In an article criticizing the intersectional left at the Forward, Batya Ungar-Sargon continuously reinforces the false and dangerous notion that to oppose Zionism is to be against Jews: “Jews feel that when they do show up, there’s always something wrong with them.” Zionism is an ideology, Donna Nevel asserts; and even if Jews adhere to it, it is not “anti-Jewish” to oppose it.
A special issue, “Moving Forward,” highlights the role of the Jewish National Fund in the destruction of Palestinian lands and the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes.
Donna Nevel provides an overview of speakers and panels at the Jewish Voice for Peace National Membership Meeting in Chicago last weekend, “Presenters spoke movingly and, at times, quite painfully, about the brutal realities and challenges Palestinians and many other communities are facing at this moment and also located the current moment in the context of a long history of injustice and struggle.”
Yesterday, New Israel Fund exec Jennifer Gorovitz was detained and questioned at Ben Gurion airport for 90 minutes when she arrived in Israel. NIF CEO Daniel Sokatch sent out an email to supporters calling the incident “an act of political targeting” and reports Gorovitz told officers that she is a Jew and a Zionist.
Progressive Except Palestine–PEP. A term many of us know and have used to describe someone who has a commitment to progressive causes—civil rights, human rights, movements for justice–except when it comes to Palestine and Israel. But Donna Nevel believes one can’t be progressive except Palestine: “Being Progressive except Palestine not only means supporting Israeli brutality—it really does mean that—but it also means supporting US imperialism. If you support Israel, then you also support US financial and military support for Israel. It goes together. That is anything but progressive.”
On Wednesday evening, Dec. 21st, in 25 cities across the United States, Jews, Muslims, and other communities joined together to say with clarity and strength: No to Islamophobia; No to Racism: Yes to Justice; Yes to Dignity for All Communities. Organized to coincide with the holiday of Chanukah, which begins Saturday evening, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and its Network Against Islamophobia (NAI), together with JVP chapters and partners, initiated the actions to reignite their commitment to challenging all forms of Islamophobia and racism.
Donna Nevel says more Jews have left fantasy notions of Zionism far behind and joined the growing movement for justice in Palestine. But there is still lots of unlearning to do in the progressive Jewish community.
Dear Caetano Veloso, You are not simply a world-famous singer; you are also known as a world-famous fighter for justice. Your presence in Israel can have no effect but to promote long-standing policies I have no doubt you abhor. Sincerely, Donna Nevel
Despite seemingly insurmountable challenges on college campuses, organizing efforts by Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, Muslim Students Associations and the Open Hillel movement have combined to creatively highlight and challenge Israel’s ongoing apartheid.
Addressing head-on the Nakba and the Palestinian right of return are integral to achieving justice for the Palestinian people. This March a speaking tour featuring Zochrot, an Israeli organization working to promote accountability for the ongoing injustices of the Nakba and to address head-on the right of return as imperative to achieving justice, and BADIL, a Palestinian organization devoted to protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons, will visit four cities in the U.S. to discuss these important issues.