Independent Jewish Voices -INT’L DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINIAN PEOPLE

 
MY NAME IS TERRY GREENBERG.
 
GOOD AFTERNOON.
 
I AM A MEMBER OF INDEPENDENT JEWISH VOICES.
 
TODAY I WOULD LIKE, ON BEHALF OF IJV, TO EXPRESS OUR SUPPORT FOR
PALESTINIAN RIGHTS.
 
FIRST, LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING ABOUT IJV.
 
WE ARE A GROUP OF JEWISH PEOPLE WHO DISAGREE
1) WITH THE MANY OF THE POLICIES OF ISRAEL
2) WITH THE MAINSTREAM JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS IN CANADA,
LIKE B'NAI BRITH AND THE CANADIAN JEWISH CONGRESS,
WHICH GIVE UNQUALIFIED SUPPORT TO ISRAEL
 
NEITHER ISRAEL OR THESE OTHER JEWISH GROUPS REPRESENT US, SO WE
HAVE COME TOGETHER TO EXPRESS AN ALTERNATIVE VOICE.
 
WE ARE A CROSS-CANADA GROUP WITH BRANCHES IN MOST MAJOR
CANADIAN CITIES.
 
SADLY HOWEVER, OUR MEMBERSHIP IS NOT LARGE, AND WE DO NOT
REPRESENT THE THINKING OF THE MAJORITY OF JEWISH CANADIANS.
 
THERE ARE MANY REASONS FOR US TO SPEAK UP, THE MOST BASIC ONE,
IS SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THE INJUSTICE SUFFERED BY PALESTINIANS.
 
HOWEVER, THERE IS A SPECIAL ROLE ROR IJV:
-----ISRAEL-SUPPORTERS OFTEN ACCUSE CRITICS OF ISRAEL AS "ANTI-
SEMITES"
-----WHEN JEWISH PEOPLE CRITICIZE ISRAEL, THEY DEMONSTRATE THAT
IT IS NOT ANTI-SEMITIC TO DO SO.
 
RECENTLY THERE WAS AN AMAZING CONFERENCE IN OTTAWA,
WHICH CREATED ONE OF THE MOST RIDICULOUS DOCUMENTS WHICH
EVER CAME OUT OF THAT CITY – THE OTTAWA PROTOCOL, WHICH
ESSENTIALLY DECLARED THAT ALMOST ALL CRITICISM OF ISRAEL IS A
FORM OF RACIAL HATRED.
 
PRIME MINISTER HARPER SPOKE AT THE CONFERENCE AND SAID THE
SAME THING.
 
INDEPENDENT JEWISH VOICES IS ACTIVELY FIGHTING THIS ABSURD
PROTOCOL, BY ASSERTING THAT WE ARE JEWISH AND WE CRITICIZE
 ISRAEL AND THEREFORE IT IS NOT ANTI-SEMITIC TO DO SO.
 
NOW LET ME TELL YOU WHY IJV SUPPORTS PALESTINIAN
RIGHTS, BY DESCRIBING MY PERSONAL VIEWS.
 
FIRSTLY, I SUPPORT PALESTINIANS BECAUSE I AM JEWISH.
 
WHEN I WAS A CHILD GROWING UP IN A JEWISH HOME IN CANADA, I
LEARNED A NUMBER OF VALUES, WHICH I BELIEVE ARE FUNDAMENTAL
JEWISH VALUES.
 
I LEARNED:
1) THAT RACISM IS ONE OF THE MOST HORRIBLY UNJUST THINGS IN
THE WORLD. AS A CHILD, GROWING UP RIGHT AFTER WORLD WAR II, I
COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHY NAZIS KILLED LITTLE JEWISH CHILDREN
JUST BECAUSE THEY WERE JEWISH. I DECIDED THAT I MUST HATE
DISCRIMINATION WHEREVER IT EXISTS,
------BUT ISRAEL WAS CREATED OUT OF A RACIST DISREGARD FOR THE
PALESTINIANS LIVING THERE BEFORE THE JEWISH COLONISTS ARRIVED,
AND TODAY HAS ONE OF THE MOST RACIST GOVERNMENTS ON EARTH.
-----HOW CAN I NOT OPPOSE ISRAELI RACISM WITHOUT BEING A
HYPOCRITE?
 
