A Statement on the Recent Events in Israel/Palestine - May 2021
From the Presidents and Staff of Kadima
Kadima unequivocally calls on our siblings in Israel to end all ground strikes, air strikes, violence, and displacement, including the continued eviction of Palestinians from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, Silwan, and anywhere else. On this eve of the 73rd anniversary of Nakba Day, we send love, protection, and solidarity to our Palestinian and Jewish cousins and siblings in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, Gaza, throughout Palestine/Israel, and throughout the diaspora. The human rights of all Palestinians, like all Jews (including Palestinian Jews), are sacred to each of us.
The current moment is in the context of a much longer timeline of events and interactions, and Kadima reaffirms our community as a home for Jews and fellow travelers who work to end the Israeli occupation, resist Jewish communal denial of Israel's need for accountability, and build community with Jews who are excluded from other Jewish institutions because of their criticism of the actions of the Israeli government. Let us continue to confront our history, present, and future together toward collective liberation in the Middle East and beyond.
To our Palestinian partners, friends, and co-conspirators, we send you our love, friendship, and commitment to building powerful, resilient Jewish communities that resist violence and tribalism particularly aimed at you, your friends, and your family.
To our community members who have family, friends, and personal relationships with people there, know we are here for support, care, and community. You need not choose between your loved ones and standing for accountability and justice. We are here for you as you reconcile that tension. We are here to fight for your safety and your belonging. We are here to grow our collective Jewish voice for justice.
To our non-Jewish, non-Palestinian community members and allies: please feel proud and bold in your stance for justice, peace, and protection for all Palestinians and toward calling for the accountability of the Israeli government. As U.S. residents, our foreign aid, our complicity in multinational militarism, and our exported brand of White Supremacy - which includes anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia, and antisemitism, particularly against Jews of Color - all inform and further make toxic the situation in Israel/Palestine. We affirm and are grateful for your work toward a just peace there together. Please, as you do so, center the voices of Palestinians and refrain from perpetuating antisemitic tropes, language, and actions - this includes reducing Israel and/or Jews to a monolith, particularly when it erases the millions of Jews of Color and Sephardi and Mirzahi Jews in the U.S., Palestine/Israel, and around the world.
The following sources have been recommended by Palestinian friends at this time, particularly highlighting sources on the ground in Palestine, as social media posts are being censored by Instagram and Facebook.
Quick Articles
-IMEU: Quick Facts About the Nakba
-IMEU: Nakba Resources
-Aljazeera: Insight into Sheikh Jarrah
Direct Social Media of Folks on the Ground
Mohammed El-Kurd
Eye on Palestine
IMEU
Muna Hawa
Saleh Zighari
We invite us all to go and learn as we move closer to true freedom and autonomy for all Palestinians as a crucial part of the collective liberation we yearn and fight for.
The current moment is in the context of a much longer timeline of events and interactions, and Kadima reaffirms our community as a home for Jews and fellow travelers who work to end the Israeli occupation, resist Jewish communal denial of Israel's need for accountability, and build community with Jews who are excluded from other Jewish institutions because of their criticism of the actions of the Israeli government. Let us continue to confront our history, present, and future together toward collective liberation in the Middle East and beyond.
To our Palestinian partners, friends, and co-conspirators, we send you our love, friendship, and commitment to building powerful, resilient Jewish communities that resist violence and tribalism particularly aimed at you, your friends, and your family.
To our community members who have family, friends, and personal relationships with people there, know we are here for support, care, and community. You need not choose between your loved ones and standing for accountability and justice. We are here for you as you reconcile that tension. We are here to fight for your safety and your belonging. We are here to grow our collective Jewish voice for justice.
To our non-Jewish, non-Palestinian community members and allies: please feel proud and bold in your stance for justice, peace, and protection for all Palestinians and toward calling for the accountability of the Israeli government. As U.S. residents, our foreign aid, our complicity in multinational militarism, and our exported brand of White Supremacy - which includes anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia, and antisemitism, particularly against Jews of Color - all inform and further make toxic the situation in Israel/Palestine. We affirm and are grateful for your work toward a just peace there together. Please, as you do so, center the voices of Palestinians and refrain from perpetuating antisemitic tropes, language, and actions - this includes reducing Israel and/or Jews to a monolith, particularly when it erases the millions of Jews of Color and Sephardi and Mirzahi Jews in the U.S., Palestine/Israel, and around the world.
The following sources have been recommended by Palestinian friends at this time, particularly highlighting sources on the ground in Palestine, as social media posts are being censored by Instagram and Facebook.
Quick Articles
-IMEU: Quick Facts About the Nakba
-IMEU: Nakba Resources
-Aljazeera: Insight into Sheikh Jarrah
Direct Social Media of Folks on the Ground
Mohammed El-Kurd
Eye on Palestine
IMEU
Muna Hawa
Saleh Zighari
We invite us all to go and learn as we move closer to true freedom and autonomy for all Palestinians as a crucial part of the collective liberation we yearn and fight for.