We cannot feast while there is famine.
‘Hope is a discipline.’
Right now, 1.5 million Palestinians are facing mass slaughter and displacement. After they were pushed to Gaza’s southernmost city by the Israeli military’s relentless bombardment, Palestinians in Rafah are now bracing for an Israeli ground invasion. There is nowhere safe for them to go.
In Gaza’s north, which has thus far borne the brunt of Israel’s genocidal onslaught, once bustling neighborhoods have been rendered unrecognizable. In Gaza City, the majority of buildings have been destroyed or severely damaged, alongside most critical civilian infrastructure.
With aid reduced to a mere trickle, famine has set in. Palestinians who refused to be forced from their homes in the north — or who were too sick, too vulnerable, or too old to flee for miles on foot — are now running out of the animal feed they’ve been using to make bread.
Our moral imperative to stop the bombs and end U.S. military support to Israel has never been greater or more urgent. That’s why, just as we continue to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire, we’re also mobilizing to end the flow of U.S. dollars to Israel and taking on special interest groups that try to buy our elected officials’ silence.
The majority of Americans — including the majority of Jewish Democrats — want a ceasefire. That’s a direct result of the enormous power being exerted by the Palestine solidarity movement, and reflects the important role Jews are playing within that movement. We’re only escalating from here.
“Or when I would feel overwhelmed by what was going on in the world, I would just say to myself: ‘Hope is a discipline.’ It’s less about ‘how you feel,’ and more about the practice of making a decision every day, that you’re still gonna put one foot in front of the other, that you’re still going to get up in the morning.”
– Hope Is A Discipline: Mariame Kaba on Dismantling the Carceral State, The Intercept, March 2021
Why so many young Jewish Americans are anti-Zionist, Middle East Eye, February 8, 2024
“From our ancestors who endured pogroms and genocide, we have learned to persist, and we will persist until Palestine is free.”
-Sonya Meyerson-Knox, Communications Director, JVP
Jewish Students Across 15 Campuses Plan “Shabbat for Ceasefire” Gathering, Truthout, February 2, 2024
“Shabbat is a time for the community to come together to reflect and celebrate, but in institutional Jewish spaces, Shabbat’s powers are lost as leaders express unwavering support for genocide. Anti-Zionist shabbats restore the power of a peaceful and reflective shabbat, where we can gather as Jews and connect to our tradition of peace and resistance.”
-Evgeny Stolyarov, JVP at Northwestern University
Pennsylvania Capitol protest against state investing in Israel bonds ends with arrests, The Associated Press, February 5, 2024
One large sign said the state should reinvest that tax money in health care, housing, schools and climate. There were chants of “free Palestine” before and after they were arrested.
Navigating Israel’s War When One Spouse Is Jewish, and One Is Not., The New York Times, February 8, 2024
“Kevan Link, 36, understood early in his relationship with Mindy Isser that pro-Palestinian activism would be part of their life together. Ms. Isser, 33, is a labor organizer who is Jewish and involved with the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace. Mr. Link, who was raised Catholic, also understood that not raising their children Jewish would be ‘a deal breaker’ for his wife.”
Jewish Students Say, “Shabbat for Ceasefire”, Rising up with Sonali, February 2024
“We need spaces where we are able to practice our tradition in a way that does not compromise our morals and remains committed to Palestinian freedom.”
-Elez Beresin-Scher, JVP at Bryn Mawr College
Jewish Voice for Peace observes Tu B’Schvat in solidarity with Palestinians, Campus Times, January 28, 2024
“Don’t get used to seeing dead children on your screen. Don’t let the University or any other institution scare you out of speaking up. We are stronger together, and we are fighting for a future for the freedom of all people.”
– JVP at University of Rochester
Protesters gather in Northampton to call for peace in Gaza, WWLP, February 4, 2024
“Israeli occupation of Palestinian people does not keep Israeli or Palestinian people safe, and so my response to that is; a ceasefire is the first step towards figuring out how people can live in safety and dignity in that land.”
– Molly Aronson, JVP-Western Mass
More than 100 arrested after Pennsylvania Capitol protest against state investing in Israel bonds, CBS Pittsburgh, February 5, 2024
The protestors, many wearing T-shirts that said “divest from genocide,” clapped and chanted during the protest, which organizers said was targeted at the state Treasury Department’s investment in Israel bonds.
No Pride in Genocide: Calling Out Israel’s Pinkwashing, Yes Magazine, February 5, 2024
“There is no pride in genocide. Queer folks around the world refuse to let the Israeli military use our symbols and stories as fuel for their genocidal campaign.”
– Liv Kunins-Berkowitz, Media Coordinator, JVP
Letter: Standing against Israel’s U.S.-backed siege of Gaza, Star Advertiser, February 16, 2024
“It is time to understand: Israel is not synonymous with Judaism. Anti-zionism is not antisemitism. We must all stand up against Israel’s U.S.-backed siege on Gaza, and say never again to genocide.”
– JVP-Hawaii
Jewish Voice for Peace UW leads Shabbat for ceasefire vigil, The Daily, February 6, 2024
“We won’t feel free as Jews until our Palestinian siblings are free. That’s the message for this Shabbat.”
– Joe, JVP at University of Washington
“I think what I’ve seen from Israel ever since October has been horrific and completely counter to what I think of when I think of my own Jewish identity.”
– Mac Palais, JVP at University of Washington
Texans rally at Capitol for Gaza ceasefire, end of US aid to Israel, Fox San Antonio, February 4, 2024
“It’s really critical that we be visible in this struggle, because there’s so much Zionist propaganda that is maintained by a large majority of the Jewish community and the United States, so it’s very important that we show up and speak up for human rights for all people and to show the world that not all Jews are Zionists”
– Ronnie Gelman, JVP-Austin
How the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Drove a Wedge Into the Democratic Party, The New York Times, February 7, 2024
“Since October, Jewish Voice for Peace has expanded its online mailing list to more than 343,000 from 43,000 and now has more than 23,000 dues-paying members”
Minneapolis passes Gaza cease-fire resolution despite mayor’s veto, Huron Daily Tribune, February 8, 2024
“As Jews who took part in this process, we were guided by our values and experiences of intergenerational trauma that led us to say ‘never again’ for anyone,” said Nat El-Hai of Jewish Voice for Peace in a statement.
How ‘ceasefire’ became a dirty word, even to some progressive groups, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, February 11, 2024
“Fundamentally, there is no military solution and there needs to be a diplomatic one, and that also includes prisoner exchange and a return of the hostages”
– Rabbi Alissa Wise, JVP Rabbinical Council
Dozens of pro-Palestine protesters arrested in Pennsylvania, Al Jazeera, February 6, 2024
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