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S.F. Bay View: Stand Behind Striking Prisoners from Palestine to California

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by IJAN http://sfbayview.com/2013/stand-behind-striking-prisoners-from-palestine-to-california/ From Palestine to California, prisoners are organizing to end torture in prison and prison as a form of repression of popular movements and poor communities of color. Members of IJAN have been following and supporting the organizing of California prisoners, who are prepared to go on indefinite hunger strike starting July 8 … S.F. Bay View: Stand Behind Striking Prisoners from Palestine to California

Community Seders Honor Legacies of Resistance

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This year, several large community Seders (a ritual meal in observance of the Passover holiday) were held using the IJAN Liberation Haggadah (a program for Seder). Many other people held smaller gatherings in their homes using this resource. Passover is traditionallya celebration of the Exodus story, and the IJAN Liberation Haggadah draws on themes that grapple with the concept of liberation as presentedin religious text as well as secular traditions that celebrate the human commitment to liberating ourselves. 

In the San Francisco Bay Area, approximately 200 people attended a Seder which raised money for IJAN and the Stop the JNF Campaign. Hamilton, Ontario, had two Seders, with a total of about 90 people in attendance. In Atlanta, about a dozen people attended a Seder in an IJAN member’s home.

These Seders were a part of the cultural work of de-linking Zionism and Judaism/Jewish identity. Consistent with the project of rejecting Jewish isolationism, all Seders were well attended by people who are not Jewish. Said one participant in the Hamilton Seder, "Theenvironment, the mix of people and the atmosphere were moving and inspiring." A participant in the Atlanta Seder reported, "It was an intimate space, and people really opened up. We talked about how to confront power. We laughed and sang and studied together. We parted witha prayer and a challenge, "Next year, may Palestine be free."

Jadaliyya: Debunking the Myth of the Zionist Left

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url: http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/12243/debunking-the-myth-of-the-zionist-left Tikva Honig-Parnass, False Prophets of Peace: Liberal Zionism and the Struggle for Palestine. Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2011. Aharon Cohen, a senior member of MAPAM, the Israeli United Workers Party, observed in 1948 that “a state based on national enmity and the rule of one people over another will certainly breed chauvinism and reaction in … Jadaliyya: Debunking the Myth of the Zionist Left

Letter to SF Pride in Support of Bradley Manning

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We urge you tore-instate Bradley Manning as Grand Marshall for this year’s Pride march. As anetwork of Jewish people committed to the end of all occupations and war and tohuman emancipation for all people – particularly those most impacted byoppression and repression – we commend Manning’s actions.

As a network committedto the historic struggles of queer and transgender people, we also askthe Board to remember the lives and courage of the fierce transgender men andwomen, the queens and dykes, many of whom were also people of color, who hadthe courage to stand up against the repression and violence against their communitiesby the police.  This led up to theStonewall uprisings in 1969, a significant foundation for the LGBTTQ movementand what Pride itself is built on.

We reject theunfounded claim that Manning’s actions endangered soldiers’ lives. We remindthe Board that from 2003 to 2012, an estimated 180,000 Iraqis died as a resultof combat and an estimated 650,000 Iraqis died of war- and sanction-relatedcauses. More than 4,800 U.S. troops have died in Iraq since 2003. Certainlyamongst all of those killed in Iraq as a result of the aggression of the U.S.and its allies, many were queer.

Upper Midwest Screening of Where Should the Birds Fly

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OnMay 12, 2013 the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network of the Twin Cities(IJAN-TC), along with several other community and solidarity organizations organizeda film showing of Where Should the Birds Fly and brought Fida Qishta to Minneapolis for a discussion.

Thank You Stephen Hawking

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Dear Prof. Stephen Hawking, 

The International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) thanks you for taking the principled course of action: publicly refusing to participatein Israel’s presidential conference, chaired by the notorious war criminal Shimon Peres. Our own recent history as Jews vividly presents to us the culpable role of those who merely stay silent in the face of state-organized racism and violence.

