Progressively speaking: Jewish voice against Israel’s occupation getting louder
Rabbi Leah Jordan gives a progressive Jewish view on a topical issue
At the confirmation hearing for the Trump administration’s candidate for ambassador to Israel, the staunchly pro-settlements David Friedman, three Jews stood, proclaimed ‘Tekiah!’ and blew the shofar as a moral wake-up call for all.
“David Friedman, you promote racism and fund illegal settlements. You do not represent us and you will never represent us,” they declared.
As police took them out, they sang, “Olam chesed yibaneh. We will build this world from love. And if we build this world from love, then God will build this world from love.”
As Israel’s government swings further to the hard pro-settlement right, and America steps aside, these words have become the anthem of more and more Jews who stand against this reality.
That Jewish voice is growing in the UK, in Israel, and in North America. Those young Jewish voices at the Friedman hearing were members of IfNotNow, a grassroots movement of Jews committed to ending American Jewish support for the occupation.
As we approach the 50th anniversary of occupation in June, British Jews will be joining the Center for Jewish Nonviolence’s nine days of activism in the West Bank this May. The centre is funded by T’ruah, the Jewish human rights organisation.
Some 200 Jewish activists from around the world will stand in solidarity with Palestinians being evicted from their homes and pushed off their land in the name of ongoing settlement growth and occupation.
International Jewish support for Palestinian and Israeli nonviolent activists working to end the unjust occupation of the Palestinian Territories is crucial.
If you are looking to become involved, the organisations and groups mentioned in this article are a place to start.
υ Rabbi Leah Jordan is Liberal Judaism’s student and young adult chaplain
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