Issue 04

Genocide is bad. And saying so isn’t antisemitic.

Antisemitism is evil. And so are mass killings of civilians to advance the interests of an ethnostate. These statements should not be hard for anyone to understand or agree with, regardless of their faith or ethnicity.

This issue of S(h)ibboleth seeks to amplify Jewish voices speaking out against apartheid, occupation and genocide conducted by the state of Israel. In Issue 4, we hear from soldiers who refused to keep on fighting in the IDF, a comedian whose material seeks never to pander but can’t help but be political, and author and digital creator deconstructing Zionist talking points, and one of the group of activists from Jewish groups around the world that helped to create a Passover Seder in solidarity with the people of Gaza.  

There’s also commentary, comedy, news, reviews and arts, plus ethical calculations, fake horoscopes, heroes of faith and liberation, feminism, sex advice and much more. You should buy a copy today.

Issue 3 of S(h)ibboleth magazine is out now on a limited print run. Get your copy while stocks last!

What you’ll find in Issue 4: 

Sim Kern: The author of Genocide Bad talks to us about deconstructing Zionist narratives they were taught and what they hope to see from Christians in the Palestine solidarity movement. 

Gianmarco Soresi: One of our favourite comedians, Gianmarco is an artist who doesn’t set out to make points before making people laugh, and who finds himself doing material that also critiques Israeli actions. 

IDF refuseniks: Two former Israeli soldiers tell us about the experiences that led them to refuse continued military service against Palestinians. 

The Freedom For All Seder: This Passover, many Seders around the world used a Haggadah that focused on Palestinian solidarity – drawing on Judaism’s rich traditions of liberation and justice. 

A voice from Gaza: Haneen tells us what she feels about Christian and Jewish groups speaking out for people like her.

The Palestinian publisher: And why they published Sim Kern.

Oscar Romero: The martyr and Saint, remembered by someone who knew him personally. 

John Brown:  The man whose faith made him hate slavery enough to use violence to end it.

Broad churches:  William Gibson shows us his home church, which is predicated on inclusion.

CJ the Radical: One of our favourite online creators addresses the narratives trying to drive a wedge between Black people and Palestinians. 

Greenbelt: Three reasons to get your tickets now for the best festival in Britain. 

Chine McDonald: Get to know the Director of Theos through her bookshelves in Shelf Expression. 

The Bible: A progressive reading of the overarching story, by Simon Woodman. 

Poetry: Kate Quinlan and Michael Rosen on Irish xenophobia and children being killed. 

Green Christians: Why hope is so important in the fight for creation. 

Ethicalculator: How many kids is too many and where is it okay to spend a penny. 

Queer ‘I’: A queer Christian on God, pain and family. 

God’s work: The cathedral hosting space for Christian, Muslim, Jewish and LGBTQIA+ communities. 

Collective Soul: Doug Van Pelt pulls out an interview from the vaults, with the greatest Christian band who never identified as such. 

Art: Charles Pickstone examines hostility to contemporary art and the dangerous ideology that can drive it. 

Reviews: Bob Vylan, Sinners, Death of a Unicorn, 28 Years Later, Madeline Pendleton, Freaky Tales, Careless People. 

Also: Horoscopes based on your Bible version, a playlist that inspired us, sex advice from a therapist, feminism through honouring the Earth, soe stuff we probably forgot, and abortion – because why not keep things light and uncontroversial? 

Faith without the baggage, comment without the right-wing assumptions, justice without the hand-wringing