At our peace vigil for Gaza on 3 January 2009, a local man showed up with a sign referring to "Jewish terrorism" and the "Zionist race". The anti-Semitic content of this sign was offensive to the vigil's organizers and was in contradiction to our goals. We confronted him and tried to convince him to move away from the vigil in order to avoid confusing his views with ours, but he was belligerent and we were unsuccessful.In the past, this individual has consistently placed his self-aggrandizement above the interests and even in opposition to the goals of the groups he has wished to associate himself with. We deplore racist views of any kind and, while we can't guarantee that public events won't sometimes attract hostile elements or the mentally ill, we will continue to try in every nonviolent way possible to dissuade these individuals from trying to associate their views with our group.
- Zionists are not necessarily
- Jews, who are often not
- Israelis, and not all Israelis agree with the
- Israeli government.
Opposition to a nation's policy is not the same as oppression of that nation's people.Anti-Semitism--understood as bigotry against Jews--is real and it's dangerous. Not crying wolf about it is crucial to combating it.
Also crucial to our struggle is firm and consistent opposition to anti-Semitism whenever it appears.
- Some Christians are Zionists.
- Some Jews are anti-Zionist.
- Some Israelis are Arabs (and some Arabs are Christians.)
- Many Jews, in Israel and elsewhere, oppose the Israeli government's policies of occupation and oppression and are working for peace.
Why don't Americans hear about that?As Americans who sometimes criticize our own government's policies, we understand that neither all Jews nor all Israelis support the Israeli government's actions. We strongly support Jews and Israelis who speak out against the oppression of Palestinians, and we stand with all activists for peace and justice, regardless of nation, race, or creed. --PJP