Its not about the money
- Details
- Published on Monday, 02 May 2016 17:00
- Written by editor
In 2001, I was living in San Francisco, working in the homeless rights and economic justice movement, and fighting welfare reform and gentrification policies that were ravaging the city. In those communities, we were always striving to draw connections between our work and struggles around the world, with the values of freedom, dignity, and equality of all people at the root of them all.
But for me there was one exception: Israel/Palestine.
My grandparents and cousins lived in Israel, I had traveled there regularly as a child, and I had grown up in a synagogue where the intertwining of Israel and Judaism was as reflexive as breathing. I had often felt uneasy about Israel's actions, but I didn’t feel that I knew enough about the situation to challenge my family or my community.
Then the second intifada began. One day, on the cover of the New York Times, there was a photo of Mohammad al-Durrah, a 12 year old boy, terrified, in the arms of his father just before he was shot and killed.
I was horrified. I wrote to a Palestinian-American friend of mine, in agony, saying that these were not the Jewish values I had been raised with.
I will never forget how gentle he was with me. He let me know, in the least judgmental way he could, that this situation had not started the day before. He suggested that maybe I should look into why the intifada was happening.
So I did. Together with a childhood friend who had also ended up in San Francisco doing similar work, we started a little study group. At the end of it, our next step seemed obvious: we needed to start speaking out for justice in Israel/Palestine, like we spoke out on so many other issues.
So we joined Jewish Voice for Peace, which was then just a small, all-volunteer group of members meeting in people’s living rooms in the Bay Area.
Today, JVP is a major membership organization, with strength from coast to coast, and around the world.
But we’d be stronger if you were with us, Mic. Click here to become an official JVP member today.
When it came down to it, I already had the political values I needed to really understand what was going on in Israel/Palestine -- at its root, a commitment to freedom and equality for all people. All it took was the courage to face reality.
That’s what JVP offers to all of us who are members: the ability to learn -- and take action -- on our values.
And every single member, in all 50 states and countries all over the world, is an integral part of our strength. It’s that strength that’s helping us organize, win, and shift the discourse around Israel/Palestine at the very highest levels.
But you know as well as I do that we could be even stronger. We could be running -- and winning -- even more campaigns. So this month, we’re committing to recruiting 1,800 new members for JVP.
Joining JVP isn't just a statement of beliefs. It's a gateway to passionate, creative, impact-oriented activism. Over and over, we see that when our numbers swell, what we can win grows exponentially. That's what it's going to take to fundamentally change U.S. policy towards Israel/Palestine.
All it takes to become a member is a donation of $18. But the difference that we make together is real.
In 2001, I took the leap to live my values by joining JVP. It took faith and courage -- but it was one of the best things I've ever done. Will you join me?
Onwards
Rebecca
Rebecca Vilkomerson
Executive Director
P.S. I’ll be speaking live on our Facebook page later today (Monday 5/2) at 4pm ET/1pm PT. Hope to see you there!
All this month, we're working to build our power by brining 1,800 new and renewing members into our movement. Membership is just $18 -- and we welcome people of all faiths and none, across the U.S. and around the world. Not sure if you're a JVP member? Click here to find out.
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