Rebecca Vilkomerson, Jewish Voice for Peace
Jul 9
Action Alert
To end violence - and truly mourn its victims - we must acknowledge, and challenge the root causes beneath it.
Boston activists speak out today - we need your help to amplify our urgent message.
Your voice matters. Click here to sign our Open Letter.
Take Action!
The last 24 hours have been devastating. The weeks leading up to it have been horrifying.
We have watched with sadness and anger as the deaths of children have mounted, racist mobs have rampaged, the fears of people throughout both Israel and Palestine have reached unbearable levels, and the collective punishment of the Palestinian people has intensified.
We can not wait one more moment to speak up. In such a terrible moment, we must join what we feel with what we know.
Please join me in signing this urgent Open Letter that says:
http://org.salsalabs.com/o/301/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=16061Only by ending the occupation and embracing equality can this terrible bloodshed end.
Our unshakeable belief in justice - as Jews and as human beings - compels us to acknowledge that the root of this violence lies in the Israeli government’s commitment to occupation over the well-being of Palestinians or Israelis. Where our leaders have so thoroughly refused that truth, it is our responsibility to hold it up.
So when we reach 18,000 signatures, we’ll publish the letter in Ha’aretz and The Forward - and call on our communities stand up with us.
In just the last two days, scores of Palestinians--with no place to hide--have been killed, while the entire population of Gaza experiences the terror of widespread bombing. Israelis have had to endure the fear of never knowing when or where the next rocket will fall.
We must speak up now.
Please join me and sign this urgent Open Letter that says, the occupation must end. And forward this to your friends so they do the same.
None of this should be happening. As we mourn all who have died, we reaffirm that all Israelis and Palestinians deserve security, justice, and equality.
The occupation, with US military and financial support, is the root cause. And it systematically denies the very humanity of Arabs, while valuing Jewish lives at the expense of others.
Anti-Palestinian bigotry is not only acceptable but a powerful political tool in Israel. Long before this latest escalation, everyday life for Palestinians meant increasing numbers of settlements taking over their lands and homes, and a web of violence and control which reached into every area of life, simply because they are not Jewish. The recent and very public violence against Palestinians in the streets of Jerusalem and elsewhere did not happen in a vacuum.
Enough is enough. We are not going away.
Those few Israelis who are bravely speaking out against their governments’ inhumane policies need to know that they have our support. Those Palestinians who are under daily assault need to know that we see them.
As part of a vast network of people across the globe, we have more power than we may think. But we have to take action.
Sign the Open Letter and send the message: only by confronting occupation and embracing true equality can this terrible bloodshed end.
Sincerely,
Rebecca Vilkomerson
Executive Director
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Contact Info:
Jewish Voice for Peace
1611 Telegraph Ave, Suite 550
Oakland, CA 94612
510.465.1777
info@jewishvoiceforpeace.orgConnect with Us:
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Action Alert
We're working around the clock to stop the disastrous attack on Gaza . But we wanted to take time to share JVP's basic principles that apply to our work everyday. If they speak to you, please forward them to friends and colleagues. Now is the time to invite our friends and families to stand with us!
We're mobilizing in the streets every day. And those mobilizations express our unique long-term vision and strategy.
Jewish Voice for Peace in the streets.
Yesterday, the Israeli military struck a UN school at the Jabaliya refugee camp where some 3,300 Palestinians were seeking shelter, and not long after, a crowded marketplace during what was supposed to be a humanitarian lull.
This past weekend, Israeli soldiers killed 3 Palestinians as the West Bank erupted in mass protests beyond anything seen in years, while some 7,000 anti-war protestors in Tel Aviv were taunted with chants like "Death to Arabs," and worse.
Throughout Israel, racist attacks against Palestinians, and Jewish anti-war activists as well, continued to make it unsafe on the streets, while rockets struck fear in the hearts of families across the country.
And our response? Jewish Voice for Peace supporters like you mobilized again and again, building an unprecedented wave of resistance—especially Jewish resistance— to Israel’s war of choice and unbearable assault on Palestinians.
But we also know that achieving justice for Palestinians, and a peaceful future for all the people of Israel and Palestine is long-term work. We're not simply against this attack - we're for justice and universal human rights.
And these are the principles we think will get us there:
1) The siege, assaults on Gaza, and the occupation would not be possible without unconditional financial and diplomatic support provided by the US, so any successful peace agreement requires a change in US foreign policy. It is our job to change these unjust policies and to oppose lobby groups like AIPAC who pressure policymakers into unconditional support for Israel while claiming, falsely, to speak for all Jews.
2) The Israeli government has proven its interest is not peace, but rather acquiring more and more land, for Jews only. Decades of U.S-brokered "peace talks" have provided cover while Israel actually expanded settlements. Israel won't give up its power willingly, and must be pressured. That's why we support Palestinian-led unarmed resistance, including the on-the-ground resistance in Palestinian villages, and the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement which gives every one of us an opportunity to vote with our wallets.
We already know from Israeli leaders that economic pressure can and is making a difference. We work strategically with thousands of activists and partners to build grassroots boycott and divestment campaigns on campuses, churches and in communities that we can all use to extricate ourselves from corporations that profit from the occupation.
