20 Jewish Activists Arrested, Disrupting Jewish Community Relations Council's (JCRC) 60th Anniversary of Israel Celebration in San Francisco

May 8, 2008 - Jewish Activists Draw Attention to 60 years of Palestinian Forced Exile and Dispossession, and stand in solidarity with 60+ years of Palestinian Resistance Click here for video of the action! San Francisco, May 8, 2008—In response to Israel's 60th anniversary celebrations, 20 Jewish activists were arrested, demonstrating Jewish opposition to Israel's 60-year-old policy of dispossession, and highlighting the often-silenced struggle of Palestinian refugees. For over two hours, 30 Jewish activists and supporters disrupted San Francisco's anniversary event, bunkering against the main atrium of the Jewish Community Center.. In conjunction, over thirty Jewish and Palestinian supporters held a rally outside the center to call attention to ongoing Israeli policy of apartheid against the Palestinian population. With banners reading, "Jews in Solidarity with 60+ years of Palestinian Resistance," activists declared anniversary, "No Time to Celebrate." "As Jews of conscience, acting in solidarity with 60-plus years of Palestinian resistance, we're here today to promote an "Independence" that does not depend on an ethnically or religiously exclusive state or on the displacement of indigenous people," said Eric Romann, International Jewish Solidarity Network (IJSN) organizer. "We want is joint liberation, not isolation." The action in San Francisco, organized by the local IJSN, is part of "No Time to Celebrate," a national Jewish campaign opposing Israel's 60th Anniversary celebrations, while simultaneously amplifying the American Jewish community's critique of Israeli policy. The Israeli Consulate and the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), who have attempted to silence any and all criticism of Israeli policy, were the sponsors of this event. The activists presented the JCRC with a statement listing the following demands: To stop the targeting of non-Jewish organizations, particularly of organizations serving communities of color in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, that criticize Israel and/or express solidarity with Palestine To stop claiming that anti-Zionism and criticism of Israel are anti-Semitic To acknowledge that they do not speak for the full organized Jewish community—that Jewish voices that criticize Israel and Zionism are legitimate voices of dissent within Jewish communities To criticize Israeli Deputy Defense Minister, Matan Vilnai threat of a "shoah" against the people of Gaza and demand a public apology for the exploitation of the Nazi genocide against the Jewish people for the continued ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Read the full statement at: http://www.ijsn.net/en/ijsn/jews_condemn_60/.