Unraveling Jewish Zines: From Rashi to the Haggadah to Instagram
Chava Shapiro
3 weeks
Wednesdays: 8:00-9:30 pm ET/5:00-6:30 pm PT
May 22 · May 29 · June 5
Embark on a transformative exploration of Jewish zines with Chava Shapiro, founder of the Jewish Zine Archive (JZA), as we journey from the historic roots of the Passover Haggadah to the dynamic landscape of digital expression. Discover the intersection of Jewish identity, DIY ethos, and artistic innovation through the lens of zine culture.
Together we'll learn the history Jewish zines that ranges from Rashi to anti-fascist teens during World War II, Star Trek fan fiction to D'var Torah. A "zine" is a DIY, self-published, small-circulation publication, covering niche or specialized topics and often associated with subcultures and alternative forms of expression. We will also explore Jewish histories of community-based archiving and the importance of telling our own stories.
A zine-making component will be woven through the three-week mini-course, with students collaborating on a zine to be published and distributed by the Jewish Zine Archive.
Sliding Scale
This course is available at a sliding scale cost of $126 (the true cost), $99 or $72.
If you can afford the full price, we hope you will choose that option, which allows us to continue to offer lower rates and scholarships to those who otherwise would not be able to access this learning because of financial barriers.
Financial Aid
If you need financial aid beyond the sliding scale, please fill out this simple form, and we will get right back to you.
**Please register each student separately. Your registrations will appear in your shopping cart and you may pay for multiple students together at checkout**
Chava Shapiro (they/them) is a queer Jew dwelling on the lands of Tohono O’odham and Pascua Yaqui peoples. Chava is a current SVARA Kollel Fellow and a self professed stan for several of the Sages. They are an artist and writer exploring histories of resistance, identity, erasure, and collective memory. In 2019 they founded the Jewish Zine Archive, which serves as both an archival collection and digital Jewish cultural space. The Jewish Zine Archive has been featured in Hyperallergic (https://hyperallergic.com/851407/the-many-afterlives-of-chava-shapiro-jewish-zine-archive/), New Voices (https://newvoices.org/2022/09/29/grounds-for-collaboration-first-jewish-zine-festival-celebrates-unconventional-publishing/). Chava's writing was featured in the anthology There is Nothing So Whole as a Broken Heart: Mending the World as Jewish Anarchists published by AK Press in 2021. You can see more of what JZA and Chava are up to on Instagram @jewishzinearchive or jewishzinearchive.com
