This past week at the URJ Biennial, I was blessed to celebrate social justice and my Jewish values, traditions, and songs with 6,000 Jews from across the world. As President Trump unilaterally announced the move of the American embassy to Jerusalem, I was so glad to be with the two Jewish movements closest to my heart: the Reform Movement and IfNotNow.
I grew up in the Reform Movement. I was deeply involved in at my temple, found my home away from home spending summers at URJ Camp Newman, and formed deep and lasting friendships in NFTY. I spent a semester in Israel on NFTY EIE, and found my voice as a songleader at URJ Kutz Camp.
Through all these experiences, from all these communities, I learned to laugh, love, sing, and learn. But most importantly, I was taught that Tikkun Olam, or fixing the world, was a responsibility of the Jewish people. My Jewish life encouraged me to call out injustices and work to make our world a better place. Through liturgy, songs, programs at camps, youth group events, and sermons at temple, I was called into action, often with a line from the history of our people:
If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?
With the words of Hillel ringing in my ears, I went to Washington DC with my confirmation class to lobby for gun violence protection laws, marched in the gay pride parade in San Francisco with my camp, volunteered with food banks and community gardens, and raised money for AIDS research. My Jewish upbringing pushed me to always speak and act in the pursuit of justice. Well, almost always…
A key part of my Jewish education was learning about Israel. l was taught that Israel was the ancient homeland of the Jewish people, that it had always belonged to the Jewish people, that it was ours for the taking. That Israel was the little guy, protected from its senselessly destructive and hateful neighbors by the world’s most ethical army.
What I did not learn was that the land of was not empty for the taking when Israel’s founders arrived on its shores. It was never mentioned that the creation of our Jewish state came at the brutal expense of the Palestinian people, the people who were living there, had roots there, had tended to olive groves there for hundreds of years. I had no idea that our “War for Independence” is called by others the Nakba, the Arabic word for “catastrophe”. I thought Palestinians simply chose to abandon their homes in 1948, and had no idea they were forced out to become refugees.
Most of all, it was hidden from me that the biggest impact of the 1967 War was not the “reunification” of Jerusalem, but the beginning of the oppressive military occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, an occupation that just reached its 50th anniversary.
I was constantly told that Palestinians only want violence, that there was no choice but to respond with force, that every air strike was defensive. I heard that they were too stubborn to follow in the footsteps of Gandhi and King, a cruel joke given the intense repression of non-violent protests in Palestine that makes widespread civil disobedience nearly impossible.
It was this past winter, immediately after I went on Birthright, that I went to Palestine for the first time and saw the occupation with my own eyes. The feelings of betrayal and hurt and shock came crashing over me like waves that did not stop, and still have not stopped as I continue to learn the truth about the conflict.
Although my Reform community shielded the reality of the occupation from me in my childhood, that is beginning to change. During his D’var Torah on Shabbat morning, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the URJ, said unequivocally that “The Occupation is real.” As the Reform movement reckons with what that means in terms of its support of Israel, I am glad that this is a space where I can continue to fight for freedom and dignity for all. I am proud to be with IfNotNow standing up, raising our voice, and demanding that our Jewish institutions stop supporting the Occupation.
At the IfNotNow biennial exhibit booth, I had the opportunity to talk to hundreds of my colleagues and mentors about how the Reform movement’s values need to carry into our conversations and actions around the Occupation. It was an incredible experience to be part of both of these communities as a proud anti-occupation Reform Jew. I am so excited to finally see our movements side by side, coming together to fight for our Jewish values of Healing the World.
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Netanya Perluss is a junior at Wellesley College studying Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies and is a leader in IfNotNow Boston. Originally from Los Angeles, Netanya is member of Leo Baeck Temple and grew up actively participating in youth programming of the Union for Reform Judaism.
Netanya,
I am very glad you have found a way to open your eyes and see the truth about the occupation. I began to see that when I worked on a kibbutz tin the 1950’s, and later when I was teaching in a high school in Israel. I was fortunate to have a talk with Martin Buber in Jerusalem, and he added to my feelings that the way things were going was terribly wrong. It is very sad to know that the “Zionist enterprise” has come to this awful state, and that the occupation is, in every way, a true disaster–both for the Palestinians AND the Israelis. The more I learn, the more I am convinced of that, and I am now 80. The hope I have for the future lies with persons like you who are working to bring about a new enterprise which will be a great boon to all on that place.