3) Any resolution that has a chance of achieving a lasting peace must address Israel’s 47-year-old occupation, the unequal treatment of Palestinian citizens of Israel, and the creation of what has now grown to be the world's largest refugee population when Israel was established in 1948. Therefore we work to educate ourselves and others about the Nakba (catastrophe), the forced dispossession and expulsion of Palestinians when Israel was created.
4) Sustainable long-term change comes from the grassroots, which is why we dedicate resources to training, organizing and cultivating leaders in over 40 chapters, on campuses, and in networks where we can help. In the last 3 weeks our chapters have organized hundreds of actions, often risking arrest, to raise a cry against those institutions and corporations that aid the Israeli assault on Palestinians.
It's also why we partner, not only with Israeli and Palestinian peace activists, but with a diverse range of groups committed to a just peace- Christians, Muslims, Arab Americans, artists, academics, religious leaders, students, and more. Together, we move mountains.
5) While it is up to Palestinians to lead their liberation movement, we Jews must lead ours. We know that one people's freedom cannot be achieved at the expense of another's, and that Israelis can never be made safe by oppressing Palestinians. We also fight intolerance and racism in Jewish communities, work with young leaders who will replace the out of touch leadership of many Jewish institutions, and support efforts to undo the dehumanization of the oppressor in Israel and all over.
To that end, we invite you to JOIN US. We are only as powerful as our willingness to speak out together.
Please forward this email to anyone you know who cares about this issue. If you're not already on it, sign up on our list, get our bulletins, and learn more about what you can do for a lasting peace for all peoples of Israel and Palestine.
Stefanie Fox
Co-Director of Organizing
Donate Now!
Contact Info:
Jewish Voice for Peace
1611 Telegraph Ave, Suite 550
Oakland, CA 94612
510.465.1777
info@jewishvoiceforpeace.orgConnect with Us:
Become a 2014 JVP Member | Facebook | Twitter | Forward
Subscribe to our blog Muzzlewatch
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Cecilie Surasky, Jewish Voice for Peace
7/28/14, 10:45 a.m.
Action Alert
People all over the world are stepping up - many for the first time - to send a clear, urgent message: We Choose Freedom for All.
Stop everything—now— for just 4 minutes.
Sit quietly with this just-released joint Jewish and Palestinian video about Gaza. If you are with loved ones or colleagues—ask them to sit down and watch with you.
And take it in.
For this heartbreaking but necessary video, we asked for help from Jewish Voice for Peace members worldwide, and every hero, every artist, we knew.
And they all said yes. Yes to an end to all bombing. Yes to justice for Palestine. Yes to freedom for all people.
Gloria Steinem said yes, Chuck D and Brian Eno said yes, Angela Davis and Jonathan Demme said yes. Diana Buttu and Tony Kushner said yes. Alison Bechdel and Eve Ensler said yes. Noura Erakat, Maya Wind and Remi Kanazi said yes.
Rigoberta Menchu and Desmond Tutu said yes.
In short, the people in this video represent the human family, standing on the side of freedom— for Palestinians and Israelis alike. And we say No to this unspeakable carnage wrought by one of the world’s most powerful militaries dropping explosives on an imprisoned and defenseless population.
Watch the video, share it on Facebook and via email, join the campaign and add your own photo. Invite others to do the same.
Click here: Freedom4Palestine.org
And take in just some of the names and faces and ages of the children, mothers and fathers, and entire families who have been killed in this horrific assault on the captive population of Gaza.
And take in our message, one that truly comes from a place of love for justice: that a lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians will never be possible until we address decades of Palestinian dispossession, statelessness, inequality, exile, occupation and siege.
Click here to watch: Freedom4Palestine.org
Then share this video with 10 people:
People who are scared to say publicly what they think privately.
People who hold tightly to their fantasy that Palestinians and Jews are mortal enemies, so they don't feel the horror of what the Israeli government is doing to human beings, just like them.
People who may need to be reminded that injustice will go on long after the bombing stops - unless we make real change.
People who feel isolated and powerless in the face of this ongoing massacre.
Click here: Freedom4Palestine.org and add your photo.
I just ask that if you choose to memorialize the name of someone who has died, that you memorize that name, find out everything you can about them, tape their name or image to your wall, and make him or her a part of your story.
And most important, honor their lives by taking to the streets, joining a JVP chapter, starting a divestment campaign, talking to your family and friends.
Sincerely,
Cecilie Surasky
Deputy Director
PS: In Israel, radio spots naming those killed in Gaza have been banned. In the US, media coverage hasn’t been much better. Please, share this video today – we have to take responsibility ourselves for sharing our humanity, our grief, and our hope for the future.
Donate Now!
Contact Info:
Jewish Voice for Peace
1611 Telegraph Ave, Suite 550
Oakland, CA 94612
510.465.1777
info@jewishvoiceforpeace.orgConnect with Us:
Become a 2014 JVP Member | Facebook | Twitter | Forward
Subscribe to our blog Muzzlewatch
