[Peace-discuss] Jewish Voice for Peace: Thank the Presbyterians for doing the right thing

Sun Jun 29 16:05:28 EDT 2014

Bob Naiman sent this last week, which I've since forwarded widely. Hope you agree that it's worth another look (and maybe posting to yr friends).

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

From: Rabbi Alissa Wise, Jewish Voice for Peace <info at jewishvoiceforpeace.org>
Date: Mon, Jun 23, 2014 at 2:39 PM
Subject: Thank you for signing, Robert
To: naiman.uiuc at gmail.com

Dear Robert,

I'm so happy that our thank you card to the Presbyterian Church will have your name on it! It's just one more example of what our partnership with members of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has always been about: people supporting each other to put our values into action.

The backlash to this historic decision is incredibly intense already. And it's because the Presbyterians have violated an unspoken rule for too many mainstream Jewish organizations: you can talk about the Occupation, but you can't do anything about it. But we all know that decades of talk have only let the occupation grow. The time is long-past year for prinicpled, nonviolent, effective action.
If we want to see more concrete action, we have to have the Presbyterians' back now. Can you forward this email to 5 people in your life who care about human rights, equality, and justice? Especially people you know "get it" but haven't taken action on this issue before - now is really the time for people to speak up.
Every voice really counts.
With thanks,

Rabbi Alissa Wise
Director of Organizing
 Action Alert   

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The Presbyterian Church is coming under an extreme attack for divesting from the illegal Israeli occupation. It's up to us to have their back. 
Two members - Lutheran and Jewish - of our interfaith team Help us say "Thank You" to our courageous allies. 
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Dear Robert,
I'm still breathless from last Friday's historic vote.
The Presbyterian Church (USA) voted to divest from Hewlett-Packard, Motorola Solutions, and Caterpillar - all companies with well-documented ties to the Israeli occupation. This is the biggest move yet by any institution in the US to take concrete, nonviolent action to end Israel’s occupation.
And now, a backlash unlike anything I have ever seen has begun. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is that the Presbyterian Church hear from all of us now.
Please show you stand with these brave advocates for true peace and justice by signing our thank you letter.
We want to triple the 7,000 signatures on this card before our July 3rd deadline.
Click here to say Thank You: jvp.org/thankyou
My jaw dropped when I heard Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu condemn the divestment vote on Meet the Press yesterday with the harshest words possible. Groups like the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Council of Public Affairs came out with similar statements.
At Jewish Voice for Peace we have been inundated with hate messages, but these attacks are certainly coming down even harder on Presbyterians.
Every member of the Presbyterian Church deserves our thanks for their thoughtful, open-hearted, principled process.
Please join more than 7,000 JVP supporters and add your name to our thank you card today. We will deliver it to the Church leadership in honor of an inclusive interfaith partnership dedicated to building peace for Palestinians and Israelis.
Click here: jvp.org/thankyou
And with such an uproar over this decision, here are five things you need to know about what really happened:
1. Presbyterian Church activists invited JVP to partner with them almost a decade ago when they began to search for a way to reconcile their values with their investments. Through extensive study, corporate engagement, and broad interfaith outreach, they crafted a unique resolution that is grounded in their own values and worldview - a stirring model for how other communities can take action. 
2. You helped make this happen. Whatever part of JVP’s work that you participate in  – whether for decades or days - you made this victory possible. Now the opposition’s desperate talking point is that we are small and anti-Israel– but you know that neither is remotely true. Our membership, our donor base, our campus chapters continue to grow because we all believe a true peace based on equality and democracy for both Israelis and Palestinians is worth fighting for.
3. This process is an especially important model for Jewish communities and institutions. A recent study by the Jewish Council on Public Affairs (a harsh critic of divestment itself) shows that 25% of American rabbis are afraid to speak their real views on Israel. The Presbyterians' process stands in stark contrast to the status of open debate within Jewish communities, where critical conversation about Israel has been systematically censored.
4. This decision exposed an unspoken rule in the Jewish Community: it’s OK to oppose the Occupation, but forbidden to pressure Israel to end it. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, Chief Rabbi of the Reform Movement reiterated that cynical dictate last week, promising the Church a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. (Nevermind that the US Secretary of State just spent a full year meeting with Netanyahu, only to see settlement expansion escalate). The question to always ask is: what concrete action to end the occupation are divestment opponents proposing?
5. Interfaith relationships don’t only happen between Christians and Jews, and don't only matter in the US. Presbyterians invited not just American Jews, but Palestinians – both Christian and Muslim – into their deliberations. For all their talk about the impact of this decision on interfaith relationships, Jewish institutional leaders who criticize the vote aren't mentioning the impact on relationships with Palestinians of any faith - a silence that speaks volumes. 
And this is just the beginning. In the days and weeks to come, I'm certain this resolution is going to lead to as-yet unimagined opportunities, and incredibly difficult challenges, for all of us motivated not simply to talk, but to act, for real justice.
But first things first: 
Please, join me in saying thank you to our Presbyterian allies.
Their work is an inspiration to us all.
In hope,

Rebecca Vilkomerson
Executive Director 
Contact Info:
Jewish Voice for Peace
1611 Telegraph Ave, Suite 550
Oakland, CA 94612
510.465.1777
info at jewishvoiceforpeace.org
Connect with Us:
Become a 2014 JVP Member | Facebook | Twitter | Forward
Subscribe to our blog Muzzlewatch   

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