JVP's Ellen Brotsky is just fine with Model Curriculum that erases the American Jewish Experience

Jewish Voice for Peace has come out with a statement endorsing the widely discredited California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum.

Of course Jewish Voice for Peace approves of the California Model Ethnic Studies Curriculum that erases Jewish identity.  They've been working hard to erase Jewish identity for years.

The document appears to have been authored by Ellen Brotsky.  Recently,  Brotsky was restrained and taken away by the police after interrupting programming at the San Francisco Jewish Community Center.

Ellen Brotsky does not represent Jewish communal interests.

JVP's Ellen Brotsky:  arrest  at the San Francisco Jewish community Center

Or perhaps you remember her assault on Jewish elders conducting a silent vigil in remembrance of victims of terror.

JVP's Ellen Brotsky: Assault on a Jewish elder

Ellen Brotsky does not represent Jewish communal interests.

Perhaps Ellen Brotsky thinks she speaks for the Jewish community, but no one else does. Ellen is as much of an outlier as her organization, which aspires to create “a wedge” within the American Jewish community, while working toward the goal of eliminating U.S. economic, military, and political aid to Israel.

JVP has infamously offered Ramadan accommodations, but not kosher food at their BDS boot camp. Not surprising- their marketing has never been directed towards Jewish community interests.

Jewish Voice for Peace does not represent Jewish interests

Brotsky and JVP dismiss the 83 civil rights, human rights, religious and education organizations  expressing concerns regarding the California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC),  berating them as "Israel-aligned" and "Zionist".   Some  classes may read some parts of Anne Frank's diary in 8th grade.  To JVP, thats sufficient Holocaust education.     JVP's  accusation of "weaponizing antisemitism" echoes that of the white nationalist movements, and their allegation that Palestinians were "forced" to immigrate to the US is just blantantly false.

Jewish Voice for Peace claims "Jewish" heritage for the sole purpose of gaining political leverage in their fight against the Israel, the state of the Jewish people.  They speak for no one except themselves. For the proponents of this bigoted curriculum to use JVP as cover for their own irresponsibility in drafting this deeply flawed curriculum is the worst kind of "Jew-washing"

A Tale of Two Restaurants: They go low, we go high.

A tale of 2 restaurants.

Reem’s café and bakery is adorned with a floor to ceiling image of a confessed murderer- Rasmea Odeh,  a convicted terrorist responsible for the deaths of 2 young men in a Jerusalem bombing nearly 20 years ago.   Peaceful vigils by a group of community elders opposed to the glorification of violence were violently attacked by ReemAssil’s staff and patrons.  

Ellen Brotsky of JVP attacking an elderly man at Reems, Fruitvale Oakland

Lara Kiswani of the Arab Resource Organizing Center and Ellen Brotsky with posters
ripped out of the hands of community elders.  

When the physical attack failed to silence their voices,  the police were repeatedly called to break up the vigils.  Ultimately, Reem Assil attempted to take out restraining orders to quash the communities rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of speech.

Contrast and compare

Mannys in San Francisco is under protest by alt-left fringe groups, threatening to run him out of town.

Its not about the artwork Manny has chosen to display- glorious representations of our diverse community.  Its about who Manny is- a proud and  progressive queer Jew who happens to fail the litmus test of political correctness- and accepts the right of the Jewish people to self determination.  Manny’s business has been vandalized with anti-Semitic imagery.  His windows have been broken.

Mannys vandalized with spray painted Jewish star.  Photo from Mission Local 

Manny’s response to the protesters harassing his customers was to invite them in to talk.  They refused.  The community response  has also been open and loving. There have not been violent attacks against the protesters, or attempts to silence their voices.   The community instead has embraced Manny, his shop and his mission.  On Wednesday evenings, the day of the protests, Manny’s restaurant has been packed with patrons, celebrating in the community gathering space that Manny has created. . 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. knew best: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. "  

The community will continue to respond to these attacks with light and with love. 
Read more about Manny's:

How many hoops must Manny Yekutiel jump through before he’s deemed worthy to set foot in the Mission?

Manny’s builds a real-life space for civic discourse in SF

Jewish cafe owner in San Francisco hounded over his ‘Zionist ideals’

Al Awda orders. Jewish Voice for Peace Complies

Al Awda orders.

Eyad Kishawi  of Al-Awda orderd the shut-down of Israeli peace activist

Jewish Voice for Peace complies.

Jewish Voice for Peace members were among those arrested at the San Francisco Jewish Community Center for attempting to silence former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

Arrest of professional Israel-hater Ellen Brotsky of Jewish Voice for Peace 

From the J Weekly:

Speaking May 16 to a near sellout crowd at the JCC of San Francisco, Barak said the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies are “embarrassing,” and that they have “locked the door on the two-state solution, which is the only viable and sustainable one.”

In town as part of a book tour in support of his newly published memoir “My Country, My Life,” Barak was scheduled to speak the next day at the Commonwealth Club. At the JCC, he said many things that would please progressive observers of Middle East politics, such as harshly criticizing Netanyahu’s support of Jewish settlements deep in the West Bank.

Not progressive enough for more than a dozen anti-Zionist protesters in attendance, part of a larger group protesting outside. They noisily interrupted Barak three separate times, chanting slogans, such as “Palestine will be free,” and calling Barak — a former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces — a war criminal.

Eyad Kishawi's response

Jewish Voice for Peace 's Ellen Brotsky attacks peaceful anti-terror vigil at Reem's, Oakland

On July 8, several community members held a vigil at Reem's Okaland restaurant, to protest a mural glorifying convicted terrorist Rasmea Odeh.

Reem Assil has since characterized this as a "racist" attack by "Zionists"

This is what Reem's calls a racist sign.

 

Photos have just been released  showing the assault.

Ellen Brotsky, a  self described activist from Jewish Voice for Peace wrestled this sign out of the hands of member of the vigil, while another opponent of free speech stood by.  Its been reported that the younger woman attempted to steal the activists purse during the scuffle.

JVP's Ellen Brotsky attacking local peace activist

Ellen Brotsky  proceeded to rip up the stolen sign. 

JVP's Ellen Brotsky steals sign from a 78 year old Warsaw ghetto survivor

Destroyed signs

Why are "Jewish" Voice for "Peace" activists so afraid of allowing dissenting voices to be heard?