Jewish voice for peace gets it wrong. Again.

Determined to keep the BS in BDS, JVP's already tenuous grasp of reality is fracturing further.

Poor Jewish Voice for Peace is still trying to come to grips with superstar Scarlett Johansson's decision to remain as the celebrity spokesperson for the Israeli home carbonation device, Sodastream.   In a marvelous act of fantasy or perhaps simply delusion the team at Jewish Voice for Peace has declared victory over the same incident they bemoaned as a loss just 12 hours earlier.

Last night , JVP wrote on their facebook page "Oxfam's inaction allows Sodastream shill Scarlet Johansson to quit ambassador role, rather than be held accountable for promoting policies Oxfam staunchly opposes".  Its still there.

( Hmmm. Scarlet's been taking about peaceful coexistence and economic cooperation. Why does this upset JVP and Oxfam so much?)        

Yet today's email from Sydney Levy  at JVP declares this a boycott victory,  and claims that Oxfam dropped  Scarlett over "Sodastream ties".

Not quite, Sydney, not quite.

If Sydney (JVP's director of advocacy) had actually been following the news,  he might have seen this:

Scarlett Johansson Cuts Ties With Oxfam Over Differences on BDS Movement
or perhaps this:
Johansson steps down as Oxfam ambassador
or even this:
Scarlett Johansson Cuts Ties with Oxfam Over BDS


 Later, JVP's executive director  Rebecca Vilkomerson added her own unique bit of spin , claiming the superstar's decision to thumb her nose at BDS was proof of the "growing power" of BDS worldwide. Alright, then...

Let me be the first to wish them many more such "victories".

Jewish voice for peace promotes Gilad Atzmon

The hypocrisy is breathtaking, even for Jewish Voice for Peace. Over a year ago, JVP issued a statement regarding the notorious anti-Semite Gilad Atzmon- a man  who once declared  that burning synagogues  was a "rational act".  He has stated " I'm anti-Jewish, not anti-Jews. I think Jewish ideology is driving our planet into a catastrophe and we must stop."   JVP stated rather unequivocally  "we cannot endorse events in which he takes part." .

JVP Statement regarding Gilad Atzmon

From jewishvoiceforpeace.org/blog/jvp-statement-regarding-gilad-atzmon

Submitted by Sydney Levy on Tue, 03/13/2012 - 1:00pm

Jewish Voice for Peace's work for justice in Palestine/Israel is inspired by Jewish tradition, with a focus on principles of human rights, justice, and international law. JVP takes a strong stand against bigotry in any form, whether it be anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, or anti-Jewish. We do not work with anyone who uses oppressive language, imagery or those who attempt to demonize any group of people by ethnicity, religion or race.Gilad Atzmon is currently on tour throughout the US. We view his public political stances as anti-Jewish and counterproductive to the pursuit of justice. Atzmon has an extensive record of demonizing Jews as a people under the guise of Palestine solidarity. For these reasons,we cannot endorse events in which he takes part.We deeply appreciate the statement put out today that re-affirms Palestinian activists' principled stance against anti-Semitism

There must have been a breech of communication, because just last week, JVP-Los Angeles sent out a notice- wait for it- promoting  Gilad Atzmon's May 17th appearance at the Mint

How supremely  ironic to promote a man who promotes Holocaust deniers and conspiracy theorists under the tagline "The arts strengthen our communities and humanize our cultures" .

Was this email from Estee Chandler a violation of JVP policy, or was it  typical JVP hypocrisy-  using a facade of human rights-speak to mask an ugly core of  demonization against those who support the rights of the Jewish people to self determination in their ancient homeland?   Considering that Estee promotes events hosted by the Shura Council and  Al Awda on the same email, the answer is obvious.   Jewish Voice for peace's  public statements stand in direct opposition with their statements on their closed distributions lists. Jewish Voice for Peace refusal to press access to their annual Conference in Berkeley- their rejection of comments on their website devoted to "tracking efforts to stiffle open debate" highlight the hypocrisy at the core of JVP.  JVP's track record of supporting and enabling those who call for the destruction of the state of Israel reveals their sole function -that  of providing a fig-leaf for terror supporters.

