my congregation. Penny’s great compassion, vulnerability and insight hit the mark. Kayn Yirbu/May such work increase!”

—Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener, Temple Israel, Greenfield MA

“Penny’s lecture was a powerful and engaging way for my students to understand the true power of what it means to choose justice. She exposed students to ideas they had not thought of before and enabled them to understand concepts such as internalized oppression through dynamic personal and political stories. My students still reference her lecture in class and in their writing!”

—Oren Kroll-Zeldin, Adjunct Professor Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice, University of San Francisco

“The culture of our organization is forever changed, and the unity and health of our staff culture has never been so upright, as a result of Penny’s compassionate and clear facilitation. I am blown away by her brilliance and left speechless by the amount of work, care, heart and soul she poured into creating this experience.

Penny’s dedication to this work is outstanding, and her skill as a facilitator of challenging conversations is awe-inspiring. She is a role model for us all, and a trail-blazer when it comes to creating opportunities for individuals and groups to do the inner-work necessary to effect true systematic and structural change.”

—Aya Elizabeth Baron, Wilderness Torah

“At Penny’s When I Dare to be Powerful retreat in Boulder, I personally came away with a realization that many of my patterns in groups and within myself are not just about the family I grew up in, but are connected to a lineage of Judaism and the trauma that my people have experienced. I came away with a wake up call: to stand more fully in my power, speak up for myself more, and be bold about my choices.

Penny effortlessly brought our group together to form a safe, dynamic space; the exercises we engaged in were both personally and politically transformative. She wasn’t afraid to ask us hard questions, to invite us to step into our discomfort, face cultural traumas, and move into action. Penny’s work on dismantling racism shows in her facilitation style and ability to show up as an ally. I particularly appreciated that anyone she was quoting from was acknowledged well, and she gave credit and gratitude to those who have come before on the path of justice work.

Penny weaves dyads, small group work, embodied exercises, academic presentation and ritual together to create a hands-on, experiential workshop. She is a phenomenal group facilitator who can broach the most controversial or delicate of subjects with grace, accessibility, depth of knowledge, and heartfelt connection.”

—Rae Abileah, Ordained Kohenet Hebrew Priestess, Former Co-Director Code Pink Women for Peace

“My organization brought Penny to do a workshop for women in their 20s and 30s on the topic of working through internalized sexism and antisemitism. We could not have been more pleased with the outcome. The workshop itself was magical: Penny’s unique facilitation style allowed time for participants to process what they learned, and the outcome was a group of highly inspired, empowered and better connected women. I definitely recommend bringing Penny in as a speaker or trainer!”

—Talia Cooper, Program Director, May’an, NYC

“Penny’s workshop was a powerful orientation to fundamental systems of oppression–and the tools to shake free from them. Over the course of the day, the participants became visibly more bonded, both sobered and hopeful in the face of the task. As a rabbi, I am thrilled by the groundwork laid by Penny’s workshop, and look forward to building on this foundation with the folks who participated. Thank you Penny!”

—Rabbi Sarah Bracha Gershuny, Congregation Nevei Kodesh, Boulder CO

Other Books by Penny Rosenwasser

Voices from a Promised Land: Palestinian & Israeli Peace Activists Speak

VOICES FROM A ‘PROMISED LAND’: Palestinian & Israeli Peace Activists Speak their Hearts — Conversations with Penny Rosenwasser

Focusing on a tense and volatile region leading up to the Madrid Peace Conference in the fall of 1991, these interviews offer a human perspective on Israel/Palestine. They give an insider’s view of the first intifada, the Israeli peace camp, and the Palestinian and Israeli women’s peace movements, up to and after the Gulf War.
VISIONARY VOICES, Women on Power: Conversations with shamans, activists, teachers, artists and healers - thumbnail of book cover

VISIONARY VOICES, Women on Power: Conversations with shamans, activists, teachers, artists and healers — Interviews by Penny Rosenwasser

For too long, women’s agendas for social change have been split into two seemingly opposite arenas — personal transformation and political activism. This collection of interviews, in examining the base of women’s power, breaks down that dichotomy.