PROJECTS & CAMPAIGNS

IJAN-LA throws down for US Assembly of Jews

Members of IJAN-LA were also very active through the first half of 2010 planning and fundraising for the U.S. Assembly of Jews Confronting Racism and Israeli Apartheid, which took place in Detroit in June 2010. IJAN-LA members were active in the fundraising, programming and arts & culture working groups. Two fundraisers -- a liberation seder and a house party -- raised upwards of $3000 that supported the Assembly itself and allowed 7 members of IJAN-LA to attend the gathering. Many of us also participated in programming within the Justice in Palestine and BDS tracks at the U.S. Social Forum, which immediately followed the US Assembly of Jews in Detroit. We continue to meet monthly as we develop campaigns and strategies, sharpen our analysis, and support one another.

LA Liberation Seder

A large and diverse crowd of more than 80 Angelenos, ranging in age from 18 to 88 and many attending their first seder, gathered for IJAN-LA's second ever Liberation Seder on April 3, 2010. It was held at the Mt. Hollywood Congregational Church in the Los Feliz/East Hollywood section of LA. The seder, using IJAN's own Palestinian Liberation Haggadah, combined traditional Passover rituals, political commentary on Palestine and other liberation struggles, and music and poetry.

BDS Campaign Thirsting for Justice picks up steam in LA

Drawing inspiration and momentum from Omar Barghouti's speaking event in the Fall of 2009, BDS-LA for Justice in Palestine launched the "Thirsting for Justice" campaign. Members of IJAN-LA have continued to organize with other activists in Los Angeles on this local campaign to support the Palestinian call for BDS against Israel and contribute to the global movement for water justice in Palestine. The Thirsting for Justice campaign calls on the City of Los Angeles and the LA Department of Water and Power to end its Memorandum of Understanding with Kinrot, an Israeli Water Technology company. BDS-LA has been seeking endorsements from a wide range of community organizations for the campaign and is planning to target members of the LA City Council, including through a community event this fall featuring Palestinian activist-academic Lisa Taraki. For more information, see www.bds-la.org.