>> UPCOMING EVENTS
Israeli Apartheid Week: 1-8 March
IJAN supports Israeli Apartheid Week and encourages participation from those involved in the network in their local Israeli Apartheid Week activities - we are not organizing separate events.
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Global BDS Day: 30 March
This mobilization coincides with the Palestinian Land Day, the annual commemoration of the 1976 general strike and marches against massive land expropriation by Israel in which six Palestinians were killed and hundreds of others were jailed and wounded. A call has been made for this day to be an international day of action in support of human rights and for boycotts, divestments, and sanctions on apartheid Israel. Click here to read the full call for this mobilization.
IJAN hopes to organize events for Global BDS Day. Please stay tuned for an announcement about this in the coming weeks.
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Liberation Seders at Passover: 8-16 April
IJAN is inviting people to organize Liberation Seders and fundraisers. Half of the funds will go to IJAN's local and/or international organizing, and the other half will go to Gaza.
We will post a haggadah in the next several weeks and an insert specific to Gaza.
If you are interested in working on a revised version of the haggadah or the insert and/or want some support organizing an Seder, please email us at: spiritual.network@ijsn.net.
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Palestine at the Durban Review: 18-24 April
At the 2001 World Conference against Racism in Durban, South Africa, Palestinian activists and their allies successfully placed Palestine at the forefront - naming Zionism as a form of racism and Israel as a racist state. As a result, the United States and Israel withdrew from the Conference.
Since the conference, international participation in the Palestinian call for boycott, divestment, and sanctions against Israel has grown enormously. The strength of this movement can be seen in the defensiveness of Zionist and pro-Israel forces that mobilized early to pass a resolution in the US Congress to boycott the 2nd World Conference against Racism in Geneva from 20-24 April. The new Obama Administration, however, has reopened a discussion on US participation. In response, Zionist organizations are mobilizing a counter-conference and mass rallies in Geneva.
The Palestinian BNC, a network of over 180 Palestinian organizations, is organizing the ISRAEL-Review Conference and BDS Follow-up Meetings in conjunction with the UN Conference. The Palestinian conference, “United Against Israel's Apartheid, Colonialism and Occupation: Dignity & Justice for the Palestinian People”, will be held 18-19 April. There will also be a Palestinian and Palestine solidarity presence during the formal UN proceedings, 20-24 April.
We are calling on IJAN participants to support Palestine at the Durban review by attending this civil society conference sponsored by the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC) in cooperation with the International Coordinating Network on Palestine (ICNP), the European Coordinating Committee on Palestine (ECCP), the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN).
In the next week an announcement with more details will be sent. If you are able, please start making plans to attend now. Zionist organizations are buying up rooms.
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Day of Resistance to Genocide: 19 April
This day coincides with the Palestinian Israel-Review Conference and falls on the eve of the World Conference Against Racism. Please see 'International Campaigns' above for an explanation of this event, and stay tuned for more information about the campaign and related events.
>> Recent Activities
Toronto
A diverse group of Jewish Canadian women occupied the Israeli Consulate in Toronto on January 7 in protest against the assault on Gaza, kicking off a wave of similar demonstrations in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Click here to read more.
Earlier that week, at a march co-sponsored by IJAN Canada, at least 10,000 people gathered in Toronto and marched to the Israeli Consulate and the United States Embassy. Demonstrators called on the Canadian government to condemn Israel's latest aggression and to cut all political, economic, and military ties with Israel until it complies with international law. Protests were also held across Canada in Ottawa, Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Montreal. For more information, click here.
Do you have a local update you'd like to share? If so, please contact your local coordinators or ijan@ijsn.net to be sure it's posted on the web site and in our next email bulletin!
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United States
In the US, IJAN joined with the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN) to issue a joint call for escalating actions to halt the siege on Gaza, to be taken in partnership between anti-Zionist Jews, Palestinians, and others committed to social justice. Click here to read the Joint Call.
