"My Name is Rachel Corrie" at San Francisco's Magic Theater

The one-woman show "My name is Rachel Corrie" is playing at San Francisco's Magic Theater in Fort Mason on a 2 week run. The play includes excerpts from the diary of Rachel Corrie, an International Solidarity Movement (ISM) member who was accidentally killed while guarding smuggling tunnels in Gaza

Even with the deep discounts offered to Jewish Voice for Peace members, there are plenty of tickets still available.

Writing in the Northern California Jewish Weekly, Johanna Meckel,  Northern California director of StandwithUs addresses the deification of Rachel Corrie:

The play “My Name Is Rachel Corrie,” currently running in San Francisco, omits all context, portraying that period of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict only through Corrie’s eyes.

Rachel Corrie’s death was accidental and deeply tragic. A 23-year-old American student decided to come to Gaza, a war zone in 2003, to stand in solidarity — but in solidarity with whom? From 2001-2005, hundreds of rockets a year were being launched from Gaza at the Israeli community of Sderot, using materials brought in through tunnels just like the ones Corrie was trying to protect by serving as a human shield. The bulldozer that tragically ended her life was there to uncover one of 90 tunnels that terrorists were using to smuggle weapons into Gaza.

She was deliberately placed in a war zone as part of a strategy by the International Solidarity Movement, whose founder George Rishmawi boasted “…if some of these foreign volunteers get shot or even killed, then the international media will sit up and take notice.” As detailed by the Israeli watchdog group NGO Monitor, the ISM has a lengthy history of working with Hamas and knowingly placing foreign volunteers in situations where ISM leadership knew that they could be injured or killed.

Dozens of innocent Americans have been killed in acts of Palestinian terror.  Their stories remain untold. If you know the name "Rachel Corrie", but don't know the name Taylor Force or Daniel Wultz then you aren't paying close enough attention.

The ISM: Now Recruiting Human shields

The discredited and disgraced International Solidarity Movement is looking for their newest Rachel Corrie  

If you've got a hankering to be used , abused and even sacrificed by terror supporters, this is your chance. Training will be held (where else?) in Berkeley.

The head of the Northern California International Solidarity movement Paul Larudee has been under fire recently by his anti-Israel peers, who have accused him of everything from financial impropriety, to political showboating.  He has been kept at arms length by those alarmed by his allegiance to Iran, his support of violence as well as his ties to notorious anti-Semite Gilad Atzmon. Its not clear whether the disagreement is truly philosophical in nature,  or if its simply politically expedient to distance oneself from those with clear ties to terror.

Paul has been desperately trying to recapture  a place for himself in the anti-Israel movement  Its hard to feel sorry for Larudee,  who helped organize the failed Flotilla, and the failed Global March to Jerusalem

Deppen Webber Feroze Mithiborwala Paul Larudee and "Sparrow"

Will anyone (besides us) show up to the Berkeley ISM training on June 4th?  We'll let you know.  ; - )

10th Anniversary of Rachel Corrie's Death

This weekend marked the 10th anniversary of ISM activist Rachel Corrie's death. The 23 year old was accidentally killed in a closed military zone while interfering with anti-terror operations in Gaza.

In memory of Rachel, a vain attempt  was made to get "#RememberRachel to trend on Twitter.  Instead, the thread quickly filled up with reminders of the "Other Rachels " killed in this conflict.  Unlike Rachel Corrie who deliberately chose to put herself  in harms way, the "Other Rachels" were killed in their homes, in the streets, in the mall. They were innocent women living their lives that were targeted simply because they were Jewish women living in the state of the Jewish people.

Thank you to Jameel of the Muqata for the reminder of the "Other Rachels"- the forgotten Rachels killed in this conflict.