2) AS A JEWISH CHILD, I WAS TAUGHT TO RESPECT DEBATE AS THE
PREFERRED MEANS OF RESOLVING CONFLICTS. I WAS TAUGHT
THAT JEWISH PEOPLE ARE LOVERS OF LANGUAGE AND WORDS
AND IDEAS, NOT SOLDIERS. I WAS TAUGHT THAT "MIGHT DOES NOT
MAKE RIGHT"
-------HOW CAN I WATCH THE WAY THAT ISRAEL WAS FOUNDED ON
VIOLENCE, HAS EXPANDED ITS TERRIRTORY WITH VIOLENCE, AND
CONTINUALLY USESS EXTREME VIOLENCE AGAINST PALESTINIANS,
WITHOUT OBJECTING?
 
3) AS A JEWISH CHILD, MY PARENTS POINTED OUT TO ME WITH
PRIDE THE HIGH PROFILE ROLE JEWISH PEOPLE HAD IN SOCIAL
JUSTICE MOVEMENTS; IN THE LABOUR MOVEMENT; IN THE BLACK
LIBERATION STRUGGLE IN THE US; IN THE FEMINIST MOVEMENT; IN
THE ANTI-COLONIAL STRUGGLES IN SOUTH AFRICA AND SO ON.
-----HOW CAN I WATCH THE INJUSTICE PERPETRATED BY ISRAEL
AGAINST PALESTINIANS, WITHOUT OBJECTING? SILENCE WOULD BE
DISLOYALTY TO JEWISH TRADITION.
 
4) IN HEBREW SCHOOL, I WAS TAUGHT THAT THOSE WHO COMMIT
ABUSES WILL SUFFER HARM TO THEIR SOUL, ALMOST AS SEVERE
AS THOSE THEY ABUSE.
-------HOW CAN I WATCH ISRAEL COMMIT ABUSES, AND NOT SPEAK UP
 
BOTH FOR THE SAKE OF THEIR VICTIMS, THE PALESTINIANS, BUT ALSO
FOR THE SOULS OF THE ISRAELI THEMSELVES?
 
ISRAEL GOES AGAINST ALL THE VALUES THAT I HOLD MOST DEAR AS
A JEW; ISRAEL IS RACIST; BELIEVES MIGHT IS RIGHT; IGNORES SOCIAL
JUSTICE; AND IS A SERIAL ABUSER. IF I SUPPORTED ALL THESE
THINGS, I COULD NOT CONSIDER MYSELF JEWISH ANY MORE.
 
SECONDLY, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT I SUPPORT
PALESTINIANS BECAUSE I AM CANADIAN.
 
AS A CHILD GROWING UP IN CANADA, I WAS TAUGHT SEVERAL THINGS:
 
1) THAT THE RULE OF LAW IS THE CORNERSTONE OF A JUST WORLD.
 
2) THAT COLONIALISM, THE DOMINATION AND SUPPRESSION OF ONE
PEOPLE BY ANOTHER IS IMMORAL;
 
3) THAT ETHNIC CLEANSING IS IMMORAL
 
4) THAT DEMOCRACY REQUIRES THE FAIR AND EQUAL TREATMENT
OF ALL CITIZENS;
 
5) THAT MULTICULTURALISM WORKS – IT IS POSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE OF
VERY DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS TO LIVE TOGETHER IN PEACE AND
MUTUAL RESPECT.
 
BUT WHEN I LOOK AT ISRAEL, I SEE ALL THESE PRINCIPLES VIOLATED.
 
1) ISRAEL IS A SERIAL OFFENDER AGAINST INTERNATIONAL LAW, AND
COMMITS SERIOUS WAR CRIMES.
 
2) ISRAEL IS AN UNAPOLOGETIC COLONIAL POWER, STILL EXPANDING
TODAY AT THE EXPENSE OF ITS NEIGHBOURS
 
3) ISRAEL IS CARRYING OUT A POLICY OF ETHNIC CLEANSING IN
JERUSALEM, IN THE WEST BANK, AND GAZA.
 
4) ISRAEL'S SO-CALLED DEMOCRACY TREATS JEWS BETTER THAN
NON-JEWS
 
5) AND ISRAEL BELIEVES THAT THERE MUST BE SEPARATION
BETWEEN JEWISH AND NON-JEWISH COMMUNITITIES.
 