San Francisco Bay Area
In the San Francisco Bay Area, IJAN participated in the Gaza Action Coalition -- a temporary coalition of about 20 organizations ranging from Arab-led, to multi-constituency Palestine solidarity, to grassroots-based organizations -- to organize mass protests and creative actions in response to Israel's siege on Gaza. Throughout the initial three weeks of the attacks, the Gaza Action Coalition organized a number of large demonstrations in front of targets such as the Israeli Consulate, Senator Diane Feinstein's office, and other Zionist and public locations. At many of these actions, IJAN had a visible presence. At the action targeting Feinstein, IJAN members participated in civil disobedience to shut down the street in support of the young Palestinian protesters who took the lead in the action. Click here to read more.
In response to IJAN and USPCN's joint call for escalating action, a group of nine activists -- Palestinian, anti-Zionist Jewish, and immigrant rights activists -- blocked the entrance of the Israeli Consulate on January 15. The group chained themselves together using handcuffs and locks, locked the doors to the building, and were joined by a diverse rally of over 40 supporters. All nine activists were arrested after about two hours, charged with trespassing, and allowed to leave. Click here to read more, including media coverage.
Los Angeles
In Los Angeles, IJAN members also took action against the Israeli Consulate as part of the joint call issued with USPCN. In a historic first in Los Angeles, nine anti-Zionist Jews chained themselves to the entrance of the Israeli Consulate and blocked the driveway to the parking structure, blocking all traffic in and out of the building for three hours. Police made no arrests. Click here to read more, including media coverage, and to view a video created by local IJAN members about the action.
Twin Cities
IJAN members in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, took action in solidarity with the people of Gaza through joint actions including a vigil, other demonstrations, and a press conference at Senator Klobuchar's office. Their actions highlighted the fact that the State of Minnesota is invested in Israel, given that it holds Israeli bonds and Governor Pawlenty has met with Israeli trade representatives to further the Minnesota-Israeli economic partnership. This work is part of larger movement towards a statewide divestment campaign. Click here for more information.
IJAN members also opened "Cafe Intifada, "a theatre piece about Palestine, to a sold-out house.
Chicago
An IJAN Chicago chapter was recently formed and has plans for organizing and participating in protests, a Tu B'shvat seder, internal educational meetings, and a fundraiser all within the next month. Stay tuned for future updates!
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London
On January 11, efforts to separate Arab and Jewish counterdemonstrators from each other were overcome by IJAN organizers in the Jewish "pen" and Arab organizers in the Arab "pen." The police barricades between them were removed, the Palestinian flag and IJAN's banner were attached to one another, and the megaphone and choice of chants were shared. Despite the pavement between the barriers to the two counter-demos filling up, the Jewish banners and most of the Jewish demonstrators stayed where they were. Popular chants (with some) were "Judaism, yes; Zionism, no: the state of Israel must go" and "1 2 3 4, occupation no more, 5 6 7 8, Israel is not a Jewish state!!"
IJAN UK participated consistently in demonstrations in rallies in London. Click here for a summary and photos.
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>> Network Updates
Joining IJAN
It is now possible to become a Member or Participant of the Network, to start a Chapter or to affiliate your organizing group. Below is a summary of ways to join. For more information about each of these options and how to register, click here or on the descriptions below.
INDIVIDUALS |
| Participant: Participants agree with the IJAN Points of Unity, support the politics of the IJAN Charter, and maintain an informal relationship with the network. We request that Participants do not publicly represent or organize on behalf of IJAN as this informal relationship is not one of coordination and mutual accountability with IJAN regional or international. |
| Member: Members participate in the network through a formal structure that is directly coordinating, and in a relationship of mutual accountability, with the regional or international IJAN organizing (work groups, sector networks, Chapters). Members are committed to working from an anti-Zionist location within the Palestine solidarity movement and the broader political landscape. |
ENTITIES |
| Affiliate: Organized groups, ad hoc groups, and informal formations may affiliate with IJAN on specific projects. They will have access to IJAN resources, networking, and formal affiliation with IJAN. |
| Chapter: A formation of Members within a specific location such as a city or a country. Chapters have representation in and mutual accountability and coordination with IJAN regional and international organizing. Chapter coordinators are selected by members from that chapter or are those who take the initiative to organize local chapters. The structure and function of chapters is determined locally. |
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US Organizing Meeting
January 10-11, 2009, saw the first IJAN US coordination meeting since our launch held in Berkeley, California. The accomplishments of the meeting were many. We built our collective vision for this work and evolved our strategy to meet it. We developed the work plan for the next year of US organizing and gave input into international work. We also came out of the meeting with concrete structure and communications infrastructure.
