Ezra Nepon is a Philadelphia-based activist and author who is currently raising money to publish a popular history book of the New Jewish Agenda.
New Jewish Agenda was a national organization that existed in the United States from 1980 to 1992. Their slogan was "a Jewish voice among progressives and a progressive voice among Jews." NJA practiced participatory grassroots democracy with over 45 local chapters. They organized a progressive Jewish voice for every political issue of their decade: working for peace and justice in the Middle East and Central America, Worldwide Nuclear Disarmament, Economic and Social Justice in the US, and they had a powerful Jewish Feminist Taskforce that included work on LGBT issues and the emergence of the AIDS pandemic. New Jewish Agenda took radical stances on the rights of Palestinians and the rights of Queer Jews. Activists from a wide range of religious and secular communities coalesced, building power and analysis that continue to illuminate our movements today.
The book is set to be published in the Spring of 2012 by Thread Makes Blanket, an independent publisher also based in Philadelphia.
Ezra is currently raising money online to publish the book. The fundraising campaign ends February 20, so if you want to support and donate money, visit:
http://www.indiegogo.com/newjewishagenda
To visit the book's website, and to learn more about the New Jewish Agenda, visit:
This interview was produced for CKUT radio in Montreal by Aaron Lakoff.
aaron.resist.ca