From the video description:
Jews for a Just Peace-NC set up a "Palestinian house demolition" tableau in front of the Durham Performing Arts Center to protest an American Dance Festival performance by the Israel-based Inbal Pinto & Avshalom Pollak Dance Company on June 17, 2010. The protesters exposed the fact that Israel's cultural exports have become a tool to divert attention from Israel's human rights violations. The setup of a demolished home guarded by Israeli soldiers returns the spotlight to those violations. It represents the more than 24,000 Palestinian homes destroyed since 1967 and symbolizes Israel's illegal occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem and the collective punishment of 1.5 million Gazans under siege due to Israel's blockade.
Sponsorship and funding for this dance company and other Israeli cultural endeavors come in part from the Israeli government, which is engaged in the Brand Israel campaign to reshape the image of Israel through public relations. Ido Aharoni, head of Israel's Foreign Ministry's brand management team, wishes to reposition "Israel away from an image of a country in a state of war and conflict to a brand which represents positive values and ideals like 'building the future,' 'vibrant diversity,' and 'entrepreneurial zeal'" (Winning the Battle of the Narrative, presented at the January 2010 Herzliya conference).
With such compromised political backing, art cannot be considered simply a positive expression of human creativity. Israeli artists performing abroad are cultural ambassadors legitimizing Israel as a whole, including its policies. These policies -- exemplified by the violent intransigence of the Netanyahu/Lieberman government -- are not in the long-term interests of Israelis, Palestinians, or Americans. Until the conflict is resolved justly, there can be no peace or security in the Middle East or elsewhere. Misleading public relations campaigns are not substitutes for constructive steps towards a just peace.
Jews for a Just Peace asks the US government to withdraw its yearly $ 3 billion support until Israel acts towards Palestinians in ways that respect their human rights as well as their internationally recognized right to self-determination. It also asks that the American Dance Festival refrain from inviting artists who provide de facto cover for policies that flout international law and human rights.
Boycotts sometimes work–here’s a magazine article from 1935 about the Jewish American boycott against goods and events imported from Germany:
As recently as the Mercedes buyin to Chrysler, there were calls here to boycott German products.
here’s a magazine article from 1935 about the Jewish American boycott against goods and events imported from Germany
where?
Here’s one from a jewish site:
link to jewsagainstzionism.com
Is this really true?
taxi, yes i think it is true, here from jewishvirtuallibrary
ps, i didn’t copy everything at that link..there are more incidences.
Thanks for the orientation and info, annie.
It’s stressing me out to read how fast the chronology of events escalated to holocaust proportions.
you can listen to audio about this. Freedman talks about this to a crowd at the Willard Hotel 1961. When I heard this a few years back, I thought how could this guy be real. I’ve never heard of him. link to erichufschmid.net
In 1961 he was advising americans to keep their boys of of the war, that was to take Palestine. Forty years later, the same scheming is still alive and well with the Zionists.
Oops, sorry, annie et al:
link to oldmagazinearticles.com
Citizen, if you don’t realize how sick it is to compare a boycott of Nazi Germany with BDS, than nobody can help you.
I know we have been here before, but so what?
You prefer comparisons to Apartheid South Africa then?
Well what the fuck LeaNder – which is it?!
in all fairness leander, when this boycott was called for ‘nazi’ germany was less than 2 months old. the conditions of jews in germany were much better than those palestinians endure today. in fact at the time this boycott was called for jews held many prominent positions in german society. from taxi’s link:
Most people are not aware that in March, 1933, long before Hitler became the undisputed leader of Germany and began restricting the rights of German Jews, the American Jewish Congress announced a massive protest at Madison Square Garden and called for an American boycott of German goods.
hmm, the timings a tad off anyway because on jan 30 33 hitler was appointed chancellor. however the call for boycott in march was likely as a result of the Enabling Act along w/the rescinding of civil liberties for all germans. according to wiki:
These boycotting bozos are not so much opposing the occupation and Israeli military excesses, rather they seek to blot out JWD’s (Jews who dance) and ultimately JWB’s (Jews who breathe)
Haha ok. Same broken record = antisemitism! Israel isn’t doing anything wrong, people just hate Jews!
These boycotting bozos are not so much opposing the occupation
lol……
‘they seek to blot out…Jews who breathe‘
source? or is this your educated hunch?
“boycotting bozos”…rather nice alliteration, Dano. I don’t think, however, it is in the ball park with William Safire (though your political views are similar to Safire’s).
Talking about dancing..Can someone tell me why the settlers when they want to take over a Palestinian home, they squat at the front and start to hop up and down like demented monkeys..? What is it with this dancing business?
awesome, i just sent this video to my cousin in NC. the movement is growing. train definitely has left the station.
President Shimon Peres presented the thanks of the People of Israel to nine Righteous Gentiles from the Belarus city of Minsk on Monday. The award of the Righteous Among the Nations is the highest award that Israel can bestow on gentiles who demonstrated courage in the face of the Nazi Holocaust in order to save the lives of Jews.
-Arutz
Somebody tell me how that arrogant shmuck can present the thanks of the “People of Israel” for acts during WWII, i.e. when there was no state of “Israel”. Who gave him ex post facto power of attorney?
