Thousands of Jewish American clerics, academics and other public figures have signed a public letter calling on their fellow Jews to speak out against the occupation of ’67, and against what they call “Jewish supremacy” in Israel. A handful of brave Canadians are also among the signatories. Read more…

“American Jews have long been at the forefront of social justice causes, from racial equality to abortion rights, but have paid insufficient attention to the elephant in the room: Israel’s long-standing occupation that, we repeat, has yielded a regime of apartheid.” begins a letter circulating among leading Jewish intellectuals in the United States.

The letter, now being referred to as “The elephant in the room letter”, was first published online this past weekend and has been accruing hundreds of signatories daily, according to the Washington Post. It bluntly calls out the “regime of apartheid” that prevails for Palestinians living under Israeli control.

And it offers yet more evidence of a shifting discourse on Israel among even some of the Jewish state’s staunchest supporters in the United States. At last count nearly 2500 people had signed it, mostly American. (A google search of the list of signatories identified 15 Canadians.)

In addition to its line up of hefty Jewish intellectuals, the document is striking for two other reasons:

• It calls for equal rights between Jews and non-Jews.“Without equal rights for all, whether in one state, two states, or in some other political framework, (…) there cannot be democracy for Jews in Israel as long as Palestinians live under a regime of apartheid, as Israeli legal experts have described it.
• It points a finger at more than the current Netanyahu government. “The problems did not start with the current radical government: Jewish supremacism has been growing for years and was enshrined in law by the 2018 Nation State Law.“
• The letter ends with a strong call to North American Jews. “In this moment of urgency and possibility for change, we call on leaders of North American Jewry – foundation leaders, scholars, rabbis, educators – to:

1. Embrace equality for Jews and Palestinians within the Green Line and in the OPT. 
2. Support human rights organizations which defend Palestinians.
3. Call for an overhaul of educational norms and curricula for Jewish children in order to provide a more honest appraisal of Israel’s past and present.
4. Call to end Israeli impunity in the UN and other international organizations.

Canadian Jews who wish to add their names to the impressive list of signatories can do so by writing to: academics.speak.out@gmail.com, including a one-line affiliation/description.

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Canada Talks Israel Palestine (CTIP) is the weekly newsletter of Peter Larson, Chair of the Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine (OFIP). It aims to promote a serious discussion in Canada about Canada’s response to the complicated and emotional Israel/Palestine issue with a focus on the truth, clear analysis and human rights for all. Readers with different points of view are invited to make comment.
Want to learn more about us? Go to Ottawa Forum on Israel/Palestine.ca