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research dossier

Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism
New York, NY · EIN 932592331 · Form 990EZ · FY2023 · NTEE A05 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Micro (<$100K) · criticalzionismstudies.org
revenue
$68K
expenses
$60K
net assets
$8K
employees
—
mission · from form 990

Education, research support, and research community

profile · synthesized from sources

The Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism is a research and education organization focused on critical analysis of Zionism, anti-Zionism, and related political, racial, and colonial dynamics. It supports scholarly research, hosts public discussions, and publishes interdisciplinary work through its journal and digital platforms. The organization operates primarily in the United States with a national scope, engaging academic and activist communities.

named programs · 6 · from sources

What they call their work

Empire’s Laboratory
Podcast series exploring the global dimensions of Zionism and its intersections with other imperial formations
From Above
Podcast series analyzing institutions and actors involved in monitoring and suppressing anti-Zionist discourse in academia and civil society
In Flames
Interview series featuring scholars and activists on intersectional anti-imperialism and Palestinian liberation
Journal of Critical Zionism Studies (JCSZ)
Peer-reviewed academic journal publishing interdisciplinary research on Zionism, anti-Zionism, and colonialism
Residential Writing Fellowship
Supports emerging scholars through dedicated time and resources to produce critical research on Zionism and Palestine
Thawra ثورة Blog
Digital publication platform for critical essays, reflections, and commentary on contemporary struggles related to Palestine
activities · 3 groups

What they do

  • Israel and Jewish Heritage Educational Travel 5 activities
    • Challenging the IHRA definition of antisemitism
      Maintains the "NO IHRA resource library" and organized a 2023 conference on opposing the IHRA definition, providing theoretical and activist resources to counter its use in suppressing criticism of Israel and Zionism.
    • Conducting and publishing research on Zionism and anti-Zionism
      Produces scholarly and public-facing research on Zionism as a political, racial, and ideological project, including through collaborative studies, archival work, and analysis of Zionist repression, hate mail, and institutional suppression. Research is published in academic journals, blogs, and public commentaries.
    • Convening and supporting activist coalitions
      Serves as a founding and convening member of the Coalition to End Zionist Repression, specifically leading its Campus & Academia Alliance to coordinate advocacy and resistance efforts in educational institutions.
    • Providing educational resources and toolkits for anti-Zionist study
      Develops and distributes research guides, teaching materials, and curated libraries for use in academic and community settings to support anti-Zionist education and organizing.
    • Supporting Critical Zionism Studies through academic programming
      Advances the field of Critical Zionism Studies by organizing conferences, issuing calls for papers, hosting speaker series, and making recordings publicly available to support academic and activist discourse.
  • Podcast and Radio Production 1 activity
    • Producing public educational podcast series
      Produces multiple podcast series—including "Unpacking Zionism," "Empire’s Laboratory," "From Above," "The Trouble with White Feminism," and "In Flames"—to analyze Zionism, its global manifestations, intersections with racism and colonialism, and institutional supports, featuring scholars and activists.
  • Uncategorized 2 activities
    • Advocating for Palestinian liberation and BDS movement alignment
      Publicly opposes Zionism and colonialism, adheres to the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and publishes commentary in support of decolonial justice and institutional accountability.
    • Operating a speakers bureau for public education
      Manages a speakers bureau that connects communities with researchers and activists for in-person or virtual events on Zionism, anti-Zionism, Palestine, repression, and resistance.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2023
revenue
Total revenue$68K
Contributions & grants$68K100%
Program service revenue——
Investment income——
Other revenue—
expenses
Total expenses$60K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits—
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$8K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$8K
1 years on record · 2023–2023
relationships · 18

Who they work with

  • Advisory Board Coalition — Composed of scholars and activists across intellectual and organizing spaces who guide the Institute’s work.
  • Alex Aviña Partner — Advisory board member and co-host of the "Empire’s Laboratory" podcast mini-series.
  • Arab Resource & Organizing Center (AROC) Partner — Collaborates with AROC, as indicated by shared membership on the emeritus/founding members list.
  • Coalition to End Zionist Repression Partner — Core member and convener of the Campus & Academia Alliance within the coalition.
  • Coalition to End Zionist Repression Partner — Originating member and convener of campus and academia work within the coalition.
  • Films for Action Partner — Collaborates on sharing recordings that document Zionist smear, such as the video "Israel’s Oldest Newspaper Tried to Smear Us. We Recorded the Whole Thing."
  • JSTOR Network — Hosts academic research cited by ICSZ, such as Anthony Alessandrini's article "Multiculturalism’s Genocide" in Radical Teacher.
  • Jessie Daniels Partner — Founding collective member and presenter of the "The Trouble with White Feminism" podcast mini-series.
  • Jewish Voice for Peace Partner — Collaborates with Jewish Voice for Peace, as indicated by shared membership and advisory board affiliations.
  • Lara Sheehi Partner — Founding collective member and co-host of the "Empire’s Laboratory" podcast mini-series.
  • National Education Association Partner — Published commentary on the NEA's decision to cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League.
  • Oxford Department of International Development (QEH) Partner — Collaborates on the 'The Palestinian Revolution' syllabus and oral history project with materials hosted on learnpalestine.qeh.ox.ac.uk.
  • Palestine Poster Project Archive Partner — Source of the 1946 poster used as the basis for the Institute's logo.
  • Palestinian Youth Movement Partner — Collaborates with the Palestinian Youth Movement, as indicated by shared membership on the advisory board.
  • Palestinian-led movements Partner — Aligns with and abides by the international, Palestinian-led call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions.
  • The Palestine Poster Project Archive Partner — Collaborates with or references materials from The Palestine Poster Project Archive in its public communications and image citations.
  • USACBI Partner — Collaborates with USACBI, as indicated by shared membership and advisory board affiliations.
  • YouTube Partner — Hosts recorded talks from the speaker series on YouTube.
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Coalition-Building for Academic and Political Resistance
    methodology: coalition-building
    By uniting scholars, activists, and academic organizations, the Institute strengthens collective resistance to Zionist repression in educational spaces, because transnational solidarity is necessary to defend academic freedom and Palestinian rights against institutionalized censorship and state violence.
  • Critical, Decolonial Analysis of Zionism as Interlocking System of Power
    methodology: decolonial_analysis
    By applying critical theory, decolonial, and abolitionist frameworks to analyze Zionism as a colonial, racial, and repressive project, the Institute reveals its structural functions and ideological operations, because such analysis is necessary to dismantle its manifestations in academia, state violence, and global imperialism.
  • Hate Mail and Smear Campaigns as Ideological Evidence
    methodology: smear-as-material-weapon
    By treating Zionist hate mail and smear campaigns as archival and material sources, the Institute uncovers hidden ideological content and mechanisms of fascist political violence, because these attacks function as both weapons and revealing artifacts of Zionist power.
  • Research-From-Below and Community-Centered Knowledge Production
    methodology: research_from_below
    By centering research agendas on those targeted by Zionist and state repression and co-determining them with affected communities, the Institute produces more authentic, accountable, and actionable knowledge, because lived experience is essential to understanding systemic power and resistance.
  • Symbolic Reclamation to Subvert Dominant Narratives
    methodology: symbolic_reclamation
    By reappropriating and recontextualizing Palestinian imagery used in Zionist discourse, the Institute disrupts and exposes the ideological distortions of Zionism, because symbolic acts can critically undermine narrative control and reclaim epistemic agency.