We remember:

Rachel Levy (aged 17, blown up in a grocery store)

Rachel Levi (19, shot while waiting for the bus)

Rachel Gavish (killed with her husband, son and father while at home celebrating a Passover meal)

Rachel Charhi (blown up while sitting in a Tel Aviv cafe, leaving three young children)

Rachel Shabo (murdered with her three sons aged 5, 13 and 16 while at home)

Rachel Ben Abu (16, blown up outside the entrance of a Netanya shopping mall)

Rachel Kol, 53, who worked at a Jerusalem hospital and was killed with her husband in a Palestinian terrorist attack in July a few days after the London bombs.

Rachel Sela, 82, murdered the day before Purim on March 4th, 1996 when an Palestinian suicide bomber exploded at Dizingoff Center, Tel Aviv.

Rachel Tajgatrio, 83, murdered while shopping in Jerusalem's "Machaneh Yehuda" market when 2 bombs went off on July 30th, 1997.

Rachel Thaler, 16 years old from Ginot Shomron died of her wounds on February 27 2002, after a Palestinian bomber exploded in a shopping mall's food court, killing 3, wounding 30.

Rachel Tamari,  65, murdered by a Palestinian bomb on the Dan #20 bus in Ramat Gan, on July 24, 1995.  6 Israelis died in that attack, and dozens were wounded.

Rachel Drouk, 35, mother of 7 from the Shilo community was murdered by Palestinian terrorist gunfire while on her way to a demonstration (October 28, 1991) -- that negotiating with Palestinian terrorists would be dangerous to Israel.  The driver of her car, Yitzchak Rofeh was also killed and 5 others wounded.

Rachel Weiss, 26, pregnant and mother of 3 small children (Rafael, Netanel and Efraim), were all murdered by Palestinian terrorists who threw a molotov cocktail at her car in the Jordan Valley (October 31, 1988)

Rachel Weiss, 69, stabbed to death by Palestinian terrorists who were sent by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin to as an "entrance test" to the Hamas organizations.  She was murdered in her home in Moshav Shapir, August 3rd, 1988.

Rachel Munk, 24, [married 6 weeks earlier] was murdered in a drive-by terror attack by on July 26, 1996, along with her husband Zeev Munk.  The attack took place on the Beit Shemesh - Kiryat Melachi road near Moshav Gefen.

Rachel Stern, 8 years old,  stabbed to death, along with her mother, while eating breakfast in their home in Kiryat Shmona, on April 11, 1974.  16 people were murdered that day by Palestinian terrorists in that attack.

Rachel Afita, 16, murdered by Palestinian terrorists in the Northern Israeli community of Maalot on May 15, 1974

Rachel Lev, 50, murdered by Palestinian terrorists when 5 bombs exploded throughout the Haifa area on October 23, 1969 and the following day.  7 people were killed in the attack, including her husband Eliyahu and son Avraham.

Rachel Mizrachi, 38, stabbed to death by Arab terrorists in her home in Tiberias, October 2, 1939.

Cindy and Craig Corrie at Al Awda this weekend

Last week Israeli courts exonerated the Israel Defense Forces after the Corrie family accused them of deliberately murdering ISM activist Rachel Corrie with a bulldozer. Israeli courts said she knowingly entered a war zone and refused to move despite being warned, and that her death was accidental rather than malicious. The lawsuit was one in a series of actions and events orchestrated by the Corrie family, to keep their daughters life and death in the public eye.

From Zahi Damuni of the extremist Al- Awda group, announcing the appearance of Rachel Corrie's parents, Cindy and Craig Corrie via Skype at the Al Awda Convention this weekend:

Cindy and Craig Corrie, the parents of martyr Rachel Corrie who was brutally killed while trying to save a Palestinian home from demolition by the Israeli occupation, will be joining us via Skype from Haifa at the Grand Banquet of The Tenth Annual Int'l Al-Awda Convention this Saturday . Cindy and Craig Corrie have been seeking justice for their daughter since her brutal death. They have shown remarkable strength, patience and resilience in the face of adversity they have endured including most recently at a "trial" in which a Zionist court in occupied Haifa ruled its own military was not guilty of Rachel's murder and blamed martyr Rachel herself for her own death.

