Sign-On Statement: Jews support letter led by Representative Bowman and Senator Sanders in support of Palestinian rights
We are Jewish leaders from across the United States who are proud to support a letter led by Congressman Jamaal Bowman and Senator Bernie Sanders to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, asking the administration to take concrete action to address the worsening situation in Israel/Palestine. As the letter states, “only by protecting democracy, human rights, and self-determination for all Palestinians and Israelis can we achieve a lasting peace.”
As Jews living in the U.S., we come from a range of histories, backgrounds, and relationships to Israel/Palestine. Above all else, all of us value justice and human rights. It is clear that the Israeli government’s state violence, as well as settler violence, is worsening under Israel’s current far-right government and is actively diminishing the possibility of a future of justice and liberation. More and more Israeli protesters are taking to the streets every day in protest of the government’s attempts to destroy its own judiciary. As the letter highlights, such moves by the Israeli government “would threaten the rights of all citizens of Israel, enable more corruption by Prime Ministers, and open the path towards further annexation of Palestinian lands.”
We support the letter’s call for the Biden administration to enforce existing U.S. law and to ensure that U.S. military funds to Israel do not support violations of human rights, and are glad to see that members of Congress are taking steps to ensure U.S. foreign policy becomes rooted in human rights.
Any serious discussion of a peaceful resolution must be rooted in the reality on the ground, which includes decades of military occupation and a fundamental power imbalance between Israelis and Palestinians. This letter is an important intervention by leaders in Congress and we hope that the Biden administration will take immediate action.
Signers:
Organization and title for identification purposes only
Abby Lublin
Adam Diamond
Rabbi Abby Stein
Alana Krivo-Kaufman, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Student
Alisa Solomon, author
Rabbi Alissa Wise, Co-Founder or Co-Chair of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council
Allie Zeff, Executive Director Detroit Jews for Justice
Amparo Abel-Bey
Amy Chazkel
Rabbi Andy Kahn, Member Leader, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice
Anita Altman, Member, Congregation B’nai Jeshurun
Ann Eisenstein
April N. Baskin
April Rosenblum, Writer and Independent Scholar
Rabbi Aryeh Bernstein
Audrey Sasson, Executive Director, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice
Aurora Levins-Morales
Ayelet Waldman
Barbara Barefield, Jewish Voice for Peace — Detroit
Rabbi Barat Ellman
Professor Barry Trachtenberg
Becca Lubow
Rabbi Becky Silverstein
Benjamin Balthaser, Associate Professor of English, Indiana University South Bend
Beth Miller, Political Director, Jewish Voice for Peace Action
Rabbi Borukh Goldberg
NYC Comptroller Brad Lander
Rabbi Brant Rosen, Tzedek Chicago
Rabbi Brian Walt, Rabbi Emeritus Mishkan Shalom, Member Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinic Council
Carlyn Cowen
Chase Carter
Cliff Fonstein
C de Ben
Dan Reiser
Daniel Roth, Executive Director, Center for Jewish Nonviolence
Rabbi David Basior
Rabbi David Mivasair
David Unger
Rabbi Deb Kolodny
Dennis Lieberson
Rabbi Dev Noily, Kehilla Community Synagogue, Oakland, CA
Donna Katzin
Dorothy Savitch
Dove Kent, Former Executive Director, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice and Co-Founder, Tzedek Lab
Eli Valley, Artist
Rabbi Ellen Lippmann. Rabbi Emerita, Kolot Chayeinu/Voices of Our Lives, Board member, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice
Elizabeth a McGee
Rabbi Emily Cohen
Emily Collins
Emily Mayer, Co-founder, IfNotNow Movement
Estee Chandler, Board Chair Jewish Voice for Peace Action
Eva Borgwardt, Political Director, IfNotNow Movement
Evan Weber, Co-Founder, Our Hawai’i, Sunrise Movement; Board of Directors, IfNotNow Movement
franny silverman
Rabbi Geoffrey Claussen
Gili Getz
Ginna Green, Partner, Uprise
Glenn Moller
Hadar Ahuvia, Rabbinical Student, Hebrew College
Hadar Susskind, President and CEO, Americans for Peace Now
NY Assembly Member Harvey Epstein (74th District)
Hasan Bhatti
Heidi Kihn
Helen Bennett
Isaac Kates Rose
James Schamus
Rabbi Jay Heyman
Jerry Weinstein
Jessica Brown
Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg
Joelle Asaro Berman
Juan A. Martinez
Kathleen Peratis, co-chair, Jewish Currents
Katie Unger
Laura Liben
Professor Laura Tanenbaum, LaGuardia Community College/City University of New York
Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman
Lenore Los Kamp
Libby Lenkinski
Rabbi Linda Holtzman, Tikkun Olam Chavurah
Louisa Rachel Solomon, Rabbinical Student, Reconstructing Judaism
Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb
Marjorie N. Feld
Martha L Rothman
Martin I Bresler, Board Member, Americans for Peace Now
Martin Levine
Professor Marilyn Sneiderman
Rabbi Max Reynolds
May Ye, rabbinical student
Megan Madison, Co-Chair of JFREJ Action Board of Directors
Michael Chabon
Michael Kaufman
Michael Rosch
Cantor Michael Zoosman
Rabbi Michael Ramberg, Interfaith Center Co-Director and Jewish Student Advisor, Swarthmore College
Michèle Burger
Mik Moore, Board of Directors, Americans for Peace Now
Rabbi Miriam Grossman
Mitchel Plitnick
Molly Crabapple
Morriah Kaplan, Managing Director, IfNotNow Movement
Naama Haviv
Naomi Dann
Naomi Sharlin
Ren Finkel, Rabbincal Student
Paula Galowitz
Peter Beinart
Peter Belmony
Phoebe Spanier
Phylisa Wisdom
Phyllis Arnold
Rachel B. TIven
Rachel Gelman
Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg, Malkhut
Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster, Executive Vice President, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
Randy Karr
Rabbi Rebecca Alpert
Rabbi Rebecca Hornstein, Boston Workers Circle
Rebecca Polivy
Rebecca Vilkomerson, Former Executive Director, Jewish Voice for Peace
Robert L. Herbst, Human Rights Lawyer and Co-Chair, Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions — USA
Ruth Messinger, Social Justice Consultant and Former Manhattan Borough President
Sam Raker
Sarah Schulman, Writer
Rabbi Shai Gluskin
Sharon Goldtzvik, founder and CEO, Uprise
Sharon Livesey
Shelby Handler
Shifra Sered, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice
Shoshana Brown, LMSW, Lead Organizer, Black Jewish Liberation Collective
Simone Zimmerman
Sophie Ellman-Golan
Stefanie Fox, Executive Director Jewish Voice for Peace Action
Stephan Shaw
Stosh Cotler
Rabbi Susan Falk
Susan Freytes
Susan Lerner
Susannah Dyen
Susie Hoffman
Toby E. Rubin
Tsela Barr, Jewish Voice for Peace — Madison
Vera Brooks
Wanda Knauss
Yonah Lieberman, Co-Founder, IfNotNow Movement
Rabbi Yoseph Berman, New Synagogue Project