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Jelle Zijlstra (he/him) is a Dutch-Jewish activist and community organizer working for Greenpeace Netherlands. Trained as a theatre director, Jelle has worked on numerous theatre projects around a wide variety of societal issues in the Netherlands such as poverty, the position of refugees, and the problematic nature of WWII remembrance in the country.
Jelle recently put most of his theatre work on hold because he felt a strong need to be at the frontline of the climate crisis and thus started his job at Greenpeace. He has also become involved with Queers 4 Climate, a grassroots group that focusses on the intersection between the climate emergency and the position of queer communities worldwide.
His Jewish and Queer identity is deeply connected to his activism, and he is one of the co-founders of Oy Vey Acts, a collective of Jewish activists that work on several issues related to being Jewish in a Dutch post-Holocaust context. To unwind Jelle loves taking long walks in nature or cooking a hearty meal for his friends.
Updated February 2025
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Jewish Manifesto is here
Democracy Senior Fellows Jelle Zjilstra and Lievnath Faber have been working on the Jewish Manifesto for the past 3 years. In November 2024, the project is finally released!
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The Freedom Lecture: Standing Together
Senior Fellows Jelle and Lievnath worked with Standing Together, a grassroots movement from Palestine/Israel consisting of Palestinians and Israeli Jews.
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Hamas is not the Vanguard You Want to Support
Senior Landecker Fellow Jelle Zijlstra wrote an opinion piece about the recent Israel and Palestine conflict.
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What is more Jewish than the diversity of voices?
Senior Landecker Fellow Jelle Zijlstra was interviewed by Tachles, a Swiss newspaper, about his project.
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Antisemitism Unpacked
Senior Landecker Fellows Jelle Zijlstra and Lievnath Faber organized a panel on antisemitism.
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The Jewish Manifesto's First Video
The first video within "The Jewish Manifesto" - the Landecker Action Project by Jelle Zijlstra - is out!
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On Black and Jewish solidarity
Landecker Fellow Jelle Zijlstra co-organized a talk on Black and Jewish solidarity, and how the communities can work on being better allies.
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Jelle on the "Thank You For Coming Out" Podcast
Landecker Fellow Jelle Zijlstra was a guest on the "Thank You For Coming Out Podcast."
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Humanity in Action Executive Director Judith Goldstein's 2022 Fellowship Opening Remarks
On the first day of the 2022 International Fellowship, Humanity in Action Founder and Executive Director Judith Goldstein began the program with opening remarks, discussing the critical issues that the 2022 cohort faces during this Fellowship year.
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Open Letter to Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema
Landecker Fellow Jelle Zijlstra is one of the authors of the open letter sent to Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema in a follow-up to their arrest during a peaceful counter demonstration against a Neo-Nazi group.
