On October 26, I resigned from my position as Chicago Program Director for AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps. Each day I have spent in this job has been a blessing, but I have no choice in light of AVODAH’s decision to co-sponsor a 10-day “service-learning” trip to Israel with the American Jewish World Service through their joint initiative Pursue: Action for a Just World.
Michael Deheeger at the Separation Wall in 2010.
AVODAH and AJWS agreed to this trip as a grant stipulation for funding from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, a prominent donor in the Jewish nonprofit world, major supporter of pro-Israel causes, and Pursue’s principal funder.
I believe it is irresponsible for social justice organizations to organize a trip that focuses on “diversity, poverty and social integration” without meaningfully, and publicly, addressing Israel’s military occupation of Palestinian land, systematic oppression of Palestinians across “Israel proper” and the Occupied Territories, and enforced exile of Palestinian refugees.
I believe doing so contributes to the “normalization” of a deeply abnormal oppressive situation – presenting Israel as a liberal democracy with nothing more than the usual challenges rather than a state which imposes an ethnicity-based military regime on millions of people. It perpetuates the idea that it is acceptable to ignore Israel’s daily abuses of Palestinians in the pursuit of cultural, religious, financial or other interests.
Similar Jewish “social justice”, artistic, LGBTQ and environmental trips are often used to mount a facade of democracy over Israel’s state-sponsored human rights abuses. It is well known that Israeli government ministries and American Jewish organizations have been collaborating on an extravagantly funded “Brand Israel” project designed to improve the country’s image abroad by “avoiding any discussion of the conflict with the Palestinians.” Arye Mekel, former Deputy Director-General for Cultural Affairs with Israel’s Foreign Ministry, has described this strategy as a way to “show Israel’s prettier face.” I have no doubt that the Schusterman Foundation has a similar agenda for this Pursue trip.
Through this trip, AVODAH and AJWS become active participants in covering up oppression, whether that is their intention or not. They publicly lend their organizations’ names and reputations to injustice, violating the social justice principles enshrined in their missions which inspired me to join AVODAH’s staff in the first place.
My decision to resign is informed by my support of the Palestinian call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel. Initiated in 2005, BDS is a call endorsed by the great majority of Palestinian civil society groups as a nonviolent strategy to pressure Israel into ceasing its systematic oppression of Palestinians.
I believe in listening to people fighting their own oppression when they lay out a strategy to achieve their human rights. For the overwhelming number of Palestinians, BDS is that strategy. Being strong allies and taking our lead from people directly impacted by oppression is, in fact, a philosophy deeply held by organizations such as AVODAH and AJWS.
I decided to write about my decision in the spirit of Tokhecha, or sacred rebuke, a central value of Torah:
“Reprove your kinsman but incur no guilt because of him” (Leviticus 19:17)
Rashi’s interpretation of “incur not guilt” is “Do not embarrass [them] in public.” My goal is not to embarrass or shame AVODAH or AJWS. I love and respect AVODAH, which is staffed by dedicated and thoughtful individuals, and which remains committed to open discussion on this and other issues among its participants and alums.
However, this trip communicates a public message – that these organizations are willing to overlook Israel’s oppression of Palestinians in exchange for funding. It therefore requires a public response.
My understanding of Tokhecha is that it includes the responsibility to help those to whom it is directed make amends. I echo the call put out by AVODAH alums and current Corps members that AVODAH and AJWS commit publicly to “never sponsor an Israel trip in this way again.”
We in the Jewish social justice community have a choice. On the one hand, we can stay silent and try to avoid provoking the ire of powerful donors like the Schusterman Foundation. On the other hand, we can publicly oppose, or at least not cover up, the oppression Israel commits directly in our name.
I have faith that our community, increasingly, will choose the latter, and that as BDS continues to gain traction among young Jews, there will be a growing cost in staff and participants for organizations that allow themselves to be used as cover for the oppression of Palestinians.
Michael Deheeger has worked as a community and political organizer in Chicago for the past few years. After witnessing the JVP/YJP action at the New Orleans GA, he decided it was time to get active in the area of Israel/Palestine. After participating in his synagogue's trip to the West Bank he became further politicized around this issue. He has been active with Jewish Voice for Peace.
This is admirable. I like how in this story the list of program alums is part of opposing the actions of the organization. Donors have a lot of hold over the staff, but in the internet age they can’t do anything about other folks speaking out.
The only quibble would be, could there be a way of improving the trip itself? Not a perfect solution for either side, but it would be interesting to see such an effort.
For those who don’t know, btw, Avodah is a pretty good organization that focuses on domestic issues. Too bad they didn’t stick to that.
I think its a mistake on Michael’s part.
The theme that efforts that don’t include Palestinian concerns is not a genuine service trip is a mistake.
The reform would be to facilitate Avodah and JWS to include services to Palestinian communities, within and outside Israel.
If the organizations include those outside of their immediate community in their service work, then when funding comes in to Jewish community services, it LIBERATES funding to be used for other purposes.
Its the difference between seeking to help rhetorically and to help practically.
Practically is what changes peoples lives.
I’ve done a small amount of fundraising for Jewish World Service, and know first hand that their service offerings are mostly outside of the Jewish community. I worked projects for Darfur and other parts of Africa, and to fund post-tsunami rebuilding efforts in Indonesia.
To raise money for service work, you do have to “look good”, including to not offend your funders.
We don’t live in a world in which charity is made by socially owned institutions, but by private.
“but I have no choice”. This is an error on your part. You are choosing. That is part of the weight of your voice.
Too bad, Witty. Because of the insistence of people like you that the Jewish community worldwide MUST revolve around Israel (the seat of the so-called “Jewish nation” according to you), Jews are leaving the Jewish community in disgust.
