Bay Area Jews Renounce the Jewish Right to Return!

I went to be a witness and participate as a videographer/historian to get on tape this historic event: Jews who believe in justice and therefore refuse the so-called “Aliyah” or the Jewish right to return to Israel, until all the Palestinian refugees also are allowed their inalienable Right to Return to their ancestral homeland of Palestine-Israel.

At 20 minutes to noon, I was the only one there, and then another woman showed up who was also non-Jewish. Then the Jewish Puerto Rican poet Aurora Levins Morales (?) showed up in a black and white kaffiyeh. It was looking like a no-show but all of a sudden a couple groups showed up and we had a respectable showing of about 30 people at least. Apparently most were Jews, but there were many non-Jews, and at least one Palestinian woman. Barbara Lubin and Ute Walker from Middle East Children’s Alliance was in attendance, as were a couple people from Jewish Voice for Peace, and Dr. Susan Greene.

Chants included “Bush, Sharon, You must learn, Justice begins with the Right to Return”. The poet Aurora read her poem. There were a couple more speakers denouncing the Israeli persecution of the Palestinian people and demanding equal rights for the Palestinian people in Israel.

According to their press release, “What we’re calling for today is simple: for Israel to follow all the international laws and UN Resolutions that say Palestinian refugees should be allowed to return home. This point has been a consistent roadblock in the so-called roadmap to peace. I don’t see any real progress made for a just peace until Israel take this basic step,” a quote attributed to Michael-David Sasson. The Palestinian refugee population is the largest refugee population in the world, consisting of an estimated 4.5 million Palestinians. International Law and UN Resolutions 194 affirms that these refugees have the right to return to the land from which they were displaced.

I interviewed one young Jewish man named Eric who said he believes that Israel as a Jewish state that discriminates against non-Jews is not a benefit to Jews. He believes in equal rights for all whether there is a one-state or two-state solution to the conflict. When asked if he considered himself a secular or a religious Jew, he said basically he is a non-practicing Jew, however he would like to be more of a practicing Jew, but currently he is turned off by Zionism and the way organized Jewry in general supports the racist state of Israel.

After a while, the group marched off down the street shouting out chants.

In London, last August, much fuss was made of a press conference called by about 40 prominent British Jews who likewise wanted to publicly renounce their right to return (“Aliyah”) until the Palestinian refugees were allowed their Right to Return. I was wondering when American Jews would step up to the plate as well to do the same. I am encouraged to have witnessed the fine group of people who stood for justice today. Unfortunately there was not any mainstream media coverage of the event today. Hopefully, more events like this will take place and the media will begin to take notice.