Sex, Drugs & Israeli Nationalism: Zionist Indoctrination at Jewish Summer Camp w/ Aaron Kreuter

In this episode of The Thin Veil, host Ezra Lipp speaks with Canadian anti-Zionist Jewish writer, activist and academic Aaron Kreuter, author of Lake Burntshore, a novel set at a Jewish summer camp that explores Zionism, settler colonialism, Jewish identity, and the complicated relationship between diaspora Jews and Israel. The conversation explores the strange and powerful world of North American Jewish sleep-away camp: the sense of living in an alternative society, the wealth and privilege that make that communal utopia possible, and the ways Zionism and Israeli nationalism can become embedded in the fabric of camp life. Kreuter discusses Israeli soldiers serving as staff at North American Jewish summer camps, Israel programs and Birthright, military training programs for Jewish youth, and the broader project of shaping Jewish identity around the State of Israel. This conversation also explores the connections Kreuter draws between settler colonialism in Canada and Palestine, and what it means for Jews living in Canada and the United States to reckon with the land beneath their own communities. Finally, the episode examines the growing divide between Zionist and anti-Zionist Jews after October 7th, the role of anti-Zionist Jewish writers and artists, and whether internal Jewish conversations about Zionism risk becoming a distraction from the urgent reality facing Palestinians. Please Support Gaza Food Relief Project AARON KREUTER WEBSITE INSTAGRAM⭐️PLEASE LEAVE A RATING AND REVIEW OF THE SHOW ❤️ SUPPORT THE SHOW LEAVE A ONE-OFF TIP ON KO-FIBECOME A REGULAR SUPPORTER ON PATREON  🇵🇸GET INVOLVED JEWISH VOICE FOR PEACECONNECTING GAZA 🎙 LISTEN / WATCH / FOLLOW THE THIN VEILTHE THIN VEIL ON ALL PODCAST PLATFORMSTHE THIN VEIL ON YOUTUBETHE THIN VEIL ON INSTAGRAM ✍️REACH OUT / SEND FEEDBACKTHETHINVEILPOD@GMAIL.COM 👋 FOLLOW EZRAEZRA ON INSTAGRAMEZRA ON FACEBOOKEZRA'S WEBSITEEZRA ON YOUTUBE 🎵 THEME MUSIC BY MAGIC IN THE OTHERMAGIC IN THE OTHER WEBSITEMAGIC IN THE OTHER ON INSTAGRAMMAGIC IN THE OTHER ON YOUTUBE (00:00) - — Intro + Technical Mishap Explanation (06:01) - — Aaron Kreuter: From Jewish Suburb to Anti-Zionism (10:18) - — Why Jewish Summer Camp Feels Like Another World (15:02) - — The Zionist Capture of Jewish Summer Camp (19:52) - — Israeli Soldiers, IDF Culture & Jewish Youth (24:48) - — How Zionism Became the Dominant Jewish Narrative (32:05) - — Settler Colonialism: Canada, Palestine & the Land Beneath Camp (37:33) - — After October 7: "Jewish Fiction" Inside the Jewish Community (42:15) - — Beyond Jewish Feelings: Solidarity with Palestine (45:54) - — Imagining a Better World Through Fiction ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★