It is withgratitude, respect, hope and inspiration that the International JewishAnti-Zionist Network is participating in this First Forum for Solidarity with Arabrevolutions. 

IJAN is aninternational network of Jews who are uncompromisingly committed to humanemancipation. To this end we focus on the struggle for the liberation of thePalestinian people and land. We are committed to ending Israel apartheid andcolonization and to the right of return of Palestinian refugees. 

Beginning withthe struggle to dismantle Zionism and confront Islamophobia, we participate inlocal and international movements against all forms of racism, exploitation,and militarism, and for economic, political, social, cultural and environmentalrights. We organize as an international network that is active across theUnited States, the UK, Canada, Argentina, India, France, Switzerland, Spain,the Netherlands, and in Israel itself.

We haveappreciation and deep gratitude for the risks taken in so great a challenge toimperialism and Zionism. The most effective way for people in the coreimperialist countries to act in solidarity and defend the Arab revolutions isto extend them to Europe and to the US. The crisis that has been the catalystfor revolution in the region is global.

The Chicago Chapter has been working on building locally.In the past few months we have developed two new workshops with the intention of bringing them to college campuses and other organizations.

One workshop lays out what Jewish anti-Zionism is and articulates how we view the importance of anti-Zionism from a Jewish perspective as vital in the struggle for Palestinian liberation. The workshop examines Zionist ideology and history, and works to extract theidea of Zionism from Judaism. The workshop also offers an analysis of why it is important and useful to organize as a Jewish group focusing onthe way that Zionism involuntarily implicates Jews in its colonial project. IJAN Chicago was invited to present this workshop for the Middle Eastern Students Association at Loyola University and it was verywell received.

The second workshop focuses on the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The workshop historicizes the movement and grounds it in the rights-based frame of the 2005 call from Palestinian civil society (much of the analysis was drawn from Omar Barghuti's book BDS: The Global Struggle for Palestinian Rights).Additionally, the workshop encourages participants to identify and collectively unpack some of the more common arguments against BDS. It also gives participants an opportunity to analyze the strengths and challenges of various campaigns and works to identify what a good local target might look like as well as what a strong campaign would include.

If you would like more information on either of these workshops or are interested in having us present one of them for your group, please contact us at chicago@ijsn.net.

The ChicagoChapter continues to work with the PalestineSolidarity Group (PSG) to build a BDS campaign targeting municipal tiesbetween Chicago and Israel.  Specifically,the campaign is focused around ending Chicago's Sister City relationship withPetach Tikva in Israel, a relationship that promotes business ties and offerslegitimacy.  One particularly egregiousexample of Petach Tikva's complicity in human rights violations is the PetachTikva prison.  The prison is an Israelidetention center where Palestinian prisoners are held, including the prominentPalestinian activist Ameer Makhoul.  Weintend to expand the size of the campaign and apply pressure to the SisterCities committee as well as the Chicago City Council as the first step in whatwill hopefully become a campaign targeting other municipal ties that Chicagohas with Israel.

Checkout the following videos from the campaign: "Academy Awards Ceremony for the Arts and Sciences of Military Occupation" and a satirical Public Service Anouncement, "Chicago and Petach Tikva: Never Better Sisters."  Also check out the PSG organized flashmob on Palestinian Land Day imploring Chicagoans to take up BDS.