Activism

Landmark New York Synagogue attempts to shut down Nakba discussion

On the eve of an important event to discuss the Nakba* scheduled to take place this evening, the Executive Director of a tony uptown synagogue in New York City where the event was contracted to take place has attempted to cancel the event with no explanation in what can only be perceived as an effort to shut down discussion of the “ongoing Nakba” within the Jewish community.

The event was to feature the Palestinian human rights organization, Badil (whose timely recently released Corporate Complicity in Violations of International Law in Palestine [pdf] is a must read), and Israeli human rights organization Zochrot. It is part of multi-city speaking tour, and was sponsored in New York by four organizations: Jewish Voice for Peace-New York; Nakba Education Project; Jews Say No!; and the National Lawyers Guild Palestine Subcommittee.

NEP tour schedule
“Facing the Ongoing Nakba” tour schedule

Prior to LSS Executive Director Ben Keil signing a contract to rent space for the event and accepting a $600 payment, Gail Miller of Jews Say No! made clear the event was “an opportunity for an Israeli group and a Palestinian group to talk about their work”, and expressly emphasized in writing “we need to be sure that somewhere down the line there won’t be a problem.”

Thusly, Keil responded, “For a rental like this, I’m not particularly concerned about the political stance of your program.”

So what happened? Yesterday Miller received an apologetic email from Keil “I’m sorry, but we cannot host your event at Lincoln Square Synagogue.”

Civil rights attorney and Jews Say No! member Alan Levine, informed Keil returning the rental fee did not relieve the LSS of its contractual obligations and warned him the sponsoring organizations retained their right “to pursue appropriate legal remedies” urging the synagogue to reconsider.

The last-minute cancellation has sparked outrage in the  community. “We encourage the pursuit of justice” stated Candace Graff from Jewish Voice for Peace-NY , “it is precisely these kinds of open discussions that we claim to value in the Jewish community yet many synagogues and other Jewish institutions are shutting down fundamental discussions about how to achieve it.”

The sponsoring organizations, who represent hundreds of New Yorkers, are holding a protest tonight in front of Manhattan’s first new temple in 50 years, the Upper West Side’s landmark Lincoln Square Synagogue, at 6PM.

Thankfully undeterred, the organizers have found a new venue. Advent Lutheran Church (2504 Broadway, corner of 93rd St. and Broadway) has offered to host the event which will take place on schedule tonight at 7 PM after the protest.  

The timing of the LSS cancellation is auspicious. Julia Kessler of the Nakba Education Project, one of the organizations sponsoring the event, said: “Given the election results in Israel, in which it is clearer than ever that Israel is becoming increasingly anti-democratic and unapologetic in its occupation of the Palestinian people, it’s obvious that we have to do more talking, not less, about the crucial issues like the Nakba and what happened in 1948 and how its effects are being felt, even today. Shutting down discussions and closing the doors to differing views will not help us to arrive at justice for all peoples.”

*Nakba, means “catastrophe” in Arabic and refers to the forced displacement of Palestinians that began with Israel’s establishment in 1948, and continues to this day.

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Thanks Annie, particularly for the reference to the Badil document –
Corporate Complicity in Violations of International Law in Palestine

Very interesting reading, although now I only have time to skim through it, I look forward to reading it carefully later in the day.

thank you, annie, for bringing this to my attention. it’s my fervent hope, as an american, that more of my countrymen will know and disapprove of the continual human rights violations our tax dollars are funding. at the moment though, in america generally, and new york especially, money speaks louder than truth can hope to; i wouldn’t be surprised if an ‘influential’ congregant at the synagogue wanted to silence subversive jewish voices. (thank god there are some christians who live by their religious principles)

I would think that now is the time to file a claim of discrimination against the Executive Director of the synagogue. 1. Because of subject matter regarding Palestinian history. ….I’d love to hear the defense on this one. 2. Free speech ….point of view discussion, both Israeli’s and Palestinians were to be represented.

Please someone do something to teach them that truth will not be silenced.

hi Anne i know this is off topic but it’s closely link to the continual suppression of the Palestinian voice in the US.

Seattle Wins Right To Ban ‘Israeli War Crimes’ Bus Ads

Read more: http://forward.com/articles/216949/seattle-wins-right-to-ban-israeli-war-crimes-bus-a/#ixzz3UqnpDXSK

how is banning ads not a violation of constitutional protections on free speech

(Reuters) — County officials in Seattle can prohibit an advertisement criticizing Israeli policies toward Palestinians from appearing on local buses without violating constitutional protections on free speech, a U.S. appeals court said on Wednesday.

In a 2-1 ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco found that Kings County acted reasonably when it barred the ad, which sparked threats of vandalism and violence that could have endangered passengers.

further on in the article

After a local news broadcast about the impending ad, officials faced a public furor. Photos depicting dead or injured bus passengers appeared under the door of a transportation authority service center, the ruling said.

should they not investigate who sent these photos before they banned free speech, you do not need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out who might have a motive in doing this.

such as a rival ad campaigner say.. oh i don’t know… Pam Geller or/and David Horowitz.

not to long ago David Horowitz confess to posting anti-Muslim posters all around campuses

it’s true that both anti and pro Israel ads have been rejected, however i can’t help feeling this was the desire result of the rightwing pro Israeli campaigners.
considering their ads were full of racist content and because of that are/were losing the battle of the ads.

Shame, shame, and more shame on Lincoln Square Synagogue.

“Thankfully undeterred, the organizers have found a new venue. Advent Lutheran Church”

This mention of Lutherans made me think of Reverend Bruce Shipman…

“Well last night the Episcopal Church at Yale along with the Tree of Life Educational Fund helped to host a benefit concert for the Ahli Hospital in Gaza. The concert was originally scheduled to be held at Dwight Memorial Chapel on Yale’s campus. The venue was switched to a Lutheran church a block or so from the Divinity School in the last few days (as commenters on our site noted).” – See more at: http://mondoweiss.net/2014/09/benefit-backlash-priests#sthash.1bVo67Gg.dpuf

So a Lutheran church is once again the venue that permits dialogue and truth.

I spot a trend.

Thanks, Annie.

Interesting to note the history of Lincoln Square:

“Lincoln Square was formerly called San Juan Hill, a predominantly African American neighborhood of tenements, generally bordered by Amsterdam Avenue to the east, West End Avenue to the west, 59th Street to the south, and 65th Street to the north. It has been suggested that the area was named after the 10th Cavalry that fought with Theodore Roosevelt at the Battle of San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War, but this is not certain. It was possibly the most heavily populated African-American neighborhood in Manhattan in the early 20th century.[2] Notable residents had included Thelonious Monk, who came to live here in 1922. In addition to the significant African American community, there was also an Afro-Caribbean community there, which has left its traces in Bye-ya and Bemsha Swing compositions of Thelonious Monk, co-written much later with Denzil Best, who also grew up in this neighborhood.[3]

In 1940, the New York City Housing Authority characterized the area as “the worst slum section in the City of New York,” and made plans to renew the area by demolishing the old tenements and building in its place the Amsterdam Housing Projects and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.[2]”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Square,_Manhattan