Considering how hard the Zis have been trying to (consciously) incite anti-Jewish prejudice by equating Jewish to the Pirate State, the world’s reaction has been surprisingly subdued.
The Holocaust is over Jim. It really is.. Check it out..
How about Israeli supermarket chains boycotting Turkish goods? Is THAT OK?
On the account of Turks getting killed. Since some Israelis were also killed, it stands to reason that should be OK to boycott their goods. Turks, of course, were killed because they were in a place where they should not be. They beg to differ (at least, those that were not killed) but we know better. The analogy is surprisingly complete, if you think about it.
Great! So now Turks are not supposed to be in international waters? I have to assume that’s because God first gave you the land, and then He gave you the sea? And no Israelis were killed during the attack on the flotilla. Are you genuinely confused or did you just feel like making that up?
Since some Israelis were also killed
Sorry? During the MM raid? I missed this. (Unless I’m missing something)
Turks, of course, were killed because they were in a place where they should not be.
Vulgar display of power. Could you elaborate? Or not up to the argument…
The israelis use cultural exchanges to spread hasbara about israel/zionism. These israeli performers are picked not for their talent, but for the role of propagandising brand israel. Boycotting the performers is the same as boycotting mark regev, they both are mainly propaganda tools. There is nothing anticultural about it. Atzmon describes how israel uses cultural exchanges as part of their hasbara machine:
Autumn in Shanghai by Gilad Atzmon
October 19, 2009 at 9:07PM
(excerpts)
Many Israelis and Jews are visiting Shanghai in the last two decades, as China and Shanghai are the future and the Israelis know it very well.
In the breakfast at the hotel I could hear a lot of Hebrew. They were not Israeli tourists. They were actually ‘selling and buying’. They were meeting local businessmen already at 8.00 am. But it wasn’t just business. The Israeli infiltration is noticeable on every possible level.
In the bus that picked us up to go to the festival’s stage, we found an Israeli flag hanging under the driver’s front mirror. A quick inquiry with the assistance of our English speaking stage manager revealed that the band to play before us was an Israeli Dixieland band. I may as well mention that I myself have lived in Britain for 15 years, I travel around the world with musicians from many different parts of the world and I have never seen a single musician leaving nationalist souvenirs anywhere. For Israeli artists, so it seems, leaving their Star of David is apparently a common practice.
I soon realised that I knew those Israeli Dixieland musicians, they were actually my old friends from Israel. Some of them were my teachers and mentors others had been playing in my band. Two of them were very close friends of mine at the time. Needless to say that it was very exciting to meet them after so many years. In fact they were very good at what they were doing. They could play the music and they clearly mastered the Dixieland style. On stage I heard one of my old friends telling the Chinese audience, ‘here we are, 60 years for the People’s Republic of China, 61 years for the Jewish State and all we really want is peace.’ Such a simple message, we the Jews and you the Chinese all share one simple belief.
The Israeli horn player may not have realised that a few hours earlier the People’s Republic of China voted in favor of adopting the Goldstone report at the Human Rights Council. As far as China is concerned, Israeli war crimes should be further investigated.
However, it is common knowledge that most if not all Israeli art exports are sponsored by the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Israeli artists are operating as messengers of the Zionist propaganda and Hasbara lies. It is a pretty simple concept: as the IDF drops White Phosphorous on Palestinians or starves others, Israeli artists travel the world spreading a 1960’s message of ‘Sex, Love and Peace’. Needless to say, the people around me didn’t really buy it.
Zionism, as we learn from Herzl and his too many followers, is all about tracing the bond between the Jewish national interests and world dominating powers. China is no doubt the rising power; it is in fact a rising sensation. In just one week in China I saw for myself the intensity of the Israeli activity on the ground.
As we all know, some naive peace activists around put all their cards on a possible growing rift between Israel and the USA. They forget that Israel can easily change its leagues as they did rather often in the past. Israel is always building relationships with rising powers. The Israelis have already invested some enormous energy on India and China.
A lot of China’s success story is because it is run by a very unique People’s party political system. It is a miracle because it somehow manages to restrain hard capitalism with a unique socially orientated system. It is a big question whether there is room in this system to accommodate Israel, a bourgeoisie nationalist philosophy based on racial supremacy and choseness in general.
link to gilad.co.uk
The Chinese economy boom is at core the result of what the US once had–before child labor laws and then, minimum wage laws.
I love his sarcasm: “as the IDF drops White Phosphorous on Palestinians or starves others, Israeli artists travel the world spreading a 1960’s message of ‘Sex, Love and Peace’. Needless to say, the people around me didn’t really buy it. “
I think this protest is effective. A reenacted scene may dwell within the minds of the people that pass by. They might ask questions later that a protest sign does not provide. It’s non-violent and people can look at the assembled scene without having to reach for a pamphlet and ask what is this about.
I agree, Chu; it said a lot with little–much more than simple signs waving slogans.
I thought so. It’s like walking past a museum exhibit. You don’t have to stop and stare in order to absorb the content. And many people just look at the pamphlets and throw them away.