Serving our Global Community

July 2019  As we enter the summer, with military parades in Washington, Christian Zionism on the march, human rights for Palestinians and black and brown Israeli Jews trampled, and the lie of "two states for two peoples" finally exposed, our community of church-related organizations and their allies are fully engaged. In this issue: Unitarians take a stand against anti-BDS legislation Standing for human rights is not anti-Semitic Historic action opposing Christian Zionism Community News on Palestine Portal Mapping the Movement for justice in Palestine

Unitarians take action on the right to boycott

Last month we reported on the German Parliament's action to suppress BDS, and the responses of Palestinian and German human rights organizations to this anti-democratic action. This month the spotlight moves to the U.S.A. Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East ( click here for more on the UUJME and a complete listing of denominational committees) achieved an important victory at the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly in Spokane, WA. Titled Support Our First Amendment Right to Boycott, this "Act of Immediate Witness" (a form of resolution) provides a powerful example of how advocating for Palestine advances the cause of democracy and equality everywhere. Providing an overview of anti-BDS legislation that has been adopted in 27 states and is pending in 14, the resolution describes how t he backlash against growing support for Palestinian rights has taken the form of a "major effort to damage the movement for Palestinian rights with legislation aimed at intimidating or even criminalizing participation in boycotts directed at changing Israeli behavior." Click here for more and to download the document. Do not miss the poster UUJME created to educate their fellow Unitarians about this issue. It covers current and pending anti-BDS legislation in the U.S., affirms the legitimacy and constitutional basis of BDS, and relates the BDS movement to the history of nonviolent resistance to injustice and to historical church support for these actions. Available for download on this page, (click and scroll down) the poster is a powerful tool for our movement. UUJME encourages you to download the poster and to make full use it!

"We Jews do not own this term!" Detention camps on our border, the anti-Semitism charge, and human rights

By foregrounding the protection of human rights and fundamental principles of democracy, the recent Unitarian action overcame years of reluctance within the UUA to support resolutions on Palestine because of concern about the impact on relations with the Jewish community. Those pushing for legislative action against BDS have made full use of the anti-Semitism charge, and the controversy has intensified as support for BDS spreads. Rather than impeding the BDS movement, this has engendered a productive conversation, clarifying the difference between real anti-Semitism and principled opposition to Israel's crimes. Recently, the charge of anti-Semitism erupted in response to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's description of immigrant detention centers as "concentration camps." Two Jewish writers have responded to this charge: " We Jews do not own this term!" writes Rabbi Brant Rosen. " In fact," he continues, "it is imperative that we Jews use this term whenever these dreadful facilities are imposed on groups of people other than ourselves." British writer Robert Cohen has challenged the definition of anti-Semitism of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Adopted by governments as well as churches to stifle solidarity with Palestine, the document, according to Cohen," turns any recounting of the Palestinian experience of Zionism into an expression of antisemitism. " Recently an open letter to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum signed by over 200 international scholars petitioned the Museum Direct or to retract her statement rejecting analogies of the Nazi holocaust with the border detention centers. " The very core of Holocaust education," reads the letter, "is to alert the public to dangerous developments that facilitate human rights violations and pain and suffering; pointing to similarities across time and space is essential for this task." Related story: Arrested, Imprisoned, shot: Police violence Is pushing Ethiopian Israelis to fear, fury and despair.

Countering Christian Zionism: Historic demonstration in Washington held this week

A coalition of Christian, Jewish, Muslim and secular human rights organizations devoted to Palestinian rights will hold an action this week as Christians United for Israel (CUFI) gather in Washington DC. " CUFI's ideology and politics are deeply entrenched in white nationalism, anti-Muslim racism, anti-Semitism, and other systems of oppression," reads the call to action. "CUFI uses its political leverage to ensure ongoing U.S. support for Israel’s colonization and military occupation of Palestine, including imprisoning Palestinian children; bombing homes, schools, and hospitals in Gaza; massacring peaceful protestors; and confiscating Palestinian land. By its own admission, CUFI led the charge to have the U.S. recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and it continues to push for unconstitutional anti-BDS legislation and illegal settlement expansion." Learn more, sign the statement, and join the action. Related story: Trump sending advisors to 2020 Evangelical Gathering in 2020 Related story: Zionism has truly lost the debate.

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