It’s pretty cynical and hypocritical of you to criticize this young man for reacting to exactly what you push upon the Jewish community — the centrality of Israel in everything Jews are supposed to do.
“So-called”? Sure is disgusting when folks deny the existence of a Palestinian nation/Jewish nation.
some people are not ethnic nationalists and therefore should not be required to recognize nation states based on ethnicity.
if that disgusts you so be it.
Palestinian and Jewish are not equivalents. Where’s Mooser when we need him? Mooser, the Clencher is gettin ornery!
michael, thanks for making this choice. it must be hard to leave a job you love but it’s more important to stick to your principles. i appreciate what you’re doing.
You should let Michael tell us if he has “left the Jewish community in disgust” or not. Is he just done being Jewish? Or did he leave a job and not the community as a whole.
I believe you are misrepresenting him here.
annie, I’m not disgusted by the absence of ethnic nationalism. Are you disgusted by the presence of ethnic nationalism? Anyway, people don’t ‘recognize’ states. States exist regardless of people’s opinions. That said, denying the right of self determination, a fairly well known right, is a slippery slope. SD does not necessarily equal statehood, but it definitely includes the ‘SELF’ determination part.
I’m sorry, Newclench, I wasn’t aware you were such an avid supporter of the Nakba, like AM_Radio. Like a true Israeli — keep ‘em separated!
You weren’t aware cuz it ain’t true. Not even sure what it means to be ‘in support’ of a historical event. Let’s just say if the Nakba comes up for a vote, I’m against, not for.
“Are you disgusted by the presence of ethnic nationalism?”
Yes.
“Anyway, people don’t ‘recognize’ states. States exist regardless of people’s opinions.”
Tosh. States are artificial arrangements created by people and recognised by people. They only exist by the consent of people.
“the right of self determination, a fairly well known right”
The right of self determination, such as it is, is a right of all the people in a territory to decide on the political arrangements of that territory.
It is not a right of “ethnic” or “national” groups.
RoHa, what you just wrote has little basis in international law.
Clearly you know nothing of international law. Of course, I am much more interested in morality than law, but I have found out that Zionists don’t know the difference, so here is some law for you.
Start with this post.
link to mondoweiss.net
Then read the rest of the thread.
Then try these.
link to mondoweiss.net
link to mondoweiss.net
link to mondoweiss.net
link to mondoweiss.net
link to mondoweiss.net
>> … so here is some law for you.
Uh-oh, you’re doing that thing with cold, hard facts again.
I feel like I’m bogged down in a conversation with conspiracy theorists who want to parse what the meaning of ‘is’ is. Turn out that near unanimous world opinion that Israel is a state, that states can’t be dis-established against their will, that self-determination for groups does actually exist, that linguistic characteristics are among the recognized attributes of a ‘nation’, that luminaries as far left as Noam Chomsky see it as self evident that Israelis have a right to self-determination, and that Badil, a Palestinian refugee rights organization affirms all of this – despite all that folks want to quibble over pre-WWII definitions and what the legal definition of ‘claim’ is. It feels to me like bizzaro world.
So, I depart this awkward argument shaking my head a little. In the world I live in, respect for all sides is considered a virtue. In this world, denying ‘the other’s’ right to exist (collectively) is a virtue. Doing to Israelis what Golda Meir did to Palestinians (they do not exist, she said) essentially removes you from polite society in those places where politics produces results.
It’s especially frustrating because I wasn’t insisting that others agree that Israelis Hebrew speakers do deserve national rights. It’s fine to disagree. But recognize that when it comes to international legal precedent, international law, international consensus, the position I’ve articulated is the one with any kind of force, while those who argue counterfactually that Israel’s existence is a mistake to be rectified are the margins of the margins of the margins. In this day and age with the PFLP, DFLP, Fatah etc. have all come to terms with Israel’s existence, and even Hamas openly floats the idea of long term hudna and de-facto recognition, and Iran openly states that it is fine with any peace agreement that Palestinians agree to – well…. facepalm.
really. then perhaps you can direct us to the international legislation that affords self-determination for groups .
denying the right of self determination, a fairly well known right, is a slippery slope.
there is no right of self determination for ‘peoplehoods’. under international law the right of self determination if an individual right.
Are you disgusted by the presence of ethnic nationalism?
at the expense of indigenous people? you bet! if zionists had set up their ethnic state without ethnic cleansing i would have had no problem with it. they should not have set up camp in palestine, home of three religions. greed greed greed.
Irelevant. I’m not denying that.
“that linguistic characteristics are among the recognized attributes of a ‘nation’,”
I’m not denying that. I’m denying that “nations” (in the old-fashioned nineteenth century sense) or “peoples” have a right of self-determination.
(Though I’d also deny that Jews are a nation. Aside from any other consideration, they do not have a common language.)
Woops! That post should have started:
“Turn out that near unanimous world opinion that Israel is a state, that states can’t be dis-established against their will,”
Irrelevant. I’m not denying that.
a grant stipulation for funding from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, a prominent donor in the Jewish nonprofit world, major supporter of pro-Israel causes, and Pursue’s principal funder.
That says it all. This is how rich Zionist Jews leverage their wealth to exert disproportionate influence on policy private and public. Funding is the root of all evil.
michael, kudos to you for taking steps towards meaningful change… the bds will gain traction.. the oppression israel imposes on the palestinian people will get wider attention over time in spite of all the propaganda which suggests otherwise… your actions are a light to others..
thank you for this powerful piece, michael. i’m a big fan of avodah, and appreciate the thoughtful dialogue so many avodahniks are engaged in around palestine. y’all are an inspiration to those of us who are seeking ways to square our commitment to social justice with contemporary jewish identity, tradition, and community.