JEWS AND ARABS ARE UNITED-ISRAEL'S WRONGS MUST BE RIGHTED

A photo report - click on photos to enlarge
See also: A-Channel news video here



OTTAWA: On May 20, members of a local coalition of Jews, Arabs and others showed up at the National Arts Centre's "Israel@60" event to let the NAC symphony orchestra and their fans know that there is nothing to celebrate, and to remind them that the birth of the State of Israel was accompanied by the creation of hundreds of thousands of indigenous refugees, none of whom were ever allowed to return to their homes.


The group was joined by a contingent of black frocked orthodox Jews who had travelled from Montreal to express their opposition to Zionism, and their sorrow at what the birth of Israel has done to the Palestinian people.

Many of them wore burlap vests - the Biblical sign of mourning (sackcloth) - and some waved the Palestinian flag. "It's very sad, the suffering of the Palestinians," said one of them in conversation with fellow protesters.


Below: the badge says: "A Jew, not a Zionist":



Here is the whole Montreal contingent of orthodox Jews posing in the shadow of the War Memorial at the top of Elgin Street:


Ben Saifer, organizer for "Not in our Name -Ottawa (NION-Ottawa)" is probably hoarse today after hours of leading those assembled in a variety of chants, such as "Celebrations to the side; condemn Israel Apartheid", and the one used as the title for this report.

Talk about a mosaic! The photo below is of Lia, who had to combine filming the event with her role as "choreographer". But also in the picture are the police, whose job was mostly to protect the NAC should any of the very peaceful protesters suddenly run amok, the "witnesses" in purple shirts whose job is solely to be seen as observers in case of any police action against the protest, to the left a person playing the part of an Israeli soldier and to the right an orthodox Jew carrying a Palestinian flag! And that is just a sample of the diversity of entities involved in this event.


Here are some photos taken from a distance in an attempt to give some idea of the size of the protest:

This is Elgin Street on both sides of the North entrance to the NAC parking garage:

Farther down Elgin Street:

This group is located on the median part way across the street:

At one point a car pulled up and an angry local rabbi reached out to grab the Palestinian flag. When the police milling about the NAC entrance were called into action, the car sped away and the flag was undamaged.

Here's a closeup of the banner displayed to vehicles travelling North on Elgin Street, held by members of the Ottawa Raging Grannies:

and just beyond this banner, a little later on, some of the Montreal orthodox visitors stood and faced the traffic with their own banners:


Seated near the Grannies was this man with his sign: "Light up Gaza", referring to the electricity rationing that further complicates the life of a Palestinian.

Also on the same corner stood an Arab with a sign pointing out Canada's complicity in Israeli Apartheid, with a government that supports Israel right or wrong, and charitable tax status for the Jewish National Fund which sets aside land for Jews-only use (See this webpage for more information).

At one point a Jewish passerby questioned one of the rabbis about his stand against the State of Israel. Patiently, the rabbi explained how the Jews cannot inherit the Holy Land until the sin which caused the Jewish diaspora has been atoned and the Messiah returns. The man countered with "What's the problem. The land was owned by the British and they gave it to the Jews. There never was a Palestine."

To which the Arab man replied: "There never was an Israel either."

"Well, there was a people called Israel," argued the man.

"There was also a people called Palestinians. Look it up in the Bible," said the Arab.

Too many facts. The perplexed Jew went on his way.


Nearby were Abla, also an Arab, who holds a sign that pulls no punches about what Israel has been doing for 60 years, and a man whose sign makes it clear that Judaism does not necessarily mean Zionism:

The demonstration was often greeted with scowls or looks of bewilderment, but some of the people arriving to enjoy the Israel@60 symphony celebration were really upset to have their evening ruined by a prick to the conscience. One woman in particular shouted "Shame" as she drove North on Elgin, and when it was suggested that she herself should feel some shame she laid on her car horn in an attempt to drown out the troubling chants. But since the honking of passing cars is usually a sign of approval, this was not taken in the manner she hoped.

As this woman turned into the North entrance to the parking lot she used some pretty foul language. She was bringing her daughter to enjoy the symphony celebration but now the ambiance had been horribly tainted. She kept yelling, "We are free f*ing Jews!" which must have meant something to her, but only suggested to the crowd that she didn't like being reminded of the Palestinians who are a long ways from being free.

Meanwhile, all the way across the street - working alone most of the time, was Marjorie - who had some interesting conversations with passersby, got poked in the shoulder once by an angry Israel supporter, but in general received an enthusiastic response to the pamphlets she handed out and even thanks from people who were glad to see the truth getting out to the public.


I heard later that there was also a group camped at the South entrance to the NAC.

One of the highlights of the event was the mock checkpoint. The humiliation of Palestinians at Israeli checkpoints under the guise of "security" was acted out numerous times during the evening. The people who played the IDF soldier parts were very convincing: "Give me your ID." "Where are going?" "Be quiet or go to jail." "Do you know there is a curfew tonight?"...

If you look closely at the above photo you can see at the far left Diana Ralph, a founder of the Alliance of Concerned Jewish Canadians, heading toward the checkpoint to lend her support to the people being harassed by soldiers. Below a Palestinian woman, surrounded by barbed wire, makes her plea for an end to the oppression.


The public was also reminded of the hundreds of IDF combat soldiers who are refusing to serve in the occupied territories because they can no longer stomach treating Palestinians as subhuman:

Below are several more of the many sign messages. The first one is pointedly directed at Israeli Ambassador Alan Baker who has been making speeches all over town in which he equates anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism and does his best to turn all Palestinians and their supporters into villains. The other sign in that photo says: "I am a Palestinian born in Jerusalem; Palestine is my home but I cannot return there." It corresponds to another sign that says: "I am a Jew born in Canada. Israel is not my home, but I can return there."


Everyone who came out to this event was glad to have done so. They really felt they had accomplished something. For one thing they showed the public that the common perception of Jews and Arabs being natural enemies is a fallacy, and that justice and peace are possible in the Middle East.

For more information visit the websites shown in the banners above.
To get details of upcoming related events in Ottawa, contact:
nion.ottawa - at - gmail - dot - com
or
admin - at - canpalnet-ottawa - dot - org

Related: The Chapters bookstore boycott is still going strong, and the movement is growing. Contact NION or Canpalnet-Ottawa to get on the mailing list and support these bi-weekly pickets. Note: as funds are always in short supply for printed materials and banners, please also inquire about where you can send a donation.

Source:

See also:
Al Nakba Commemorated - May 8th events in Ottawa and Montreal