While Gaza suffers, Vancouver Jews work with Palestinians
Israel’s ongoing assault in the Gaza Strip provides an opportunity for Jewish people around the world to voice their opposition to Israeli’s policies towards the Palestinians, a Vancouver activist has said.
“As Jews, this is the moment for us to take a just stand, to think back to our own history and to remember that ”˜never again’ means never again for anyone,” Mia Amir, a member of Jews for a Just Peace, told the Straight.
Stressing that she was only speaking for herself, Amir continued, “I believe it is important for Palestinian organizers that Jews are present in this work because our presence helps challenge the idea that criticism of and opposition to Israel is anti-Semitic, which it absolutely isn’t.”
Amir helped organize a pair of recent demonstrations in Vancouver that raised $6,000 for Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip. The protests where characterized by hundreds of people chanting slogans such as “Viva, viva intifada,” and “Long live the intifada, long live the resistance.”
On January 5, an open letter attributed to “anti-Zionist Jewish youth in Canada” denounced Israel’s December 27 air strikes on the Gaza Strip and Israel’s subsequent ground invasion.
The letter states, “We feel that it is important to speak out as Jewish youth in Canada and to denounce what Israel is doing in our name.” It goes on to emphasis the diversity of Jewish people around the world and the range of opinions and attitudes that Jews have towards Israel.
A passage of interest reads, “Even though there have been approximately 100 Palestinian deaths for every Israeli killed by rocket fire, we recognize that Israeli Apartheid also leads to Israeli casualties. The blame for these deaths lies with Israel—if there were no occupation and no apartheid policies, there would be no rocket fire.”
The letter is followed by a list of signatories that includes a number of Jews living in Vancouver. In addition to Amir, Sacha Moiseiwitsch, Naava Smolash, David Taub Bancroft, Rachel Marcuse, Max Tenant, Noah Fine, David Hill, and Lee Skinner also signed their names.
“I think what is so powerful about this statement is that it really challenges the idea that Israel has the right to speak on behalf of Jews everywhere,” Amir said. “It really challenges the ability of the State of Israel to mobilize itself as the sole entity that is defending the existence and the rights of Jews in the world.”
On December 27, Israel launched air strikes on the Gaza Strip. A ground offensive followed on January 3. Meanwhile, Hamas has continued to fire rockets into southern Israel. Since the conflict began, 11 Israelis and more than 700 Palestinians have been killed, according to BBC News.
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Comments
3 Comments
ma
Jan 8, 2009 at 11:27pm
An Open Letter From Anti-Zionist Jewish Youth in Canada
January 5th, 2009
Like much of the world, we have spent the last week watching in shock and disgust as Israel continues its assault on the Gaza Strip. With the body count rising and a new tragedy in full bloom, we feel that it is important to speak out as Jewish youth in Canada and to denounce what Israel is doing in our name. The Jewish diaspora is diverse and divided on its positions on the state of Israel's policies. At this juncture in history, as Israel has committed its worst massacre in Gaza since it began its illegal occupation in 1967, we feel that it is crucial that Jews speak out and denounce Israel's actions that amount to no less than war crimes committed by an apartheid state.
As Jewish youth, we are diverse, but we are unified in our solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters in Gaza.
Some of us are students. We are outraged by the bombing of the Islamic University in Gaza city, as well as other civilian infrastructure such as hospitals and mosques.
Some of us are Arab-Jews and people of colour. We stand against Israel's racism, which has been enshrined in Israeli law, and privileges its Jewish citizens over its non-Jewish ones.This apartheid state views Palestinians as an expendable people, no more than collateral damage.
Some of us are queer. We reject Israel's branding of itself as the only safe place for queer people in the Middle-East while it targets gay and lesbian Palestinians and renders life unsafe for millions of others.
Some of us are Israelis living in Canada. We are calling for a solidarity that stretches beyond borders and nationalities. Israel's violent actions will only serve to further isolate the state and its citizens from the rest of the world. By calling itself a Jewish state and committing war crimes in the name of Jews everywhere, Israel makes the world even less safe for Jews, leading to an increase in animus towards Jewish people around the world.
Even though there have been approximately 100 Palestinian deaths for every Israeli killed by rocket fire, we recognize that Israeli Apartheid also leads to Israeli casualties. The blame for these deaths lies with Israel – if there were no occupation and no apartheid policies, there would be no rocket fire. If Israel, the world's fourth largest military power, is concerned about its citizens, it would abandon its apartheid policies and seek out justice for the Palestinian people.
In 2005, Palestinian civil society put out a clear call for international support through a non-violent campaign of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) similar to that carried out against the apartheid regime of South Africa. Now, with the people of Gaza being crushed by Israeli bombs, manufactured in the USA and launched with Canada's blessing, it is more important than ever for Jewish communities throughout the world to take up this BDS campaign in order to end Israel's apartheid system, which makes life unsafe for millions of Jews and Palestinians alike.
Let us not be silent bystanders while humanity suffers. Let us raise our voices, as Jewish youth, and demand a single, democratic state, with equal rights for everyone in Israel/Palestine.
Ours is a generation that is committed to ending Middle-East violence by opposing all forms of discrimination, calling for a just peace within the entire region, and condemning Zionism to the dustbin of history.
