Jewish Student Group

The Jewish Student Group at Cal Poly Humboldt invites students, staff, faculty, and community members to engage in productive conversations and peaceful dialogue at their event “What is Zionism? The Indigenous peoples of Judea,“ on Friday, Nov. 8, 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Student Activities Center Banquet Hall on campus. 

This event is part of Cal Poly Humboldt’s 26th Annual Campus and Community Dialogue on Race (CDOR), which this year features the theme “Voices of Our Communities: Reclaiming Stories.” Participants are invited to explore the history of the Jewish people and their journey back to their Indigenous homeland, and reflect on modern antisemitism on college campuses and around the world.

The Jewish Student Group wishes to shed light on the concept of Zionism–a decolonizing land back movement as it is perceived by the majority of Jews worldwide–and dispel the widespread misinformation regarding the origin of the Jewish people and the connection of the Jewish diaspora to the Israelites’ ancient homeland in the Middle East, dating back 3000 years. 

The aim of the event is also to showcase that despite common beliefs among anti-zionist activists, the Jews currently residing in Israel do not descend solely from Polish Jews, who are also referred to as Ashkenazi Jews. Most Israelis descend from ancestors who were forced to migrate East to Asia and West to North Africa two millennia ago. The latter are referred to mainly as Mizrahi Jews, while some, especially those who returned to Judea from Morroco, North Algeria, and Tunisia are called Sephardi Jews as their ancestors made it as far as Spain, but fled from Spain during the Inquisition. 

November is celebrated in Israel and within Jewish circles around the world as Mizrahi-Sephardi Heritage Month with November 30th designated as a Day of Commemoration for the 850,000 Jewish refugees who emigrated from Arab countries and Iran between 1950 and 1970 to escape persecution, which intensified after the establishment of Israel. 

From antiquity to modern times the Jewish people were forced to move around the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe as a result of persecution and conquests by numerous imperialist forces: Babylonian, Persian, Macedonian, Roman, and Arab to name a few. In the Maghreb, the western part of the Arab world, evidence indicates Judaism existed among the Berber community, also known as Amazigh or Imazighen. These Indigenous North African ethnic groups pre-date the arab migration to the region and are known to have mostly been Christian. Muhammad’s Islamic conquests brought about the conversion of most Berbers to Islam.

The journey of the Jewish people throughout their existence and back to their original homeland fits perfectly with this year’s theme of CPH’s Dialogue on Race “Voices of Our Communities: Reclaiming Stories.” Consider attending this Jewish Student Group event this Friday at the CPH Campus to learn more.

Some presentation materials will be available on this page. Stay Tuned