Margot Salom is an anti-racist Jewish Australian writer, scholar, human rights activist and peace activist. Her Master of Philosophy in Sociology thesis (University of Queensland, 2003-2006) was "The Silencing of Dissent in the Australian Jewish Community" (see: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/margot-salom/8/30a/651 ).
Margot Salom on recognizing the crimes of Zionism (2012) “There was no singular event that I can honestly say was the turning point when I left my earlier position as a Zionist … Since my overt “coming out” point in 1991, I have accepted the title of “trouble-maker”, an epithet given by the mainstream Jewish community to Jews like me who reject the dominant Israeli narrative. I confess that I much prefer “trouble-maker” to “self-hating Jew”, the alternative label… I left Israel as a Jew with shame and bewilderment at what we Jews are perpetrating on another people... I spoke at a rally in January 2009 at the time of the brutal Gaza attack. I stood before what was I would believe was an 80% Muslim audience and said “I am a Jew. I and many Jews like me world-wide absolutely condemn this horrific act by Israel. I know with deep conviction that it was for this vocation I was led to redeem my Jewish self forty-five years ago.” [1, 2].
[1]. Margot Salom, “A troublemaker in exile” in “Beyond Tribal Loyalties. Personal Stories of Jewish Peace Activists”, edited by Avigail Abarbanel (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2012) (pp 56, 63-64).
[2]. Margot Salom quoted in Gideon Polya, “Book Review: “Beyond Tribal Loyalties”. Stories of anti-racist Jews”, MWC News, 18 January 2012: http://mwcnews.net/focus/analysis/24184-gideonpolya-beyond-tribal-loyalties.html .