Greetings from two Young Judaea alumnae.
We recently got involved with IfNotNow (ifnotnowmovement.org) - a movement of young American Jews resisting anti-Semitism and fighting for freedom and dignity for all Palestinians and Israelis. IfNotNow is grounded in the belief that the liberation of Jews is bound up with other oppressed groups, both in this country and in Israel/Palestine.
Growing up in Young Judaea, attending CYJ Sprout Lake, Tel Yehudah, Machon, Year Course, and serving on regional and national mazkirut, we came to feel love for Israel and that we have a stake in its future. To us, that means striving and acting to ensure that this country that we love represents our values. We believe that a long-term occupation is detrimental to Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state and ultimately makes it less likely that Israel will be able to survive as a Jewish homeland. We learned the principles of tikkun olam and social action through YJ and believe that our duty as Jews is to stand up for oppressed peoples.
On March 26, we are participating in the largest demonstration of #JewishResistance in a generation: we are joining thousands of other Jews in D.C. at the annual AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) conference. Last year, Donald Trump was the keynote speaker. This year, Mike Pence is.
The Jewish community should be a moral and guiding force in American society. But instead, the Jewish establishment, most of all, AIPAC, is cozying up to the Trump agenda and propping up the occupation. As long as Trump is on the books as "pro-Israel," then all other things -- racism, xenophobia, misogyny, homophobia, etc. -- seem to get a pass amongst our Jewish communal leaders and establishment institutions. AIPAC is the biggest, most significant example of this.
As Judaeans, we are standing up for our values and for the moral and just state we know Israel can be. We would love your support. It takes $72 dollars to send one person down to D.C. and we would love anything you can give. If you have questions or want to join us in D.C., we would love to talk!
Love,
Maya and Evvie, Hadracha 2008