[Peace-discuss] Fwd: #IfNotNow needs your help!

[Robert Naiman via Peace-discuss]

an interesting development.

---------- Forwarded message ----------


Friends,

In the face of the unceasing, devastating violence in Gaza and Israel --
1300 Palestinians killed, 60 Israelis killed, this is now the longest
Israeli war in Gaza - a group of American Jews under the banner of "If Not
Now, When" has come together to create a Jewish opposition to the violence
and the occupation, and to call for a new path towards freedom and dignity
for all in the region, Palestinians and Israelis.

Below is an update and some thoughts on how folks - Jewish, not Jewish,
anywhere in between - can join in, lift it up, and help make the effort a
success:

Earlier this week, 9 members of #IfNotNow  were arrested
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm74xbSkjkM> while demanding a meeting
with the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish organization--while
another 70 recited the Mourners Kaddish and sang Jewish prayers outside.

This effort is growing and spreading, with #IfNotNow actions planned in an
additional seven cities and popping up in Israel and Canada. We are slowly
picking up coverage in Jewish and Israeli media outlets.

In addition to the FB group <https://www.facebook.com/IfNotNowOrg>, there
is also now a website <http://ifnot.net/> where you can find resources and
connect to #IfNotNow groups around the country. Check it out, join in, and
spread the word!

A few concrete asks:

*We need your help on social media. *

We are still in a moment of deep crisis and serious urgency; with this
comes real potential for movement-building. When the violence is done--and
may it be as soon as possible--we hope #IfNotNow will be strong enough so
that it can actually address the longer-term, structural issues that
brought us here.

To do that, we need to keep picking up more and more momentum. The facebook
page is here <https://www.facebook.com/IfNotNowOrg?fref=photo>, the twitter
handle is @IfNotNowOrg <https://twitter.com/ifnotnoworg>, and the hashtag
is #IfNotNow. Please please please help make this bigger, louder, better by
sharing, posting, and sending us feedback/ideas for how to grow.

*Here are some sample tweets:*

   - Jewish friends @IfNotNowOrg <https://twitter.com/IfNotNowOrg> are
   rising up to end the war & occupation because our liberation is connected
   #IfNotNow <https://twitter.com/search?q=%23IfNotNow>
   pic.twitter.com/LlU8SzWIcx
   - . at IfNotNowOrg <https://twitter.com/IfNotNowOrg> is calling on their
   community to act on Jewish values by choosing liberation over occupation
   #IfNotNow <https://twitter.com/search?q=%23IfNotNow>
   pic.twitter.com/Bjn5rgIwDZ
   - . at IfNotNowOrg <https://twitter.com/IfNotNowOrg> are Jews taking action
   to end violence, the occupation and win freedom and dignity for all. #
   IfNotNow <https://twitter.com/search?q=%23IfNotNow>
   pic.twitter.com/EwgBpQdhyg

*We need you in the streets.*

#IFNotNow is putting on a big Shabbat service this Friday in Manhattan and
we need to help get the word out and get people in the streets.

For anyone who was at Occupy Yom Kippur at Zuccotti Park, you'll remember
what a powerful combo it was to hold a public action with a religious
service--and how much attention we were able to get. Help us make this a
BIG moment:

   - *Find out more and invite your people to this
   action: https://www.facebook.com/events/1448376822115873/?ref=br_tf
   <https://www.facebook.com/events/1448376822115873/?ref=br_tf> *
   - Email me and/or GCer Tammy Shapiro (tamarashap at gmail.com) to connect
   with us and help us organize.

Israel/Palestine is not an easy topic for many of us to be "out" about; it
can be so toxic and threatening to publicly express opposition to Israeli
actions or solidarity for Palestinians in some communities. And of course,
that we all arrive at this issue from very different places.

But if you think that what the folks at #ifNotNow are doing -- bringing a
Jewish voice and creating a space for Jewishly-grounded action targeting
Jewish institutions -- is something you can get down with in any way,
please help make it a thing.
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