The founder of the Jewish Pride movement says Jews have spent so long fighting for the right to exist that they've forgotten how to be proud that they do. Ben M. Freeman — a gay Jewish kid from Glasgow who had to come out twice, first as gay and then as an unapologetic Zionist — joins Ben Chertoff to make the affirmative case: that Jews are not a religion but a people, an ancient civilization indigenous to the Land of Israel, and that pride, not defense, is the real answer to Jew-hatred. Along the way: internalized antisemitism and his "three D's," the "non-Jewish gaze," why he reframes "Eastern European Jews" as "Jews who lived in Eastern Europe," the UN's own criteria for indigeneity, and why he says anti-Zionism is antisemitism — no asterisk. Key Takeaways Pride, not defense, is the point. Freeman's whole project is affirmative: "Jewish pride is the root to fighting Jew-hatred." You can't fight antisemitism, he argues, unless you're first proud to be a Jew.Jews are a people, not a religion. His "hill to die on": Judaism is equivalent to Jewishness — an Am, a civilization with a religion — and defining Jews only as a faith is a Christian import that creates endless contradictions.Internalized antisemitism has three forms. Diminishment (making yourself smaller — "I'm Jewish, but…"), denial (disowning your Jewishness), and deployment (weaponizing it, as anti-Zionist Jews do). Diminishment is the most common.Only Jews define Jewish identity — the "non-Jewish gaze." Because the non-Jewish world both isn't Jewish and has been structured against Jews, its definitions of "palatable" Jewishness are illegitimate; allies should amplify Jewish perspectives, not speak over them.The indigeneity case. Applying the UN's criteria (he discards the "non-dominant group" one as post-colonial nonsense), he argues Jews meet them — continuous connection to the land, a land-rooted calendar and festivals, Hebrew beneath every diaspora language, Jews buried with soil from Jerusalem. Reframes "Eastern European Jews" as "Jews who lived in Eastern Europe."He won't litigate Palestinian indigeneity. "I'm a Jew telling a Jewish story." He notes questions about when a collective Palestinian national identity emerged, but says it ultimately doesn't change the reality: "they are still here and we need to deal with that."Anti-Zionism is antisemitism — no asterisk. Criticism of Israeli policy is legitimate; the line, per Sharansky's 3D test, is delegitimization, demonization, and double standards. "Israel purposely kills Palestinian children" or "harvests organs" isn't policy critique — it's blood libel.Head, Hands, Heart. A proudly Jewish next generation needs knowledge (head), practice (hands), and — the hardest — cultivated pride (heart), taught from kindergarten on.Notable Quotes "The greatest achievement of the Jewish people is not Israel. The greatest achievement of the Jewish people is the Jewish people, and Israel is a major manifestation of that.""I was failed in an essay because I would not say that Israel was the worst country in the world — and that was direct feedback given to me by a professor.""Jews are not a religion. We're a people with a religion. The idea that we're a religion comes from Christianity.""We're in an abusive relationship with the non-Jewish world… you try, you try, you try — and then the goalposts move.""You've given me such space to define my own identity — but with my Jewishness, you feel comfortable telling me what I am. That's the progressive world right there.""Grow up. Stop being so entitled. You as an individual do not get to change a 3,000-year-old civilization."📚 Ben M. Freeman — the Jewish Pride trilogy: • Jewish Pride: Rebuilding a People(2021) — https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Pride-Rebuilding-Ben-Freeman/dp/1913532135 • Reclaiming Our Story: The Pursuit of Jewish Pride (2022) — https://www.amazon.com/Reclaiming-Our-Story-Pursuit-Jewish/dp/1915036321 • The Jews: An Indigenous People (2025) — https://www.amazon.com/Jews-Indigenous-Ben-M-Freeman/dp/1916797474 ✍️ His Substack, The Jewish Pride Press — https://ben126.substack.com/