I WOULD BE HORRIFIED IF CANADA ADOPTED ANY OF THE BEHAVIOURS
OF ISRAEL.
 
FOR EXAMPLE, ISRAEL RECENTLY PASSED LAWS MAKING IT LEGAL TO
PREVENT NON-JEWS FROM LIVING IN CERTAIN AREAS. WHEN I WAS A
CHILD, WEST VANCOUVER USED TO HAVE LAWS EXCLUDING NON-WHITES
AND JEWS FROM BUYING OR RENTING IN THE BRITISH PROPERTIES. HOW
SHOULD I FEEL IF THESE POLICIES WERE RE-INTRODUCED, AS THEY ARE
IN ISRAEL?
 
I CANNOT BE A GOOD CANADIAN, IF I DO NOT CRITICIZE ISRAEL'S
BEHAVIOUR.
 
LASTLY, LET ME DEFEND MYSELF FROM ANYONE WHO MIGHT SAY
THAT I AM A TRAITOR TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE
 
ALTHOUGH MY PRIME MOTIVATIONS FOR CRITICIZING ISRAEL ARE
SIMPLE DECENCY FOR PALESTINIANS, AND LOYALTY TO MY PRINCIPLES,
 
THERE IS ANOTHER REASON.
 
I CRITICIZE ISRAEL IN ORDER TO SAVE HER.
 
I BELIEVE THAT ISRAEL IS ON A SUICIDAL COURSE.
 
I BELIEVE THAT THOSE THAT LIVE BY THE SWORD, WILL DIE BY THE
SWORD.
 
INJUSTICE ONLY BRINGS MORE INJUSTICE.
 
ISRAEL CAN WIN EVERY WAR FOR DECADES, BUT EVENTUALLY IT WILL
LOSE CATASTROPHICALLY.
 
I BELIEVE THE ONLY WAY TO SAVE ISRAEL IS TO CHANGE HER. BUT THE
REVERSE HAS HAPPENED
 
I BELIEVE THAT ISRAEL HAS CHANGED THE JEWISH PEOPLE IN MANY
TERRIBLE WAYS.
 
IT HAS DESTROYED MANY OF THE FUNDAMENTAL VALUES OF THE JEWISH
PEOPLE AND REPLACED THEM WITH FASCIST VALUES:
- ULTRA NATIONALISM --- THE PRINCIPLES OF "MY COUNTRY, RIGHT OR
WRONG"; "ISRAEL UBER ALLES"
- RACIST DISCRIMINATION
- AGGRESSIVE MILITARISM
- TERRITORIAL EXPANSIONISM
 
I BELIEVE THAT DECENT JEWISH PEOPLE HAVE A MORAL OBLIGATION TO
RESIST THIS CHANGE IN THEMSELVES, AND REVERSE IT IN ISRAEL.
 
I AM CANADIAN AND I AM JEWISH. THESE ARE TWO IMPORTANT PARTS OF
MY IDENTITY.
 
I AM NOT AN ISRAELI. I WILL NOT EMBRACE THE VALUES OF THE MODERN
ISRAELI STATE.
 
I WILL STAND BY THE VALUES OF MY JEWISH AND CANADIAN IDENTITIES
AS I UNDERSTAND THEM.
 
ISRAEL, ITS POLICIES, AND ITS VALUES ARE AN ABERATION FROM THE
JEWISH TRADITION. EFFORTS TO IMPOSE THESE ISRAELI VALUES ON
JEWISH PEOPLE EVERYWHERE ARE HARMFUL.
 
IN A SENSE, ISRAEL AND CANADIAN JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS THAT GIVE
IT UNQUALIFIED SUPPORT ARE ALMOST AS MUCH OUR ENEMIES AS THEY
ARE THE ENEMIES OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE.
 
THAT IS ANOTHER REASON WHY, I AND MY FELLOW IJV MEMBERS, STAND
TODAY IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE.
 
JEWISH PEOPLE NEED TO BE LIBERATED FROM THE HARMFUL INFLUENCE
OF ISRAEL ALMOST AS MUCH AS THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE DO.
 
THANK YOU FOR INVITING ME TODAY AND GIVING ME THIS CHANCE TO
SPEAK.