Why call yourselves “Zochrot”? Are all your members women?

Zochrot welcomes members from all genders. We chose the name "Zochrot" (the female form for “remembering”) because we believed that the way Israelis remember the 1948 war is fundamentally militaristic and chauvinistic, with an emphasis on battles, operations, conquests and heroism. We chose the female-plural form of the verb in Hebrew as an expression of our attempt to create a feminist alternative that addresses the experiences of women, men, and children.

In line with radical feminist historiography, we believe that the meaning of the Nakba cannot be understood without reference to the key element of women’s lived experience. Conversely, we cannot understand present gender relations and roles without reference to political developments within the broader colonialist context.

In a reality that is in constant struggle over what should be remembered and how, the act of remembering is in itself political. Revealing silenced historical facts has been a central goal for Zochrot since its founding, but this is only one of many parts of our mission. We believe that remembrance of and accountability for the Palestinian Nakba by the Jewish public in Israel is a fundamental precondition for a just peace, but this alone is not enough. The Nakba isn’t a historical event, but rather a process that continues today. It is exemplified first and foremost by the violation of Palestinian refugees’ rights: realizing the right of return is the key for the decolonization of the land and for the creation of a just and sustainable solution. We believe that any political solution must rely on cooperation between Israeli residents and the refugees.