Have you ever felt as if there was so much more to stand up for in past generations? Have you ever looked back at the previous generation and envied the various issues activists could stand up for, feeling our generation is does not have space for activists anymore?
The truth is that our generation has just as much problems to solve. We have just as many issues to stand up against. The problem is not the issues but our very own apathy. In order to dispel the notion of all our problems being already solved, I have gathered a list of causes which I believe urgently need to activism of Jewish Students worldwide. You might not agree with every single one of these causes. Still, I made this list not in order to convince anyone of the value of these causes, but rather of their existence. I have included first a list of Jewish causes followed by a few Universal causes which Jews should also take part in for the greater good. Again, I want to emphasize, I hope this does not turn into a discussion on the merit of each of these causes, even though I truly believe in each of them. Rather, I hope everyone will note the strong need for Jewish Student Activism which is just as great as it has ever been.
Protecting the People of Sderot
The number one responsibility of a government is the protection of his population. The current Israeli government has failed in doing to for the people of Sderot. To most people, Sderot is a city in the middle of nowhere which is going through a rough time… most people will ask “who cares?”. However, the previous generation of activists could have also asked “Who cares?” about the Jews imprisoned in the former Soviet Union. They could have asked “Who cares?” about the rights of the African American population in America during the Civil Rights battles. The role of an activist is to feel the pain of the people he is fighting for even when he is not under personal attack! Our role is to feel the pain of the people of Sderot who wake up every morning knowing they will need to hide a few times under some desks with the always present fear of a missile killing them at any moment.
Every attack on Sderot is an Act of War. Sderot is unquestionably part of the State of Israel. The citizens of Sderot are not settlers. They are, according to all accounts, regular civilians. Every missile thrown at them is a breach of international law. Where is the public outcry against such a blatant violation of our dear international law?
See this post by Tamar on the issue.
Freeing Jonathan Pollard
Jonathan Pollard has been in jail for 23 years. He has been convicted for spying for an ally. The information he provided to Israel was critical to its safety. Israel has repeatedly demanded for his release. While people are allowed to believe that he ought to be punished for what he did since he did break the law, it is not acceptable that he be held to a double standard. His life sentence is much longer than the sentences served by many of America’s worse enemies! (http://www.jonathanpollard.org/sentences.htm )
Public outcry and activism is the only thing which will bring Jonathan Pollard out of Jail. Most people will agree today that his help towards Israel ended up being beneficial to the United States, since Israel was able to properly deal with Iraq based on that intelligence. While he might have broken the law, his actions were those of a hero. While he might need to serve some time in prison for breaking the law, his life sentence is way too harsh. 23 years have been way too much! It’s time for Pollard to be brought home. Activists have been the ones who brought issues out of public apathy into public empathy. This is one of those issues which needs to support of a new generation of activists.
http://www.jonathanpollard.org/facts.htm
Stopping the Double Standard when it comes to Transfer of Populations
I have consistently disagreed with Rabbi Meir Kahana’s approach to the Middle East conflict which encourages forced deportation of the Palestinians. I am more open to the ideas outlined in MK Rabbi Benny Elon’s Plan known as The Israeli initiative (http://www.hayozma.org/ ). However, I believe even those who believe in a land for peace formula should be agreeing with me on this cause.
If we oppose the forced deportation of Arabs from the State of Israel on human rights grounds, we should also oppose the forced deportation of Jews from Judea, Samaria and Gush Katif. At the very least, even those who see it as a necessary sacrifice should be doing it with a lot of compassion and understanding that you are going against the basic human rights of those people you are deporting.
After the disengagement, my greatest deception was not the actual deportation of the Jews from Gush Katif. This was very painful, but it was not the most painful thing. The most painful fact was the way these Jews, who were being expelled from their homes, were being portrayed. I couldn’t stand watching these people, who were and still are Israel’s greatest asset, being portrayed as criminals in order to facilitate the breach of their human rights. These people were sent to their communities by successive Labor and Likud governments. They went there because they believed they were protecting the Jewish People and every government, at that time, agreed. It is one thing to change your opinion, it is something else when you destroy the reputation of the most incredible sector of Israel’s society in order to further your political ambitions.
I yearn for the day where left wing and right wing activists will rally together not for political reasons but rather in order to show tribute to the acts of these Jewish Heros. I yearn for the day where those who find the breach of human rights a necessary step towards peace will recognize it as such. I yearn for the day where it will be the Left Wing Activists who will contact me in order to organize a rally thanking the settlers for all their sacrifice.
Until people recognize the fact that deporting Jews is as much a breach of human rights as deporting Arabs, I will not be able to even show respect their solutions to the peace process which are based on faulty, racist principles. If you want to support a land for peace formula, and still gain my respect, you need to first recognize the human rights of all the involved sides.
Until then, it will be our jobs to be active in reminding the world that even Jews, and even Jewish Settlers, have human rights!
Israel Activism
Before I move on to activism outside the Jewish community, let us just note that the most obvious form of activism still lies in defending the Jewish State from all the negative portrayal it gets overseas. This is a fight which has not yet been won and which requires the active involvement of all the Jewish Activists of this new generations. The many problems with Israel’s portrayal are well known and therefore I will not be addressing them here.
(To be continued with universal causes which transcend the Jewish world but express strong Jewish Values such as Saving Darfur, the environment, Free knowledge etc…)
