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."
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On4 February 2013, at the Crossroads Women's Centre, six activists described their campaign against the multinational Veolia which profits from and supports the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and withdrew froma £4.7 billion contract with the North London Waste Authority.
Telling us how it was done, in spite of opposition, sabotage and interference, first of all from Zionist organisations, was Yael Kahn, Chair, No To Veolia Action Group (No2VAG), Irfan Akhtar, Spokesperson, Waltham Forest Council of Mosques, Caroline Day, Spokesperson, No2VAG, Ann Dyas, Vice Chair, No2VAG, Rob Langlands, Engineer & Secretary, No2VAG, and Izzat Ismail, Internet Comms, No2VAG (right to left in the photo).
Inspiredby the Palestinian struggle, already it has encouraged similar campaigns in South Wales (which won a £1.1 billion victory) and Davis, California (which won a $325 million victory).
Selma James (Global Women's Strike & IJAN) chaired the meeting (centre in the photo). The meeting was hosted by the Global Women's Strike and Payday men's network.Click here to download the 120-report which exposes the funders of Zionist backlash on campuses and in communities
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