Mahmoud Abbas’ reprehensible antisemitic statement actively harms the struggle against Israeli apartheid by serving as a distraction from Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians and by empowering Zionist claims of Palestinian antisemitism. Indeed, as approximately 200 Palestinian academics, writers, activists, and people of all walks of life said in a public statement, “The Palestinian people are… Continue Reading Response to Abbas
Why should you be concerned? Israel has long promoted itself as the only democracy in the Middle East—Is that really true? Not for the millions of Palestinian people who live under Israeli occupation. Israeli oppression of Palestinians has been long-standing, going back more than 75 years. In 1948, Israel subjected the indigenous population of Palestine… Continue Reading What’s Going On in Israel and Palestine? Why should you be concerned?
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
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
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
At a recent school board meeting in Westfield, NJ, several speakers charged board Vice President Sahar Aziz with antisemitism for a ‘reTweet’ recommending an article that argued that the slogan “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free” was not antisemitic. Aziz is the Professor of Law, Chancellor’s Social Justice Scholar, and Middle… Continue Reading Westfield BoE: Prof. Aziz is not antisemitic.
[Five years ago, the New Jersey State legislature enacted a measure punishing firms that boycotted Israel or Israeli companies. The bill, S1923, was vigorously opposed by Jewish Voice for Peace of Northern New Jersey, NJ Peace Action, and other organizations supporting Palestinian rights. The ACLU of NJ criticized the bill, a revised bill, and the… Continue Reading NJ Punishes Ben & Jerry’s Parent Company for Principled Stance
In response to a column in local Gannett newspapers, our member Tova Fry sent her thoughts to editors at the Daily Record. She points out that JVP members are part of a new understanding among many U.S. Jews. Her article, published today, July 9th, 2021, may be found here: https://www.dailyrecord.com/story/opinion/2021/07/09/jewish-opposition-israeli-oppression-palestinians-growing/7874371002/ (limited free access). Congratulations and… Continue Reading NNJ JVP Member Replies to Column
Jewish Voice for Peace of Northern New Jersey has consistently denounced the Israeli government’s denial of basic rights to Palestinians—but individual Jewish Americans are not responsible for the crimes of the Israeli government any more than individual Muslim Americans or Asian Americans or African Americans are responsible for the crimes of Muslim or Asian or… Continue Reading Statement on Antisemitism: May 22, 2021
The Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism is a gift to those of us who are fighting for justice in Palestine, and a blow to the knee-jerk defenders of Israel. Crucial to the defense of Israel’s indefensible policies toward Palestinians is the suppression of free speech. When we criticize Israel, they yell “antisemitism” and try to shut… Continue Reading The Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism: A Gift to the Pro-Palestine Movement