We further commend your decision to publicize the reasons for your withdrawal in a form that conveys your understanding that the primary obligation of people of conscience everywhere is to listen to Palestinians who suffer Israel’s oppression and act in solidarity based on their analysis and demands. Your actions set an example for conscientious engagement as a scientist and as a public figure. We hope that your example will inform and in turn move more scientists, intellectuals, and artists to action. 

As with others who followed the same course, in the coming days many powerful people will subject you to a barrage of abuse. The primary purpose of this barrage is to frighten others who might want to emulate you but do not feel as confident in their ability to withstand the public attempts of character assassination. We therefore also write to you to encourage others. While those who appreciate what you did donot hold high office nor own newspapers and TV channels, we are the majority of humanity and we deeply appreciate you.

Sincerely,

The International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network

Stop the Criminalization of the Black Liberation Movement

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IJAN joins with theNational Lawyers Guild, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and National Conferenceof Black Lawyers in rejecting the U.S. government’sattempt to smear Assata Shakur as a "terrorist." The outrageous FBI designationof Shakur as a "most wanted terrorist" further lays bare the blatantpoliticization of the term.

Statement in support of Professor Richard Falk, UN Special Rapporteur

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We jointhe National Lawyers Guild in expressing support for the UN Special Rapporteur,Richard Falk, in his statement on the need for the U.S. to examine its foreignpolicy. 

Dr. Falk,in an editorial in Foreign Policy Journal titled "A Commentary on the Marathon Murders," appealedfor the U.S. to be self-critical and examine the effects of "irresponsible andunlawful warfare [as the] centerpiece of American foreign policy." He listssome of the more egregious actions of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,including Abu Ghraib, drone attacks, torture, and rendition and says: "TheAmerican global domination project is bound to generate all kinds of resistancein the post-colonial world. In some respects, the United States has beenfortunate not to experience worse blowbacks…" Dr. Falk continues the essay withdiscussion of Barack Obama’s abandonment of the Palestinians and anyinvolvement in bringing about a just peace. Obama’s recent visit to Israel,says Falk, was a "love letter to the Israeli public" and "obsequious diplomacy"rather than a serious attempt at achieving justice. 

Hugo Chavez: President of the poor and ally to all the oppressed has died

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It was withgreat sadness that we received the news of the passing of President Hugo Chávezof Venezuela. As citizens of the world, wecontinue to draw hope and inspiration from the Bolivarian Revolution.It is a point of reference in the global resistance to the suffering imposed bygovernments, corporations and ruling classes – beginning with those of theUnited States and its massive military.

In theclosing days of 2012, three members of IJAN had the privilege of visiting theBolivarian Republic. They witnessed a peopleengaged in building a more just society and standing up to imperial domination. They saw the coming to fruition of a projectof building nearly one thousandapartments for victims of natural disasters.This was in sharp contrast to the US experience in the aftermath ofHurricanes Sandy and Katrina, when the government left the victims to fend forthemselves, and treated as criminals those  trying to escape the floods, even shooting  refugees dead.

IJAN-Argentina apone el Centro Simon Wiesenthal, los bombardeos de Gaza y Mekerot

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La Red Judía Antisionista Internacional (IJAN) en Argentina trabaja en conjunto con la Federación de Entidades Argentino Palestinas (FEDERPAL) para la promoción en Argentina de la campaña por el Boicot, Desinversión y Sanciones (BDS) contra el apartheid israelí y para la realización del Tribunal Ético contra la Ocupación y el Colonialismo por Israel en Palestina. Las instituciones sionistas, en particular el Centro Simon Wiesenthal (que posee una de sus sucursales en Argentina), presionó al gobierno argentino para que desistiera de la aprobación del uso de la Biblioteca Nacional para la realización del Tribunal. Como resultado de esto, y de una campaña de difamación lanzada a través de los medios de prensa, donde se intentó caracterizar al Tribunal con las tradicionales acusaciones de "antisemitismo", el tribunal tuvo que ser cancelado y reprogramado para el año 2013. La denuncia de IJAN fue publicada aqui.