Ben M. Freeman - No Parasan Media

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Meet Ben M. Freeman

Ben M. Freeman is a Jewish leader, a Jewish thinker, and a Jewish educator

Born in Scotland, Ben is a gay Jewish internationally renowned author, educator and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion specialist focussing on Jewish identity, combatting Jew-hatred and raising awareness of the Holocaust. He came to prominence during the Corbyn Labour Jew-hate crisis and quickly became one of his generation’s leading voice against anti-Jewish racism.

He is the founder of the modern Jewish Pride movement and the author of Jewish Pride.

Jewish Pride: Rebuilding a People is the manifesto of the modern Jewish Pride movement and is the first instalment of Ben M. Freeman’s seminal Jewish Pride trilogy. Inspired by his experiences with LGBTQ+ pride, aims to educate, inspire and empower Jewish people to reject the shame of antisemitism imposed on Jews by the non-Jewish world as well as non-Jewish perceptions of what it means to be a Jew. Enabling them to begin the process of defining their own identities as proud Jews rooted in Jewish experience, Jewish history and Jewish values.

In his follow up, Reclaiming our Story: The Pursuit of Jewish Pride introduces the contemporary conversation on internalised Jew-hate. Continuing his radical focus on the impact of Jew-hate on Jews, on this groundbreaking work, Ben takes his readers – both Jewish and non-Jewish – on a powerful learning journey that explores the long history of internalised anti-Jewishness. Most importantly, he educates, inspires and empowers his Jewish readers to look inside themselves – with empathy and without shame – to identify their own experiences with internalised anti-Jewishness so they can reclaim their Jewish stories, ultimately moving from prejudice to pride.

As a specialist in the field for over a decade, Ben is a prominent thought-leader on Jewish education, history and identity and carries out speaking engagements all over the world. He is a trained teacher and experienced lecturer designing and facilitating unique learning experiences for both his students, the general public and global organisations.

He has worked with a variety of companies from Facebook to Hollywood studios, such as The Jim Henson Company. His work also includes consulting for Emmy Award winning directors on documentary projects, such as Jews of the Wild West.

Through his work, he aims to educate, inspire and empower both Jewish and non-Jewish people from all over the world.

Ben M. Freeman on Social Media

Ben M. Freeman

The Holocaust must taught in its context, i.e. the history of Jew-hate. It has to be understood as part of a story that began thousands to year ago, & that’s still being written today.

In my three month courses on the Holocaust, I wouldn’t begin to cover the Nazis until week 4.

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Ben M. Freeman

This is what happens when we sow division between Jewish communities.

We are one Jewish family, and this disgusting Jew-hate has no place within our peoplehood.

@MayaHoffman72d

Racist privileged Ashkenazi "Jews" are standing up to protect their racism.
A lot of Ashkenazim are worse than Nazis and will be dealt with like Nazis. https://twitter.com/academic_la/status/1616877752359194624

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Ben M. Freeman

Watching Israel’s democracy in action is a profoundly moving thing.

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Ben M. Freeman

.@betty_ping (Annabel Richardson) is a racist.

[email protected]_ping (Annabel Richardson) is a racist.

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Ben M. Freeman

Shabbat shalom!

Here’s to a restful, peaceful and prideful Shabbat! 💗

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Ben M. Freeman

Bernie Sanders is a Jew who cavorts with Jew-haters.

He suffers from internalised anti-Jewishness and he is dangerous.

@SenSanders4d

I was pleased to meet today with former leader of the Labour Party @jeremycorbyn and his colleagues at the @ProgIntl and the @corbyn_project. I look forward to working together to build international solidarity toward a future that works for all people.

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Ben M. Freeman

Isn’t Harvard meant to be interested in the pursuit of truth and knowledge?

Roth peddles neither.

He is a Jew who (tragically) suffers from internalised anti-Jewishness & deploys his Jewishness
as a weapon to wound the rest of the Jewish community.

...https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/19/arts/harvard-israel-antisemitism-roth.html

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UPCOMING EVENTS

07 Jan

Book Signing

Signing his latest release

31 Dec

Example Event

RECOMMENDATIONS

Fascinating, inspiring and heartbreaking, a cultural and historical survey of jewishness in the perilously intolerant new world of the 21st century that is both exuberant and optimistic, and tragic and worrying

Ben M. Freeman has a remarkable ability to explain the concept of peoplehood of the Jewish people. He understands well the importance of our many identities and makes a potent argument for Jewish Pride. Everyone should follow his work and read this book.

Just as ‘Black is Beautiful’ and LBGTQ+ liberation begins with pride, in this important book Ben Freeman advocates for Jews themselves to seize back the right, and find the confidence, to define their own identities. As Freeman says, antisemitism disempowers and hurts Jews by constructing their identities from the outside and without consent. What is new and fascinating in this book is Freeman’s focus on Jewish responses to those external and hostile constructions of Jewish identity: self-empowering and life-affirming ways of loving being Jewish.

With “Jewish Pride: Rebuilding a People”, Ben M Freeman transposes his powerful voice as an educator to the page in a manner that is urgent for this current moment experienced by the global Jewish community. Freeman's passion and purpose never compromises the clarity of his explanations, the detail of his findings nor the fairness of his historical assessments. His clarion call for a pride movement among a new generation of Jews inspired by his experiences as a gay man is magnificent, heart-rendering and supremely motivating. Freeman's piece de resistance is the key of knowledge he provides to Jews worldwide, opening doors that have long been shut, empowering those who feel deeply that their identity needs a voice despite feeling too tongue-tied to open their mouths. No more. Freeman's words can be spoken by all who need them. If that is not a protest for thousands of more years of Jewish survival, I don't know what is.

At the Jim Henson Company we were transformed by Ben M Freeman’s presentation on Jewish Pride, Representation, and the rise of Jewish Hatred around the world. As a company that is committed to creating world changing television, we were aware that we needed to educate ourselves on how to represent Jewish identity in the 21st Century in our shows. Ben’s talk opened our eyes to how Jews have been misrepresented in the media, and how this has created a cycle of stereotypes and antisemitism in television storytelling. He has created the Tevye Test which he's encouraging media producers/studios to use as a lens when representing Jews in our stories. His approach is historical, evidence based, deeply insightful, entertaining, and presented in a passionate but calm manner. Ben is instantly engaging with his youthful energy, Scottish accent, social media influence, and his gay and Jewish pride. He is a perfect educator and ambassador for the younger generation (Jewish and non-Jewish) that so desperately needs to understand why supporting and building Jewish pride is essential. We are proud to continue our professional and creative relationship with Ben as a consultant on our series showcasing Jewish stories.

This is essential reading for Jews and non-Jews alike. It is very comprehensive and covers historical and contemporary antisemitism. It makes sense of Jewish identity and the issues facing Jews. In my opinion it's the best book written on the subject because it makes complex issues clear and doesn't avoid any difficult issues. It is unapologetic, and I expect it will make people who dislike Jews froth at the mouth! The brilliant thing about this book is that it can educate people who know nothing about antisemitism/Jews, and it is also a must read for people with an intimate knowledge of both.