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The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil,    but because of the people who don't do anything about it

Occupation magazine - Activism Home page  back Print  Send To friend Write to Congress: IHRA is the wrong way to fignt antisemitism! Right now, the self-appointed leaders of the American Jewish community are lobbying members of Congress behind closed doors in a campaign to permanently codify the controversial IHRA working definition of antisemitism — which does more to shield the Israeli government from accountability than make American Jews safe. We need to act now and make our voices heard to make sure this doesn’t happen. Click here to send a letter to your congressperson, asking them to reject the IHRA working definition https://tinyurl.com/m47vwxyt The past four years have been a stark reminder of the danger we face when our government alternately ignores and encourages white nationalism. From the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh to the attack in El Paso, we understand this deadly violence threatens Jews and our neighbors. We cannot continue to unjustly target Palestinians, college students, and the human rights advocates fighting for justice alongside us instead of focusing the resources of our federal government on going after white nationalists who put our lives in danger. Unfortunately, instead of addressing the threat of white supremacy, the self-appointed leaders of the American Jewish community are pushing for an ineffective approach: asking the federal and state governments to adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism. Organizations like the ADL, the American Jewish Committee, the Conference of Presidents, and even the Jewish Federations have made legal codification of IHRA one of their top legislative priorities in 2021. It is a new era, and we must say no to IHRA. The IHRA working definition is a tool to shield the Israeli government from accountability. It’s part of the long-term strategy by the political establishment and self-appointed American Jewish leaders to shut down criticism of Israeli policy, target organizers of color, and support Israel’s ongoing violation of Palestinians’ basic human rights. The IHRA definition is vague and intentionally blurs the lines between legitimate criticism of Israeli policy and antisemitism. Already, the IHRA definition been abused to silence students and Palestinian rights activists in places like Canada and the UK. And when Trump signed an executive order in 2019 to codify IHRA in the Department of Education, it was used against students on campuses like Columbia and New York University, infringing on their First Amendment rights. Even some members of the Israeli Knesset could, hypothetically, be considered antisemites under the IHRA’s working definition. Holding the Israeli government accountable is not antisemitic. It’s a moral imperative that we, as Jews, take seriously. Our elected officials should be fighting for the safety of all communities. Adopting the IHRA definition into law permanently would do the opposite: it will not fight antisemitism, it will put all of us in danger, and it’s part of a strategy used to weaken multiracial progressive movements and set marginalized communities against each other. We all need to write to our representatives to make sure that they do not codify the IHRA definition of antisemitism into law. Take two minutes to write your representative today. In this together, Sarah IfNotNow Links to the latest articles in this section Refusing the war! Demonstration today, Thur. Apris 24, at 7.30 pm, Habima Square, Tel Aviv Refusing the war! Demonstration today, Thur. Apris 24, at 7.30 pm, Habima Square, Tel Aviv Saturday night protests: No to Netanyahu`s war!