Berkeley Divestment: the Aftermath

It didn't take long for  Jewish Voice for Peace to rise to the bait.

From Sydney Levy, sent  via the Jewish Voice for Peace email  list
Last night, the President of the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) announced that he would not veto a UC Berkeley Student Senate resolution in favor of divestment from companies that profit from the Israeli occupation.
This is an incredible divestment win - and you helped make it happen!
In 2010, a similar vote was vetoed by a previous ASUC president. Make no mistake - this is a precedent setting win, on a high-profile campus, in the midst of a series of UC student body resolutions in favor of divestment. The growing momentum behind this movement could not be more obvious.
The ASUC President was under  a nationwide email campaign organized by the Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs referring to the divestment bill as "alienating and hateful." These are strong and misleading words to describe a resolution that focuses on the relation between investments and human rights.
Thanks especially to the Berkeley chapter of Student for Justice in Palestine, whose leadership, moral clarity, and tireless organizing is truly the foundation of this victory.
I am more hopeful and determined than ever to keep this momentum growing.
Thanks for making a difference when it really counted.


***********
This is the state of the BDS movement.  More importantly, this is the level of the delusion of  those at JVP.    An 11-9 vote that fractured the campus, a resolution roundly condemned by the Senate president is heralded as an "incredible victory". That statement  required mental gymnastics of Olympiad quality,  JVP.

Regarding the bill,   ASUC president Connor Landgraf  wrote " I firmly reject its one-sided narrative, and the bill's complete and utter failure to create any constructive discussion or dialogue on a complex and multifaceted issue. This bill has served to do nothing more than divide our campus, foster anger, and encourage divisiveness. The threats of violence that have been hurled at students by members of our own campus community clearly demonstrate the complete failure of this bill as a legislative tool to promote any resolution to this nuanced conflict."

Incidentally, the  ASUC president was under enormous pressure from the BDS holes not to veto the resolution, with a nationwide campaign promoted via social media by such extremist organizations as Al Awda, the  US Campaign , JVP  and others.

The moral clarity of SJP that JVP writes of?  Does it include the race-baiting and hate speech tweeted and retweeted from their twitter account and those of their allies?

 Does it include dismissing attempts at peaceful co-existence as "disgusting"?

Does it include the unspeakable lies levied against Israel, the only democracy in the Middle east ? Does it include the attacks of  those on campus who dared express a contrary opinion?

Does it include the vandalized  bus shelter?

Interestingly enough, Connor Landgraf takes great pains to distance the Berkeley resolution from the International BDS movement, stressing " I want to make it clear that SB 160 is not linked to the international Boycott Divestment Sanctions movement. The international BDS movement, which has been known to attach itself to this legislation, cannot and should not take this as its victory."

Pssst, Connor.  Its too late. Note that the vandalized bus shelter is attributed to the international BDS movement.

Additionally, the International BDS movement is already promoting this "victory" on their website.  (www.bdsmovement.net/2013/uc-berkeley-student-senate-passes-divestment-bill-2-10909 ) And organizations such as JVP are already using the events in  Berkeley as leverage to bully other groups into capitulating to their demands.

Connor: A personal note. I have no doubt, like most of your generation, you grew up reading the Harry Potter books.    Do you remember Dumbledore’s eulogy to Cedric Diggory, as he admonished the students “ Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy....”  Connor, you picked the easy way out, and you made the wrong choice.  The ramifications of your misguided decision will  continue  to poison this campus long after your graduation.

Jewish Voice for Peace: Stacking the Deck

Sydney Levy of "Jewish" Voice for Peace just sent out this email:

"I'm on my way to Tampa. I'm going in support of our allies in the United Methodist church who are pushing for divestment from Israel's Occupation. But I'm not going alone. I'm taking the strong letter of support from members of Jewish Voice for Peace's rabbinical council and other Jewish clergy.

I'd like to take you with me too, or at least your name. I hope you'll go to RabbisLetter.org right now and add your name in support of divestment. The United Methodists are considering divestment from Caterpillar, Hewlett Packard, and Motorla—all companies we have identified as profiting from the violation of Palestinians' human rights.