Free Gaza, Free Palestine,
Jenny Peto, Toronto
Aaron Lakoff, Montreal
Max Silverman, Montreal
Rachel Gurofsky, Peterborough
Simon Gurofsky, Ottawa
Zohar Melinek, Montreal
Claire Hurtig, Montreal
Ben Saifer, Ottawa
Brook Thorndycraft, Toronto
Joel Balsam, Montreal
David Mandelzys, Toronto
Reena Katz, Toronto
Mia Amir, Vancouver
Matthew Shuster, Kingston
Avi Grenadier, Kingston
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Waterloo
Melissa Harendorf, Montreal
Jeff Hiemstra, Toronto
Sacha Moiseiwitsch, Vancouver
Jake Javanshir, Toronto
Noam Lapid, Montreal
Stephen Kamnitzer, Toronto
Naava Smolash, Vancouver
Tamara Herman, Victoria
Ryan Katz-Rosene, Ottawa
Sarah Fuchs, Montreal
Daniel Thau-Eleff, Winnipeg
Deborah Rachlis, Ottawa
Marie L. Belliveau, St. Catharines
Sarah Kardash, Sackville
David Taub Bancroft, Vancouver
Kinneret Sheetreet, Montreal
Rachel Marcuse, Vancouver
Lisa Barrett, Bowen Island
Maisie Jacobson, Montreal
Max Tennant,Vancouver
Noah Fine, Vancouver
David Hill, Vancouver
Corey Balsam, Ottawa
Lee Skinner, Vancouver
Britt Lehmann-Bender, Toronto
Alexis Mitchell, Toronto
valleyvintner
Jan 9, 2009 at 4:48pm
Praiseworthy sentiments but also ill informed and naive. If we wish to assign blame the obvious target is Hamas. This avowedly jihadist, terrorist offshoot of the despicable Muslim Brotherhood is the cause of all the death and suffering.
Hiding among Palestinian women and children, Hamas blatantly uses Palestinian suffering as a propaganda tool. The conflict in Gaza would end in minutes if Hamas agreed to a sustainable truce. The fact that it refuses speaks more eloquently than any amount of Anti-Zionist moral posturing.
Freeman Lewin
Jan 12, 2009 at 10:55am
My name is Freeman Lewin, I am currently on a two month intensive high school program in a small city in Israel called Hod- Ha Sheron. I am 17 years old and a Senior at Frances Kelsey Secondary School in Mill bay.
When Britian was bombed by the Germans in World War 2 the British Air Force went and bombed city's in Germany saying "stop your bombing or will kill more civilians". When Pearl Harbor was Attacked on December 7th 1942 the United Stats dropped the most deadly bomb known to man on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. When Israel is attacked for years they sit and they wait. They pace and they plan. They ask their citizens to understand their dilemma, for they know that to stop thoughts attacks from the Gaza strip, from Lebanon, from the west bank, Would be International Suicide. What is the difference between Israel and Britain, or the USA? For years Katusha rockets have been falling on the city's of Ashdod and Sederot but still the government practices restraint. They tred lightly on soil that once was their own, they defend the land they have left. They plan for the day when enough is enough. Today, and yesterday tomorrow and the next their will be meetings in secrite rooms on how to lessen the civilian impact on innocent Gazians. They will plan on how to safely conduct humanitarian aid within Gaza. They will save lives and morn casualties, and they will understand that whatever they do they will be looked upon as oppressors of a people. In their heads they will morn for the people who do not understand, the ones who honestly believe in their heart of hearts that it Israel came down too hard on the men and women who had and still have the ideology's that Israel the Jewish state should be obliterated. When the ground troops finally entered Gaza they knew that lives were at stake, but they were not doing it for themselves, they were their to lessen the impact on innocent civilians. It had been decided that Air strikes on Hamas compounds were causing to much destruction of civilians lifestyles, the tactics used by Hamas were to detrimental to thoughts who had no involvement. So they went in, not in an effort to kill civilians but in an effort to get rid of the men and women involved in deadly terrorist activity's. One is not innocent if they are old Lady's carrying guns and shooting at soldiers, one is not innocent if they let hamas shoot rockets from their hospital, one is not innocent if they incite violence. So who are you, the international community to decided what is right or wrong without all the facts? Who are you to think that Israel is the oppressor. as a young man living in Israel I am shocked to see the amount of hatred directed towards a country that is mearly trying to defend its people. Did you, the International community say a word about the civilians who's lives are torn apart day after day by terrorism in Israel? Did you ever take a second to think of the reasons Israel was in Gaza? or did you believe the propaganda, did you see the little girls crying on T.V. and think the Israelis! the scum of the earth? (Thoughts little girls on T.V. last week where hit by a faulty Hamas rocket). It amazes me to see how a population, so devoted to enlightenment can still unleash such baseless hate. As a Jew will I be subject to anti-semitisum when I get home? Will we really step back in time and let such ignorant taste and media rule our lives again? When I walk in the Holy land I see beauty, true and pure. I see history and morals held in highest esteem. I touch the kotel ( western wall) and pray for peace in the world. I don't see a contrie in the middle east ravaged by war. I see a country united in a fight for their existence, and that is beauty. Remember what Yitzhak Rabin said minutes before his assassination "Peace Is possible.