Like All Other Nations: Jewish Desires for (and against) King and Country

A Na’amod study session with Shel Maala – London community event

• Tuesday 22nd July 2025
• Doors open 6:30pm |  Event 7:00–9:00pm
• Kunstraum, 21 Roscoe St, London EC1Y 8PT
• Online hybrid access available

Shel Maala, the radical online queer Yeshiva, returns to London after last year’s sold-out Havdallah gathering and online “Torah for Liberation” study sessions with Na’amod — this time to teach an evening on Jewish desire for, and resistance to, earthly power. Co-teachers Binya Kóatz and Rabbi Xava De Cordova will  guide us through a dynamic exploration of Jewish political imagination.

Starting with an evocative passage in the Book of Samuel, where the Jews ask for a king against God's wishes, Binya and Xava will trace our yearning to be like "all the other nations” from Rabbinic commentators all the way to the Israeli Declaration of Independence. (We touched on this shortly last year, but have so much more to teach on it now!) Come unearth arguments together about the very nature of Jewish government, what makes a good/kosher ruler (if such a thing is possible), with implications for Zionism, the decolonial left, anarchy, and more, today.

Event Schedule

• 6:30pm – Arrival & snacks (vegetarian, specify dietary restrictions on RSVP)
• 7:00–9:00pm – Session with Shel Maala: text study & breakout discussions
• until 10:00pm – Wrap-up and informal social time

This session is participatory and open to all. No prior text study experience is needed — just bring your curiosity and openness to learning in community.

Venue & Accessibility

• Venue is wheelchair accessible
• Gender-neutral toilet available
• Event will be in English, with printed materials provided
• The livestream will begin at 7pm, but you're welcome to join the call at 6.50pm for to say hello to the others in the Zoom room.
• We are pleased to provide hybrid/livestreaming to make the session more accessible — let us know if you are available to help with online moderation, facilitation, and captioning!

If you have any accessibility needs or questions, please don’t hesitate to let us know via the registration form or by emailing information@naamod.org.uk.

About Shel Maala

Shel Maala is a queer online Yeshiva founded during the pandemic. Rooted in SVARA-style Talmud pedagogy, they center accessibility, radical diasporism, and liberatory Torah. Find out more here.