This post, originally published on Muzzlewatch, was reposted on Mondoweiss in June. We run it again in light of Mandela’s death.
JVP joins with people and communities across the globe in expressing our admiration, love, and gratitude for Nelson Mandela, a giant in the struggle for justice and an inspiration to us all.
Had Muzzlewatch existed 23 years ago when Mandela, newly released from prison, made a thrilling visit to New York, the shameful response of the “official” Jewish community would have been the lead story here for days. While 750,000 New Yorkers of all sorts poured into the streets to cheer this courageous hero, the Jewish establishment sat out the festivities. Why? Muzzlewatch readers need no hints: This world leader who sat in jail for 27 years for fighting apartheid was not an acceptable Zionist.
His visit coincided with the moment we were co-founding the NY-based organization, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ), and we were disgusted that the Jewish establishment announced that they were withholding their welcome of him to our city unless he satisfied them on his support for Israel. It was a stark demonstration of the way rightleaning Israel politics were skewing Jewish participation in progressive causes here — which is part of why we formed JFREJ. We decided that our inaugural event should be a symbolic welcome of Mandela from the substantial wing of the Jewish community that was happy and grateful to embrace him.
More than 1,000 people from across the city attended the Shabbat service and celebration of his achievement. Among the speakers: Harry Belafonte, Henry Schwarzschild, Grace Paley, and the ANC representative, Susan Mnumzama, with a closing song by Bernice Johnson Reagon. The service was led by Rabbis Marshall Meyer, Rolando Matalon, and Balfour Brickner.
We raised $30,000 to present to the ANC that evening, along with a statement applauding Mandela “as a moral voice for peace, justice, and self-determination for all peoples.”
We managed to get word out in other ways, too. JFREJ founding board member Alisa Solomon landed an op-ed in the New York Times (despite the NYT editors’ cautious hands, what was a radical critique in the mainstream media at the time could today have been penned by J Street).
We share her text and the rousing remarks of Harry Belafonte below.
The Zionists are rushing to preempt BDS reminding people that Mandela supported freedom for the Palestinian people and even declared South Africa was not free until the Palestinians were: http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/12/05/nelson-mandela-and-zionism/
The battle is very noticeable on Twitter.
Obama told the public apropos of Mandela’s death that the fight against apartheid in S Africa was the first political issue he ever tackled in his life. I deduce from this that Obama knows exactly what Israel is, no matter what he says in public. And his druthers are known, if they were not before. Add what Kerry told Israel’s Channel 2 a month ago about Bibi’s Israel’s settlements revealing Israel’s not really interested in peace and what do we have?
Kinda weird Mandela visited and hugged israeli leaders in the 90s though.
Didn’t take them long…
Nelson Mandela: An Israeli hero
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/nelson-mandela-an-israeli-hero/