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Michael Zoosman

Michael Zoosman

CounterPunch

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Israel’s Perilous Death Penalty Bill Also Endangers Diaspora Jews

The debate over Israel’s death penalty bill has reignited the question of whether non-Israeli Jews have a right to weigh in on Israeli social...

18.02.2026 100

CounterPunch

Michael Zoosman

The Massive Scale of Rabbinic Opposition to Israel’s Proposed Death Penalty Bill

The thousands of members of “L’chaim! Jews Against the Death Penalty – a group that I co-founded – has advocated vociferously against...

26.01.2026 6

CounterPunch

Michael Zoosman

Eight Reasons to Oppose the Death Penalty This Hanukkah

To the Esteemed Members of the Knesset, For each of the eight nights of Hanukkah this year, we, the thousands of members of “L’chaim! Jews...

16.12.2025 10

CounterPunch

Michael Zoosman

The Death Penalty is the Wrong Response to Political Violence

The US government should not kill Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin. State-sponsored murder won’t stem the rising tide of political violence looming...

22.09.2025 20

CounterPunch

Michael Zoosman

Veiled Vengeance: From the Death Penalty to the Gaza Genocide

The urge for retribution is insidious and subtle, often rendering it unrecognizable. It clouds objectivity, stifling judgment and self-awareness. It...

05.09.2025 10

CounterPunch

Michael Zoosman

Confronting the Realities of Antisemitism and the Gaza Genocide

Many fellow Jews have accused me of stoking the fire of antisemitism and inciting anti-Jewish violence since I publicly joined the crescendoing chorus...

21.08.2025 10

CounterPunch

Michael Zoosman

Bearing the Mark of Cain for Naming the Gaza Genocide

I began publicly invoking the word “genocide” in July 2025 to describe the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza in response to the horrific...

08.08.2025 10

CounterPunch

Michael Zoosman

“Ashamnu, We have Sinned:” Atoning for Genocide in Gaza

The government of Israel – a land I love – is guilty of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. Until recently, I was reluctant to invoke the term...

24.07.2025 10

CounterPunch

Michael Zoosman