Much IJAN US organizing has happened since the meeting. Actions were organized in both Los Angeles and San Francisco that shut down Israeli consulates and IJANers in both these cities have been working with multiracial coalitions to develop local BDS campaigns. IJAN Twin Cities opened "Cafe Intifada" (a theatre piece about Palestine) to a sold-out house, and they continue to work on a Minnesota divestment campaign. An IJAN Chicago chapter was formed and has plans for organizing and participating in protests, a Tu B'shvat seder, internal educational meetings, and a fundraiser all within the next month. There is also interest in forming a chapter in New York.
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"People Not Places" Video Collaboration
IJAN is collaborating with Invincible, an anti-Zionist Jewish activist and hip-hop artist, and others on a video to her new track "People Not Places," which will be launched this spring. (You can stream Invincible's most recent track, "The Emperor's Clothes," directly from IJAN's website, or download it for free and view the lyrics on her site.)
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Connect with IJAN on Facebook
Click here to join the IJAN facebook group!
Click here to join the IJAN 'Jewish Students Condemn Israel, Support BDS Campus Campaigns" Cause!
>> News & Analysis
Charter quoted by VOCAL and COSATU
Zionist support for Israel stifles anti-racist progress through false accusations of antisemitism against grassroots organizations that ally with the Palestinian struggle, often thwarting cross-movement building. We seek to interrupt this strategy with an anti-Zionist Jewish presence in the Palestine solidarity movement. On January 14, this hope took a step toward being realized when IJAN's Charter was quoted by both COSATU (Congress of South African Trade Unions) and VOCAL (Oaxacan Voices Constructing Autonomy and Freedom). Both of these movement organizations, in letters of solidarity with the Palestinian people, referenced an international voice of anti-Zionist Jews in their claims of support for the Palestinian struggle, and their condemnation of the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
Click here to read the COSATU letter and click here to read VOCAL letter.
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IJAN Congratulates Chavez for Consistent Support of the of Palestinian Struggle
Click here to read IJAN's statement in Spanish, which was published on January 22 in a lead story in Telesur, a popular news source in Latin America headquartered in Caracas. Venezuela President Hugo Chavez lead the way in governmental condemnation of Israel’s illegal and unconscionable attacks on Gaza by expelling Israel’s ambassador at the very beginning of the bombardment.
On February 1, a Jewish synagogue in Caracas was vandalized and desecrated. Chavez was immediately accused of stoking antisemitism, despite his outright condemnation of this attack on the Jewish community and the swift launch of an investigation. It was soon revealed that the attack was the work of reactionary police officers in cahoots with one of the synagogue's guards. As an international network of anti-Zionist Jews, we insist on separating the legitimate condemnations of antisemitism and bigotry from blind support for Israel and Zionism. IJAN therefore issued a statement in defense of the consistency of Chavez's anti-racist stance — both in ending diplomatic relations with Israel and in condemning the attack on the synagogue. Click here to read this statement and add your name of support for Chavez.
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Support the Hampshire College SJP
After two years of organizing by its Students for Justice in Palestine student group (SJP), Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, became the first of any college or university in the US to divest from companies on the grounds of their involvement in the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Hampshire was also the first academic institution in the U.S. to divest from apartheid South Africa, 32 years ago. In a public statement, the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC) saluted "Hampshire College for its historic decision to divest from companies implicated in Israel's occupation and violation of international law." The BNC continued "your principled and courageous decision is the clearest indicator yet in the United States that a critical threshold has been crossed in undertaking effective, morally sound solidarity measures to further the cause of justice and peace in Palestine and the region." This campaign needs support from all of us, to protect it from the backlash that began almost immediately, and to make use of this moment to further build the divestment movement. Please visit the SJP website for more information.
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Student Organizing Intensifies
From protests at 20 University campuses across Britain to Hampshire College’s divestment from Israel, and the occupation of New York University, students are taking action. If you are a Jewish student with anti-Zionist politics and are interested in participating in building IJAN’s work on your campus, contact us at students@ijsn.net.
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