The Corries tacit support of the Al-Awda agenda (which considers all of the land between the "river to the sea" occupied Palestine, denies the Jewish people's connection to their ancient homeland and supports mythical Palestinian "right to return" ) makes it quite clear -in case you had any doubt remaining- that they are not peace activists.

From Abraham Miller, emeritus professor of political science and a former head of the Intelligence Studies Section of the International Studies Association, originally published at PJ media

Since her death, Corrie’s activist, militant, and Israeli-bashing parents have transformed her death into a cottage industry. The Corries can be seen making the rounds of the liberal churches talking about the Palestinian cause and how the Israelis maliciously killed their daughter. For audiences predisposed to hate Israel and support the Palestinians as an oppressed people, the Corries and their “martyred” daughter comprise a saga that reinforces their jaundiced views.

It is not just the liberal churches that venerate the Corries. Yasser Arafat, too, showered them with adulation for donating their daughter to the cause. Just as their daughter put her life at risk to help mass murderers, the parents stand for photo ops with people who speak of past crimes against Jews and openly boast of those they are about to commit.

The Corries have learned nothing from their daughter’s experience. Mrs. Corrie openly brags of two nieces who are active members of the ISM, and she hopes their activism will emulate her daughter’s.

Rather than sue the State of Israel, Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, director of Shurat HaDin has suggested that, "Rachel Corrie's parents should sue the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) for being responsible for their daughter's death."

I'm not holding my breath.

Recruiting a new Rachel Corrie.

Elder of Zion points out that last week alone, 2491 people managed to escape "the world's largest prison". The easing of travel restrictions to and from Gaza has not escaped the notice of the notorious International Solidarity Movement (ISM), who have begun earnestly recruiting for the next Rachel Corrie wanna-be:
Their appeal follows:

The International Solidarity Movement is appealing for volunteers to join our team in the besieged Gaza Strip. In recent weeks people have managed to cross into Gaza so there is at present a rare window of opportunity to enter - and more activists are always badly needed, as attacks by Israel are incessant.

ISM Gaza was reinstated in August 2008, when volunteers traveled aboard the historic, siege-breaking voyage of the first FreeG aza Movement boat.

ISM Gaza has maintained a continuous presence since then and joined fishermen to witness the illegal enforcement of a 3 nautical mile blockade by Israeli naval forces.

ISM volunteers refused to leave when Israel began bombing Gaza in December 2009. They accompanied ambulances and provided vital testimony to the international media as the assault unfolded.

At present ISM activists in Gaza are engaged with grassroots initiatives against the siege. Volunteers accompany Gazan farmers in the 'buffer zone', make frequent solidarity visits to Palestinians affected by the blockade, write reports about the situation on the ground, and film, photograph and document the illegal use of live ammunition against demonstrators and farmers.

As the international community becomes more critical of Israel's policies, it is vital to have individuals on the ground that can attest to the conditions inside the open-air prison of Gaza. Their voices lend strength to efforts abroad, as BDS campaigns gain momentum and freedom flotillas become pandemic.

For further details, please contact gazaism at gmailcom

The requirements for joining the ISM Gaza team are that applicants must:

a) have at least two months previous experience of non-violent direct action solidarity work in the Middle-East, preferably with ISM, including intervention in critical situations;
b) have a good understanding of the history and current political situation in Palestine;
c) have at least fair Arabic language skills (preferred but not required);

d) sign a contract agreeing not to engage in behaviors contrary to Gazan cultural/social norms
e) sign a contract agreeing to remain with ISM Gaza for the length of their stay

f) prepare a written statement outlining their personal wishes should they be kidnapped, injured, or killed.

Item "D" particularly intrigues me. Is the ISM pandering to Hamas? What are these social and cultural norms? For women, is submitting to rape and sexual abuse included?