Growing up outside Philadelphia, my family received the Jewish Exponent newspaper every week. I believe it was sent to every Jewish person in the area that was a member of a synagogue (we were members of Har Zion),
along with other subscribers I’m sure. The Exponent was always known for
being very right wing, and as I became older I heard many stories about
Jewish peace activists who tried for years to get a hearing in the
paper to no avail.
I give this introduction because as we track the big picture of
shifting perceptions and stories of international significance,
there are hundreds of small stories that show how the debate is opening up. And I’m relieved to say one of these stories involves the Exponent.
The story begins when Philadelphia Jews for a Just Peace held a
silent vigil outside the opening of the Philadelphia Israeli Film
Festival (photo above, credit: Sue Rouda). Within the orthodoxy
of the Jewish community even a vigil is too much. A month later the
Exponent ran an opinion piece by Adam Levick about the protest entitled
“What Are They Really Asking When It Comes to Israeli Survival?”
Levick is an ex-staffer for the Anti-Defamation League, so as can
be expected he sees nefarious intent in even the most benign actions.
In just one passage Levick says, “If you’re really committed
to a better world, why do you insist on using such incendiary and
hyperbolic rhetoric? Vilification and vitriol is a blind alley that
takes us nowhere. Your radicalism undermines the forces for peace in
Israel and in the Palestinian territories.” All this in response to a vigil that simply
held a banner that said “See the Whole Picture.”
The whole article is
really worth reading, and it includes a great shout out to Mondoweiss (thanks
Adam!), but the real story is in what came next. Unlike a generations
of activists before them, Phildelphia Jews for a Just Peace have been
given a opportunity to respond and suffice it to say they have. From
today’s Jewish Exponent:
A Jewish Activist Calls for Peace and Justice
With regard
to “What Are They Really Asking When It Comes to Israeli Survival?”
(Op-Ed, April 23), we understand that the presence of Jewish activists
with banners reading “See the whole picture” might be disturbing at
events like the opening gala of the local Israeli film festival. But
that’s why we were there.Jewish ethical tradition teaches
“Justice, justice, thou shall pursue.” I am an unapologetic activist
for peace with justice, an engaged, synagogue- affiliated, practicing
Jewish American and Jewish educator. I understand the history of
persecution and violence against us, how it has shaped Jewish identity
and informs how we respond to the world.Palestinian rocket
attacks against civilians are unjustifiable. Yet Israel has military,
economic and technological superiority. The people who inhabit Gaza
once lived in Ashkelon. The consequences of Jewish statehood in 1948 —
the dispossession and displacement of 750,000 Palestinians — must be
acknowledged, not cemented in security barriers, settlements and
occupation.We need to think long and hard about who we are as
Jews in the broader human community — and empathize with all
suffering, rather than simply enshrining Jewish suffering.Two traumatized peoples need to heal. It’s time for truth and reconciliation, and not white phosphorous.
Peace
with justice is what’s best for everybody. It cannot be achieved
through Israel’s violations of human rights and international law.
Until American Jews understand and include these inconvenient truths
into their conversations, American Jewish activists for justice will be
on the streets.Susan Landau
Philadelphia Jews for a Just Peace
The media blackout within the Jewish community is breaking down. The vigil action took the discussion to the heart of the Jewish community in Philadelphia and forced a debate that the community has been avoiding for decades. Once that discussion begins it will be difficult to stop. As the letter shows the conversation is not just about Gaza, or about the occupation, but about the the history of Israel that we have chosen to ignore. As Landau says, “Until American Jews understand and include these inconvenient truths
into their conversations, American Jewish activists for justice will be
on the streets.” And in the process they will be shaping the debate and reshaping the community.