I believe it is playing into Anti-Semitic hands to continually refer to the West Bank as “Occupied Lands” rather than the “Territories”. I believe the whole land between the Mediterranean Sea is the historical homeland of the Jewish people. The reason Israel is in the West Bank at all is the attack on Israel when it became a nation. The Palestinians lost these wars, and loss of war has consequences. It slants political discussion against Israel to refer to part of its historical territory as an occupied land…
It is good (well . . . very good) to be an anti-occupation Jew. But I hope that the diarist will come to realize that while it is easy to be against something, it is a lot more challenging to say what one is for. IfNotNow takes the important first step in encouraging the Jewish community to honestly address the occupation. But its efforts will largely fall on deaf ears unless that conversation also includes the issue of what should replace the occupation. IfNotNow gives the appearance of being afraid to address that point directly.
Arafat’s rejection of a 2 state solution and even a compromise on Jerusalem followed by a bloody 2nd intifada was a gift for the Israeli rightwing. They could point their fingers at Palestinian leadership and say ‘ I told you so” The Israeli government is awful, but current Palestinian leadership in the PA and Gaza along with the continued rocket threat by Hezbollah hardly inspires most Israeli to push for change. This is a war over control of real estate, not an oppressor vs oppressed struggle. It takes 2 parties to make peace, not one giving up concessions hoping for the god will of the other. The moment a peace movement sees it that way will be the moment tat bot sides could be pressured into a peace agreement
Regarding Jerusalem: one cannot deny the deep Jewish ties to it. Also the 1947 partition made Jerusalem into an international city not Israeli in the west and Palestinian in the east
I was about to sing praises of If Not Now but you are ahead of me. Bless you. Obviously the future is our youth and Netanya gives me great hope. What we lack in numbers we make up with passion. Amen.
As an anti Semite, you compared Israel to Nazi Germany
Too bad the bitter conflicts built on blame, name-calling, hatred and intolerance among Jews ourselves keep on with little or no relief in sight.
Throughout history this constant internal antagonism has caused so many good people to be isolated and often with deep regret, to leave the community or to be excluded cruelly.
It only weakens our moral fiber and creates increasing criminal behavior out of sync with the moral superiority we often claim as our spiritual legacy.
Sadly, in this world we must choose between realism and idealism.
Israel was created by the United Nation in a peaceful manner, proposing a land split into two nations between the Jews and the Arabs. This turned into a war immediately after the British withdrew, and Arab armies invaded Israel. Israel has fought many wars of self-defense against attack and terrorism ever since.
I believe the triumphalism of the Arabs will never be satisfied with a two-state solution. They will not be satisfied until the Jewish people are driven from our historical homeland. The proof of this was the Israeli departure from Gaza, lock, stock, and barrel. All Israel has gotten from this peaceful gesture is unremmiting misery from terrorist attacks. Israel would be out of its mind to have a Palestinian state next to it in the West Bank! So, I believe we are in for continuing stasis…We here in the United States are not sharing the existential concerns of the Israelis, and can have a voice, but not a veto, in what they do to protect their country. We should really not meddle…Am YiIsrael Chai!
This comment area is stacked against Jews who have a different opinion…Sad
Sadly, in this world we must choose between realism and idealism.
Israel was created by the United Nation in a peaceful manner, proposing a land split into two nations between the Jews and the Arabs. This turned into a war immediately after the British withdrew, and Arab armies invaded Israel. Israel has fought many wars of self-defense against attack and terrorism ever since.
I believe the triumphalism of the Arabs will never be satisfied with a two-state solution. They will not be satisfied until the Jewish people are driven from our historical homeland. The proof of this was the Israeli departure from Gaza, lock, stock, and barrel. All Israel has gotten from this peaceful gesture is unremmiting misery from terrorist attacks. Israel would be out of its mind to have a Palestinian state next to it in the West Bank! So, I believe we are in for continuing stasis…We here in the United States are not sharing the existential concerns of the Israelis, and can have a voice, but not a veto, in what they do to protect their country. We should really not meddle…Am YiIsrael Chai!
This comment area is stacked against Jews who have a different opinion…Sad