Passo a transcrever um comunicado que recebi hoje da organização Jewish Voice for Peace.
Nele aparecem sistematizados os ataques aos direitos humanos, às liberdades, aos direitos cívicos e políticos que se estão a cometer em Israel contra cidadãos israelitas e as suas organizações e contra os palestinos e nele se pedem responsabilidades a organizações judaicas americanas por calarem estes atropelos
Nele são visados: o American Jewish Committee, The Anti-Defamation League, e o Simon Wiesenthal Center e os seus líderes, respectivamente Abe Foxman, David Harris, e o Rabi Marvin Hier.
Abe Foxman, David Harris, e o Rabi Marvin Hier
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Cinco dias antes do ataque mortal de Israel à Gaza Freedom Flotilla, pedimos-lhe que dissesse aos lideres Judeus mais importantes [nos EUA] para que se manifestassem contra o aumento dos ataques aos direitos humanos e à dignidade em Israel.
Ainda estamos à espera de uma resposta. Na verdade, quanto mais crescem e se agravam tais ataques, maior tem sido o seu silêncio ou a defesa de tais acções.
Não podemos deixar que os líderes judeus que reclamam trabalhar pelos direitos humanos de todos nós, se mantenham irresponsáveis. Devemos exigir que eles falem. Aqui está a carta-aberta que lhes enviamos.
-CS
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I remember listening to my great aunt Tante Babe's heartbreaking stories of seeing her young cousin killed during an attack on thousands of Jews, a pogrom, in her city of Bialystok. That infamous pogrom was in 1906, the very year the American Jewish Committee was founded to oppose such attacks.
Feeling alone and unprotected, our family needed the American Jewish Committee.
But times have changed, and the missions of these groups have changed. All too often, advocacy for universal human rights has taken a back seat to their belief that they must support the Israeli government unconditionally.
For example, as I write this, it has been 22 days since Israeli citizen and human rights activist Ameer Makhoul was brutally taken from his home in the middle of the night, held without charges, denied a lawyer for 12 days, and most certainly tortured. All under cover of an Israeli media gag order. Regardless of the charges against him, which were only announced today, it is hard to imagine these groups remaining silent in the face of such outrageous repression in a modern democracy. Especially against an Israeli citizen.
Yet they say nothing.
The pattern is not new.
It is painful for me to say that today these organizations - organizations with such a proud history of civil and human rights - for many of us have come to stand for the exact opposite. Sadly, I now find myself opposed to the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Simon Wiesenthal Center for dismissing criticism of Israel as anti-Semitic, for putting Israeli foreign policy above Armenian genocide recognition, for vilifying Muslims and Arabs, and for building a "Museum of Tolerance" on top of a Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem.
For many people, these organizations have not been relevant for a long time. You might be one of them. But we also know they continue to be an important voice for many Jewish people. And we will always need Jews to be safe. That's why we must ask them to change just as so many Jews in America have changed.
My dad is one of those people who supported the Anti-Defamation League. But when I told him the role they played in silencing criticism when it comes to Israel, he literally tore in half a donation check he had planned to send.
Israel's violations of human rights and dignity are increasing each day with: Midnight raids on activists, including Palestinians, Israeli citizens, and internationals
Media gag orders, which keep the Israeli press from being able to write about these arrests
Crushing non-violent protests by the Israeli Army, using rubber bullets, tear gas, and even live ammunition to put down protests Silencing NGO's who report on these outrages, using restrictive legislation in the Israeli Knesset.
Banning internationals who are insufficiently supportive of Israel.
And through all of this, Jewish leaders remain silent.
Enough is enough. It has been decades since the first Palestinian refugees were barred from returning to their homes. It's time our community leaders reflected our values and did as much to combat oppression when it is practiced by Jews as when it practiced against us.