Genocide Bad: Notes on Palestine, Jewish History, and Collective Liberation -- Sim Kern in Conversation with Hannah Moushabeck

From the venue:

This event takes place on Crowdcast, Charis' virtual event platform. This event is free, but registration is required for virtual attendance. Register here.

Charis welcomes Sim Kern in conversation with Hannah Moushabeck for a discussion of Genocide Bad: Notes on Palestine, Jewish History, and Collective Liberation, ten unapologetic essays that dismantle Zionist propaganda.

Part activist memoir, part crash course in Jewish and Palestinian history, Genocide Bad dismantles Zionist propaganda in ten unapologetic essays. Drawing connections between Biblical promises and exploding pagers, medieval dress codes and modern-day apartheid, Kern sketches a sweeping history of imperialism with their characteristic blend of far-ranging research, pop-culture insights, and scathing humor.

Kern, a former teacher, journalist, novelist, and book influencer, gained international recognition as an anti-Zionist Jewish activist in the days after October 7th, 2023. At a time when social media was flooded with “I Stand with Israel” posts, Kern started sharing content encouraging their followers to read Palestinian books, learn Palestinian history, and question Western reporting on Palestine—videos which went viral into tens of millions of views.

Despite facing hate messages, death threats, and exile from the Zionist Jewish community, Kern has remained steadfast in their advocacy over the past year. They’ve posted daily videos on Palestinian, Jewish, and colonial history, and they’ve raised over $500,000 in direct aid for families in Gaza—all while navigating the challenges of pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting a newborn. In Genocide Bad, Kern reflects on the life experiences that led them to anti-Zionist activism, while capturing and expanding upon their online educational content.

Kern doesn’t flinch when confronting the horrors of genocides past and present, but there is also tremendous hope contained in these pages—hope that springs from examples of courage and resilience in the face of extreme violence, and from the kinds of resistance that might just lead to our collective liberation.

About the Author

SIM KERN is the USA Today bestselling author of The Free People's Village, an Indie Next Pick, and a prominent voice in anti-Zionist activism. With a career spanning journalism, teaching, and social media influencing, Kern has gained widespread recognition for their thought-provoking commentary on Palestinian liberation, Jewish identity, and the global fight for justice. Kern has raised over $500,000 in mutual aid for Gaza, demonstrating a deep commitment to direct action and solidarity. Their work has impacted millions worldwide, and Genocide Bad promises to be their most powerful statement yet.

About the Conversation Partner

Hannah Moushabeck is a second-generation Palestinian American author and book worker who was raised in a family of publishers and booksellers and learned the power of literature at a young age. Hannah has worked in publishing for over a decade at companies such as Chronicle Books, The Quarto Group, and Simon & Schuster. She now runs Interlink Publishing, the only Palestinian-owned publisher in the United States, alongside her family. Her debut picture book Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine (Chronicle Books) won The New England Book Award and The Arab American Book Award. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts on the homelands of the Pocumtuc and Nipmuc Nations.

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