Yesterday, Rabbi A. Waskow crossposted a peacenik article pertaining to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from Brit Tzedek v’Shalom (Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace) on Daily Kos.
Interestingly, the usual right wing Zionist suspects, who populate the site remained away from Rabbi Waskow’s contribution like the plague. It is not that everyone didn’t know that there is little in the way of Judaism in the thinking, the propaganda and lies, and actions of the right wing Israeli government and its Daily Kos supporters. While not all might agree with the details of Brit Tzedek v’Shalom’s (Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace’s) position, it is about as far away from AIPAC/Zionist Organization of America/American Jewish Committee ethics as one can get.
Brit Tzedek v’Shalom was founded in 2002 by a group of American Jewish activists compelled to create a national organization to build support for a just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The organization was founded on the belief that Israel’s well-being depends on a negotiated settlement of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict that includes the establishment of a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel. Brit Tzedek combines the principles of social justice fundamental to the Jewish tradition with the unique perspectives of American Jews concerned for Israel. Its mission is to educate and mobilize American Jews in support of a negotiated two-state resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Working through a national network of 40 local chapters and more than 36,000 supporters, Brit Tzedek uses legislative advocacy, outreach to synagogues and Jewish organizations, media relations, and community education initiatives to build a grassroots Jewish movement that advocates for greater US commitment to resolving the conflict.
Overall, the mission of the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace is to educate and mobilize American Jews in support of a negotiated two-state resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It therefore supports Congressional actions such as the Feinstein/Lugar Resolution on Israeli/Palestinian Peace, which I will leave information about just in case anyone would care to contact your Senators to urge them to sponsor this resolution.
S.Res.224, introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA) and Richard Lugar (IN), along with 7 additional original cosponsors, calls on President Bush to make a two-state solution a “top priority,” urges him to appoint a Special Envoy for Middle East Peace, and welcomes the Arab League Peace Initiative. Ask your Senators to sign-on to S.Res.224 today! TAKE ACTION!
But the most interesting thing about Rabbi Waskow’s article on Daily Kos is that represents his contribution to the Rabbinic Guide to 40 Years of Occupation, a publication by Brit Tzedek developed as a way of engaging Jewish congregations in considering “the unintended political consequences of Israel’s occupation and to frame the discussions rabbis will be leading across the country in the coming weeks.”
A press release about the Rabbinic Guide reads,
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 25, 2007RABBIS URGED TO DISCUSS IMPACT OF OCCUPATION
IN `67 ANNIVERSARY OBSERVANCESLargest Jewish Peace Group Delivers Discussion Guide to Rabbis Nationwide
CHICAGO–Hundreds of rabbis across the country today received a guide that encourages them to use the 40th anniversary of the Six-Day War to lead their congregations in reflecting on the implications of Israel’s subsequent occupation of territory captured in 1967.
As many American Jews across the country prepare to mark the June 5th anniversary with celebrations of Israel’s formidable military victory, Brit Tzedek v’Shalom, the country’s largest grassroots Jewish peace organization, has released the “Rabbinic Guide to 40 Years of Occupation” as a way of engaging congregations in also considering the unintended political consequences of Israel’s occupation, the persistence of which threatens Israel’s democratic underpinnings, its economy, and its prospects for long term peace and security and has caused decades of Palestinian suffering.
The 58-page resource guide, edited and predominantly written by rabbis for rabbis, is comprised of a dozen personal reflections by rabbis about the anniversary, which are intended to frame the discussions, rabbis will be leading across the country in the coming weeks. It also includes submissions from the group’s leadership and from Palestinian peace activists.
(snip)
The rabbinic guide is part of Brit Tzedek’s national “Let’s Talk” campaign, a multifaceted community-driven effort to change the way American Jews talk and think about Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Another guide was also distributed to the group’s 36,000 activists this week as a means to stimulate grassroots dialogue and engagement in response to the 40th anniversary. In cities across the country, many of Brit Tzedek’s 40 chapters will host parlor meetings and discussions in community forums, sponsor vigils and table at community events to mark the anniversary.
The Table of Contents of the Rabbinic Guide, which includes Rabbi Waskow’s ignored article, gives some idea of what the Judaic perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is all about.
I. Rabbinic Cabinet Reflections on the Occupation
We Have Only to Begin by Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf
Yom Yerushalayim:Reflections on a City Divided by Rabbi Toba Spitzer
Recreating a Symbol of Hope by Rabbi John Friedman
Needed:A Bold Response to Four Decades of Israeli Control of the West Bank by Rabbi Herbert Bronstein
What will Happen? A Reflection on Occupation by Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb
40 Years of Deepening Spiritual Disorders: Can We Heal Them? by Rabbi Arthur Waskow
How Long Are We Going to Get Banners and Trumpets? by Rabbi Joey Wolf
Sights I Did Not Want to See; Feelings I Did Not Want to Feel by Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman
The Withering of the Zionist Dream: Reflections on the Occupation after 40 Years by Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller
On the Anniversary of the Occupation by Rabbi Steven B. Jacobs
June 2007 by Rabbi Jonathan W. Malino
40 Years Later by Rabbi David Jonathan CooperII. Brit Tzedek Leadership Reflections on the Occupation
Are 40 Years of Occupation Enough? by Marcia Freedman
Brit Tzedek Leadership Reflections on the Occupation
40 Years After the Six-Day War: The Enduring Legacy of The Seventh Day by Steven David Masters
Moments in a 40-Year Journey to Peace Activism by Aliza Becker
A Moment When We Learned How to Hope by Carinne LuckIII. Palestinian American Reflections on the Occupation
Palestinians and Israelis Must “Go back to the future” by Ray Hanania
It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way by Saffiya ShilloIV. Resources
Chronology
Frequently Asked Questions
Recommended Resources: 40 Years of Occupation
Activity Ideas for Congregational Tours to Israel and the Occupied Territories
Discussion Questions: 40 Years of OccupationV. Fact Sheets
Settlements
The Occupation
The Green Line
Jerusalem
It is therefore not surprising if unfortunate that Rabbi Waskow’s article was totally ignored on Daily Kos. Talk of a fair and just peace of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which would quash the right wing Zionist dream of a Davidic Empire, is just not in keeping with the Daily Kos propagandists, who tend to believe that that talk about Israel’s occupation or colonial effort, or that is short of the whole banana, is anti-Semitic.
All materials reproduced in accordance with Brit Tzedek’s copyright policy and they are appropriately attributed.
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