IfNotNow Chicago rejects Israel-at-any-cost politics in the Illinois gubernatorial race
IfNotNow Chicago’s Statement on Daniel Biss’ dropping Carlos Ramirez-Rosa from his Gubernatorial ticket.
Yesterday, Illinois State Senator and gubernatorial candidate Daniel Biss announced that he had cut ties with his running mate, Chicago Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, due to their differing stances toward the BDS movement.
In a statement announcing Ramirez-Rosa’s departure from the ticket, Biss wrote that the “safety and security of the Jewish people” are of the utmost importance to him. But removing Ramirez-Rosa from the ticket over his position on BDS does not make Jews safer. Instead, it is a deeply troubling reminder of how the American Jewish establishment puts unconditional support of Israel above all other priorities.
We saw this happen in real time as AIPAC-aligned U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider pulled his endorsement of Biss over the candidate’s selection of Ramirez-Rosa for a running mate on Sunday.
In Illinois, the true cost of these Israel-at-all-costs politics is high. At a time when our city, our state, and our country are in crisis, we need bold leaders who are willing to stand up, steadfast, for freedom and dignity for all.
In this moment, as the fight for the soul of our country heats up, the Jewish community must align ourselves with communities of color, queer communities, immigrant communities, and other progressives — communities to which many Jews also belong — even when we disagree on specific policies.
The greatest threat to the future of the American Jewish community in this moment is not BDS. It is the normalization of neo-Nazis and the advancement of white supremacy, in all the ways these ideologies perpetuate antisemitism and other forms of racism. Now more than ever, we must stand arm-in-arm with other marginalized communities.
As a movement, IfNotNow is working towards an end to the American Jewish community’s support for the Occupation — and towards a future in which politicians no longer prioritize unconditional support for Israel over the needs of the communities they hope to serve.
