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Why N.J. Should Not Adopt the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism

Antisemitism, General, Statements /

Updated document submitted to the NJ legislature by JVP of Northern NJ, June 17, 2024, opposing bills adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism for NJ.—Jewish Voice for Peace – Northern NJ June 17, 2024 The NJ Legislature is considering legislation that would adopt for the State of New Jersey a particular definition of antisemitism, that… Continue Reading Why N.J. Should Not Adopt the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism

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Why NJ Should Not Adopt the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism

Antisemitism, General, Statements /

Jewish Voice for Peace – Northern NJMay 1, 2024 The NJ Legislature is considering legislation that would adopt for the State of New Jersey a particular definition of antisemitism, that of the International Holocaust remembrance Association (IHRA), along with its included examples. Most of the examples are about Israel. Critics charge that enacting the IHRA… Continue Reading Why NJ Should Not Adopt the IHRA Definition of Antisemitism

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Testimony on IHRA by JVP-NNJ prepared for delivery to NJ Senate committee

Antisemitism, General, Statements /

Testimony in Opposition to Senate Bills S1292 and S2937 (as prepared for delivery) Stephen R. Shalom and Renée Steinhagen Jewish Voice for Peace, Northern New Jersey Senate Committee on State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation March 18, 2024 Chairperson Beach, Vice-Chair McKeon, and members of the Committee, We are Stephen R. Shalom from Montclair… Continue Reading Testimony on IHRA by JVP-NNJ prepared for delivery to NJ Senate committee

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Local Media Obstructs Ceasefire Call Across the Country

Blog, JVPNNJ in Action /

A February 18, 2024, article by Sam Carliner on Truthout, “Local Papers Across the US Are Refusing to Cover the Movement for Ceasefire,” discusses the obstacles that organizers for a ceasefire are encountering from local media outlets around the country, including New Jersey. Meera Jaffra and Liz Cooper, activists with Jewish Voice for Peace of… Continue Reading Local Media Obstructs Ceasefire Call Across the Country

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Reflections on Holocaust Remembrance Day

Member Reflections /

I am the grandchild of Jews who fled Central Europe before the Holocaust, leaving behind siblings and parents who died in concentration camps. My grandmother Helen was the lone survivor of twelve siblings—an unimaginable loss. On every International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I reflect on what it was like to lose eleven siblings, though I cannot… Continue Reading Reflections on Holocaust Remembrance Day

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Statement for Gathering at Gould Park, Paterson, N.J., 10/10/23

Member Reflections, Statements /

I am not a religious Jew, and yet this morning I found myself instinctively reciting the Mourner’s Kaddish—the Jewish prayer for the dead—for all the lives—young, old, mothers, fathers, children, lovers, Palestinians, Israelis, Americans, Muslims, Jews, Christians—lost on this horrific weekend. And for the much greater loss of life that I fear is yet to come.… Continue Reading Statement for Gathering at Gould Park, Paterson, N.J., 10/10/23

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Why What Happens in Israel/Palestine Matters to U.S. Citizens

Antisemitism /

As the newly elected far-right-wing Israeli government tightens its noose around Palestinians in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, so too does the noose tighten around U.S. citizens and organizations who dare to criticize Israeli apartheid, occupation, and war crimes. State after state in the United States has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition… Continue Reading Why What Happens in Israel/Palestine Matters to U.S. Citizens

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We Should Fight Antisemitism, Not Critics of Israel

Antisemitism /

We are living at a time of rising instances of virulent anti-Semitism in the United States, endorsed by leading media and political figures. We have just witnessed the reticence of many top Republicans to condemn former President Donald Trump for consorting with rabid Jew haters. In these circumstances, it is natural that people of good… Continue Reading We Should Fight Antisemitism, Not Critics of Israel

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University Students and Professors Silenced on Palestine

Antisemitism /

When I was a student at Oberlin College in the late ’70s, I was encouraged to reach outside myself and become aware of injustices faced by people in our world. I became an activist in the boycott/divest from South Africa movement to free Black South Africans from oppression and apartheid. As was the case at… Continue Reading University Students and Professors Silenced on Palestine

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