New York Jewish Leaders support revoking nonprofit status of settler organizations

We are Jewish leaders and changemakers from New York who are proud to support the Not on Our Dime!: Ending New York Funding of Israeli Settler Violence Act (A6943/S6992). We are rabbis, elected officials, artists, academics, and community leaders who want to ensure that New York State does not give tax breaks to organizations that directly finance the illegal Israeli settlements displacing Palestinians from their homes and land.

We value justice and human rights for all people — no exceptions. Not a single dollar from New York State should be allowed to fund, directly or indirectly, the rapid expansion of illegal Israeli settlements and horrific settler violence against Palestinians. Jewish leaders across the state have a moral obligation to stop New York’s subsidy of these human rights violations. And we are not alone: a majority of American Jewish voters oppose U.S. funding of settlement activity. In particular, tax-exempt charitable donations going toward the illegal activities of the Central Fund of Israel and similar organizations have already drawn broad objection from the Jewish community.

The Not on Our Dime! Act will prohibit non-profits in New York State from materially supporting illegal Israeli settlement activity, including the forcible transfer of Palestinians from their homes, and the demolition and seizure of private Palestinian land. New York State-based organizations, including the Central Fund of Israel (CFI), Friends of Ir David, American Friends of Ateret Cohanim, the One Israel Fund, and the Israel Independence Fund, collectively send tens of millions of dollars annually to support activities in violation of the Geneva Convention. By allowing these organizations charitable status, New York State effectively subsidizes these unlawful activities. This must end.

We call on our state legislators to support this bill and bring an overdue end to New York State’s subsidy of illegal Israeli settler violence.

To sign onto this letter, click here.

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Signed,

(Note: Titles and affiliations listed for identification only)

Rabbi Abby Stein

Alicia T. Singham Goodwin, Political Director, Jews For Racial & Economic Justice

Alisa Solomon, Author

Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie, Lab/Shul NYC

Amparo Abel-Bey, Board member, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice

Rabbi Andrue Kahn

April N. Baskin, Director, Joyous Justice

Audrey Sasson, Executive Director, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice

Ari Monts

Rabbi Barat Ellman

Beth Miller, Political Director, Jewish Voice for Peace Action

Camonghne Felix

Cara Levine, Member-leader, Jewish Voice for Peace-NYC

Carinne Luck

Carlyn Cowen, Board Member, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice

Charlene Obernauer

Dania Rajendra

Daniel Roth, Executive Director, Center for Jewish Nonviolence

Dean Gottesman-Solomon, Black, Indigenous, Jews of Color, Sephardi and Mizrahi (BIJOCSM) Organizer, IfNotNow

Dean Spade, Professor, Seattle University School of Law

Dorothy M. Zellner, Longtime Civil Rights Activist & Advisor

Dove Kent, Former Director, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice

Emma Saltzberg, US Strategic Campaigns Director, Diaspora Alliance

Elad Nehorai

Elana Levin, The Jewish Vote steering committee

Elena Stein, Director of Organizing Strategy, Jewish Voice for Peace

Eli Valley

Elisheva Goldberg

Eliza Klein, WE ACT for Environmental Justice

Eliza Woods Harrison, Jewish Voice for Peace-NYC Member Leader

Rabbi Ellen Lippmann, Rabbi Emerita, Kolot Chayeinu/Voices of Our Lives

Emma Saltzberg

Esther Farmer, Jewish Voice for Peace and APREE (Alliance for Puerto Rican Education and Empowerment)

Eva Borgwardt Political Director, IfNotNow Movement

Gabe Tobias

Gili Getz

Hadar Ahuvia, Artist

Isaac Kates Rose Member, All That’s Left: Anti-Occupation Collective

James Schamus Filmmaker and Professor, Columbia University

Jay Saper, Member leader, Jewish Voice for Peace NYC

JD Davids, Strategist and Storyteller, The Cranky Queer Guide to Chronic Illness

Jemma Pasch, Director of Chapters & Local Organizing, Jewish Voice for Peace

Jeremy A. Siegman

Dr. Jeremy Cohan, NYC-DSA Co-Chair

Jesse Myerson

Jonathan Taubes, NewGen Lay Leader, New Israel Fund

Joyce Bressler

Kathleen Peratis, Co-chair, Jewish Currents

Katie Unger, Board member, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice

Laura Tanenbaum, Professor of English, LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York

Leah Susman

Libby Lenkinski

Louisa Rachel Solomon, Rabbinical Student, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College

Lydia Green, District Leader, Assembly District 52

Maia Rosenberg, The Jewish Vote

Mairav Zonszein

Matan Arad-Neeman, Communications Director, IfNotNow

Matthew Lindenbaum

Rabbi Max Reynolds

Megan Pamela Ruth Madison, Board Co-Chair, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice

Micah Sifry, writer and organizer

Miriam Bensman

Rabbi Miriam Grossman

Molly Crabapple

Morgan Bassichis, Artist

Morriah Kaplan, Managing Director, IfNotNow

Noah Habeeb

Peter Beinart

Rabbi Peter H. Schweitzer, Rabbi Emeritus, The City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism

Phyllis Arnold, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice

Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg

Rafael Shimunov, Athena Coalition and host of Beyond The Pale: Radio’s Home For The Jewish Left on WBAI 99.5FM

Rabbi Rebecca Alpert

Rebecca Lynch

Rebecca Vilkomerson, Former Executive Director, Jewish Voice for Peace

Rikki Baker Keusch

Rosalind Petchesky, Distinguished Professor Emerita, Hunter College & the Graduate Center-CUNY

Samuel Lewis, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice

Sara Fisch, Co-Director, Neighborhood Access

Sara Migler, New York Organizer, IfNotNow

Sarah Flatto Manasrah, South Brooklyn Mutual Aid

Sarah Koshar, Jewish Voice for Peace-NYC Member Leader

Sarah Schulman, Writer

Sarah Sills, Jewish Voice for Peace-NYC Member Leader

Seth Pollack

Shifra Sered, Deputy Director, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice

Shirly Bahar

Simone Zimmerman

Sophie Ellman-Golan, Director of Strategic Communications, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice

Tal Frieden

Una Osato, Artist, Jewish Voice for Peace NYC member

Yonah Lieberman, Co-founder, IfNotNow

Zak Witus

Zillah Eisenstein, Prof. Emerita, Anti Racist Feminist Theory, Ithaca College; Activist; Writer

Further reading:

Read coverage of the bill here & see the coalition website for further resources.

Have questions? Get in touch at: newyorkjewishleaders@gmail.com