Young U.S. Jews aim 'occupy' movement at Birthright Israel

[bemildred]

As the various "occupy" movements spread across the United States, headed by the massive Occupy Wall Street events, a group of young Jewish Americans is taking the notion of the "99%" against the ruling "1%" to debunk what they see as the hypocritical U.S. Jewish leadership.

In a mission statement titled "Occupy the Occupiers: A Jewish Call to Action," the Young, Jewish, and Proud (YJP), described as the youth wing of the left-leaning Jewish Voice for Peace movement, called out to young Jews to "stand up to the 1% in our own community, the powerful institutions that support Israel’s corporate-backed military control of the Palestinian people and act as the gatekeepers for our community."

In one event meant to demonstrate the kind of grass-roots dissent shown in other "occupy" events, YJP members disrupted a New York event sponsored by Birthright Israel Alumni Community, using the now famous "human microphone" to interrupt a speech by venture capitalist and author Steven Pease.

In response to the incident, Executive Director of the Birthright Alumni Community Rebecca Sugar told Haaretz that those who interrupted the event "numbered roughly 10 people" and were quickly escorted out of the room.

http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/young-u-s-jews-aim-occupy-movement-at-birthright-israel-1.394871

[xchrom]

1. Very interesting. Nt

[aranthus]

2. Except it's way more than 1%, so bogus. n/t

[Violet_Crumble]

3. The whole 99% thing isn't meant to be taken literally when it comes to the Occupy movement...

I doubt very much any of them have a statistician there on the spot to quickly calculate how many percent the ruling 1% is to cater for those who take everything literally.

[aranthus]

5. I thought it did.

Didn't it originally refer to the 1% of Americans who control most of the wealth? In any event, with regard to the the American Jewish Community, those who support Israel are far more than 1%. The idea that there is a small minority who control the issue doesn't wash.

[bemildred]

4. Israel trip divides Jewish social service organization in U.S.

Staff and participants of ‘Avodah’ say a planned trip to Israel that does not discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict goes against the organization’s commitment to confront social injustices.

A social service trip to Israel may seem like an innocuous program for a Jewish social service organization. But at Avodah, a domestic Jewish anti-poverty group, one staff member has quit and others involved with the group have launched a protest petition amid heated argument sparked by the prospect of just such a trip.

The conflict follows the announcement of an Israel trip planned by Pursue, an alumni network jointly sponsored by Avodah, which focuses on service projects in the United States, and by American Jewish World Service, which works in underdeveloped countries. The Avodah staff member who resigned and some current participants and alumni of Avodah allege that the trip will not address “Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories”. Such a trip, they say, threatens to betray the commitment to confront social injustice that drew them to join the group.

http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/israel-trip-divides-jewish-social-service-organization-in-u-s-1.395492