The struggle to stop these companies has been a long one. But we don't have much time left—the conference starts this week, and we will deliver our names Tuesday morning, in less than 24 hours, so please add your name now. You don't have to be a rabbi to sign, but you do need to sign now if we are going to bring you with us. And to keep you connected, we will be updating RabbisLetter.org throughout the week with all the latest developments in this historic push for divestment."

Why is JVP "Stacking the deck"? Why are they filling up a "rabbis" letter with signatures, of Jews and non-Jews alike?

Maybe its because after weeks of searching for signatures, the signatories on their own letter are few and far between. As of now, the current signators are

Rabbi Margaret Holub
Rabbi Brant Rosen
Rabbi Alissa Wise
Rabbi Julie Greenberg
Rabbi Michael Feinberg
Cantor Michael Davis
Rabbi Rachel Barenblatt
Rabbi Lynn Gottleib
Rabbi Laurie Zimmerman
Rabbi Rebecca Alpert
Rabbi Joseph Berman
Rabbi David Mivasair
Rabbi Brian Walt
Rabbi Jeremy Milgrom
David Basior, Rabbinical Student
Alana Alpert, Rabbinical Student
Ari Lev Fornari, Rabbinical Student
Rabbi Borukh Goldberg
Rabbi Meryl Crean
Rabbi Howard A Cohen
Rabbi Mordechai Liebling
Rabbi Elizabeth Bolton
Rabbi Everett Gendler
Rabbi Michael Lerner

Contrast that extremely limited group with the 1200 rabbis from across the religious and cultural spectrum who have formally expressed their concern about the Methodist divestment referendum. Orthodox, Conservative, reform- religious leaders from across the Jewish spectrum have signed a "Letter from American Rabbis to Our Christian Neighbors Regarding Divestment Proposals" . If your rabbi hasn't already signed, its not too late.

From the Jewish Council for Public Affairs:

“A letter signed by so many Rabbis demonstrates the breadth and depth of the American Rabbinate’s commitment to the finding a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; something which cannot be achieved through divestment,” said Gutow. “I am privileged to join my colleagues from all fifty states, leaders from the Conservative, Reconstructionist, Reform, and Orthodox movements, rabbinic groups and seminaries, and some of the most influential Jewish thinkers and theologians of our time. There is a clear rabbinic consensus - divestment efforts will tear the fabric of our interfaith relationships and undermine ongoing efforts for peace.”

The Rabbinic letter spells out the profound concern of the signatories about the one-sided nature of the divestment proposals, which "shamefully" paint Israel as a pariah nation. "For Jews, the use of economic leverages against the Jewish state is fraught with inescapable associations,” the letter states. “They resonate in the Jewish consciousness with historic boycotts against Jewish companies and the State of Israel…policies that knowingly tap into the deepest fears and pain of another is, in our tradition, a serious failure of relationship."

It also spells out a commitment to a negotiated two-state solution, which includes Palestinian state building and economic development, programs of reconciliation, understanding of multiple narratives, humanitarian aid and other areas where collective action is needed to help foster peace. Divestment, the note explains, runs in opposition to these goals and "is more likely to encourage those with extreme aims” - and is so contentious that it "drowns out the real conversation about how to end the conflict.”

“At a time when politics in general have become so divisive, here and abroad, our efforts should be aimed toward reconciliation,” the letter continues. “Together and independently, Christians, Jews, and Muslims must give the parties to the conflict the confidence they need to move toward peace.”

Oh yes, the reality challenged bloggers at Mondoweiss (no, i'm not going to link there- you can find it your self) characterized the heart-felt plea for mutual respect and cooperation as "1200 rabbis threaten an end to interfaith harmony if Methodists support divestment"

The Methodist General Conference is being held in Tampa, Florida over the next week. If you have any friends or family attending, remind them of the words of our own community leaders:

"when politics in general have become so divisive, here and abroad, our efforts should be aimed toward reconciliation. Together and independently, Christians, Jews, and Muslims must give the parties to the conflict the confidence they need to move toward peace. There are many meaningful coexistence programs that are necessary to foster a generation of Israelis and Palestinians that will work and live side-by-side – moving past the teaching of hate and the resort to violence. As leaders of the Jewish and Protestant communities we need to deepen our understandings of the multiple narratives in the region. "