Dr. Penny Rosenwasser
Dr. Penny Rosenwasser

Dr. Penny Rosenwasser is a social justice speaker, workshop facilitator, and author of the self-published book Hope into Practice, Jewish Women Choosing Justice Despite Our Fears (2013). She is a founding board member of Jewish Voice for Peace and a former Jewish Caucus Chair of the National Women’s Studies Association.

Hear her speak on KPFA radio about anti-Semitism.  

The discussion of antisemitism and its history is timely given the controversy concerning U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota), one of the two Muslim women to have serve in Congress. Rep. Omar has spoken out courageously against the mistreatment of Palestinian families. Many people have interpreted Rep. Omar’s remarks as antisemitic. Her remarks were widely condemned, including by Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for being antisemitic. Others, however, have rallied behind Omar saying there’s nothing wrong with pointing out the influence of money on Capitol Hill or the difficulties faced by people who seek peace, justice, and security for both Israeli and Palestinian families.

Dr. Rosenwasser teaches an Anti-Semitism/Anti-Arabism class with a Palestinian colleague at the City College of San Francisco and belongs to Kehilla Synagogue. Transplanted to Oakland, California, from Northern Virginia/Washington, D.C., Penny is also a member of the European American Collaborative for Challenging Whiteness and works as an event organizer and fundraiser. A former performing folk musician, KPFA radio host/producer, women’s music networker, festival organizer, and diversity workshop leader, she’s been active on issues ranging from ending nuclear power and weapons, to feminism and queer liberation, to peace and racial justice, especially focusing on Israel-Palestine, including leading four women’s peace delegations to that region.

Penny speaks and leads workshops about antisemitism and the intersections with white nationalism and white supremacy, as well as giving talks about her book.

Latest Posts

Where Is the Palestinian Mandela?

Where Is the Palestinian Mandela?

Many interested in Israel-Palestine have asked the question: “Where is the Palestinian Mandela?” But Nelson Mandela’s grandson Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela has argued that this question emerges from a distortion of his grandfather’s legacy.  Who Was Nelson Mandela?...

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Palestine Open Maps

Palestine Open Maps

Palestine Open Maps (POM) is a platform that uses mapping technologies in collaboration with researchers to showcase visual stories of the geographical transformation of historic Palestine over the last 70+ years. The project combines 1940s British Mandate of...

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Wallace Shawn

Wallace Shawn

Playwright and actor Wallace Shawn, best known for his role as Vizzini in The Princess Bride, translated an Anti-Defamation League (ADL) ad that blamed Palestinians for Israel’s mass slaughter of Gazan children. The ad featured and endorsed a statement from the former...

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Rafael Silver

Rafael Silver

Rafael Silver is a Jewish Israeli and a combat veteran of the Israeli army. In a 2022 Mondoweiss op-ed, Silver shared why he left Israel and moved to Canada: “I felt that I could no longer be a part of a system that practices apartheid against the Palestinian...

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Miriam Margolyes

Miriam Margolyes

British-Australian actress and writer Miriam Margolyes, best known for her award-winning role in The Age of Innocence, shared in an interview about her life as a Jewish anti-Zionist. She said: “We have to be able to criticize Israel.”

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Tantura Women, Children, Elderly

Tantura Women, Children, Elderly

The expulsion of Tantura women, children, and elderly from Furaydis to Jordan as the Red Cross supervises June 1948 Courtesy of Israel State Archives from Ben Rothenberg Collection Via Forward.com

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Jerusalem