Tom Pessah

Tom Pessah is an Israeli sociologist and activist.

Recent Articles
David Ben-Gurion (left) signs the Declaration of Independence held by Moshe Sharett with Eliezer Kaplan looking on at the Tel Aviv museum on Rothschild Boulevard, May 14, 1948. (Israel GPO, PRI OR/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Debunking the myths of Israel’s Declaration of Independence
If Israeli protesters want to cite Israel’s founding document as a moral guide, they first need to acknowledge its failings.
By Tom Pessah April 10, 2023
Hundreds of members of the Arab Liberation Army attend the funeral of Abd al-Qadir al-Husayni at the Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, April 8, 1948. (GPO)
Who fought in 1948?
A new book uncovers letters by Jewish and Arab fighters from the 1948 war, highlighting the personal lives of those who fought to establish Israel and those who tried to defend Palestine.
By Tom Pessah September 22, 2021
Activists from IfNotNow protest outside Birthright Israel’s offices in New York City, April 5, 2019. (Gili Getz)
A Palestinian guide to Jewish American allyship
As American Jews increasingly enter the Palestinian rights movement, the power dynamics between the two groups often lead to tensions. One activist opens up about the complexities of navigating those dynamics, and what Jews should be doing to center Palestinian voices.
By Tom Pessah November 23, 2020
Herzl seen traveling to Palestine, 1898. (Central Zionist Archives)
Under Zionism, Jewish lives have always mattered more
Zionism was never simply about the idea that 'Jewish Lives Matter' — it has always privileged Jewish colonists over indigenous people. Just ask Theodor Herzl.
By Tom Pessah July 8, 2020
Most Read
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  2. ‘Hamoudi’s gone’: Palestinian village reels after Israeli soldiers kill toddler
  3. IHRA definition is silencing Palestine advocacy across Europe, says report
  4. 'The hardest year of my life': Shepherds suffer under Israeli expulsion threat
  5. How AI is intensifying Israel's bombardments of Gaza
  1. ‘A moment of disillusionment’: American Jews torn as Israel turns 75
  2. The Israeli government enters its most dangerous phase yet
  3. How AI is intensifying Israel's bombardments of Gaza
  4. Israel’s protest leaders give the anti-occupation bloc the cold shoulder
  5. 'The hardest year of my life': Shepherds suffer under Israeli expulsion threat
  1. After backlash, conference drops Israeli archeologist for settlement university ties
  2. These Israeli youth are burning their draft orders — and no longer feeling alone
  3. The long history of Israel's war on the Palestinian flag
  4. ‘A moment of disillusionment’: American Jews torn as Israel turns 75
  5. I'm a Nakba survivor. In the ruins of my home, I write my hopes in stone