7/15/2015

If Not Now, When?: Jewish anti-occupation activism and accountability to Palestinians Mondoweiss

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(HTTP://MONDOWEISS.NET/)

If Not Now, When?: Jewish anti-occupation activism and

accountability to Palestinians
Julia Carmel (http://mondoweiss.net/author/julia-carmel) on April 21, 2015
9 Comments (http://mondoweiss.net/2015/04/occupation-accountability-palestinians#comments)
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W E E K LY

If Not Now members hold up a banner at a

New York City protest. (Photo: BUD
KOROTZER/DESERTPEACE)

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Shortly after Israel launched a brutal ground operation in Gaza last summer, a group of roughly a
dozen American Jews began to organize in Brooklyn, seeking to protest Jewish communal
organizations complicity in the violence. The group called itself If Not Now and rapidly gained
support among left-leaning Jewish activists after hosting a series of public demonstrations outside the
headquarters of the Conference of Presidents (http://www.conferenceofpresidents.org/) (the largest
alliance of Jewish organizations in the United States) which culminated in the arrest of nine American
Jewish activists (http://forward.com/articles/203111/j-streets-gaza-war-support-wins-moderate-praise-/?p=all) for civil disobedience.
I happened to be among those who were arrested, and when the nine of us were released from jail the
following day I hoped that the action among a wave of other public demonstrations
(http://mondoweiss.net/2014/07/assault-disobedience-protest) opposing the assault on Gaza would
spark a larger movement against Israels violence. Since then, the activism of If Not Now has marked
what many of us believe to be a substantial and tragically overdue shift in public opinion on Israel.
However, there are reasons to be deeply concerned that the movement is wasting a critical opportunity
and, in doing so, inadvertently maintaining Israels oppression of Palestinians.

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If Not Now, When?: Jewish anti-occupation activism and accountability to Palestinians Mondoweiss

After the ofcial ceasere from ghting in Gaza in August, the leaders of If Not Now announced that
they would be transitioning from a moment into a movement.
(https://www.facebook.com/IfNotNowOrg/posts/710023369084634) The organizers had collectively
decided to take time to cultivate the movements growth and to develop a thoughtful strategy moving
forward, preparing to eventually host a public action around Passover.
In preparation for the Passover action, organizers circulated a Commitment to Act
(https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-ifnotnow-commitment-to-act), which is essentially a
vaguely-worded petition to join If Not Nows meaningful, nonviolent, dignied public actions to
make clear that we, members of the American Jewish community, are against endless occupation and
committed to freedom and dignity for all Palestinians and Israelis. A week later, If Not Now gathered
more than 40 American Jewish activists outside of Jewish Federations of North Americas New York
headquarters to hold an alternative Passover seder, where they proclaimed that our liberation [as
Jews] is not complete without the liberation of Palestinians. Their seder in the streets,
(https://www.facebook.com/events/638583122941552/) which included a haggadah supplement
(https://drive.google.com/le/d/0Bzyc0kqaF_ZKSkJZcXlENkxldlZ0cmdyTnEybmgzN25BRzVJ/view?
usp=sharing) and the text of 18 short prayers (http://thelefternwall.com/2015/04/03/next-year-in-abetter-jerusalem-18-mini-prayers/), sought to protest the role that JFNA and other American Jewish
organizations have played in supporting Israels oppression of Palestinians. At the end of the seder,
the group brought a copy of the Commitment to Act to JFNA, once again entering the space of a
Jewish communal organization to declare that we refuse to sit comfortably as violence and
occupation are waged in the name of our Jewish values.
But even as If Not Now is re-emerging and continuing to empower many to speak out against Israels
crimes, the movements statements particularly their Commitment to Act continue to be
conspicuously vague about what those crimes actually are.
This is perhaps most evident in If Not Nows repeated demand for an end to endless occupation,
which refuses to dene what the occupation specically entails. Does their use of the term
occupation recognize that the Israeli State has brutally occupied Palestinian land since the moment
it was established? Does occupation recognize that Israels control over the West Bank and the
ruthless blockade of Gaza? The question of dening If Not Nows use of the term occupation was
rightly raised by several activists during the groups Action Planning Meeting in August but the
question was ultimately dismissed. The organizers seemed to conclude that this underlying question
was irrelevant to the goal of ending the American Jewish establishments support forwell, the
occupation.
Whats also disconcerting is If Not Nows subtle endorsement of organizations which, despite
ofcially stating otherwise, have perpetuated Israels oppression of Palestinians for years. While the
movements organizers insist that If Not Now is not afliated with any political organization, their
Commitment to Act directly links to a J Street petition (http://act.jstreet.org/sign/time_for_change/?
t=1&referring_akid=3795.187774.J885la). This is certainly an equivocal move, not least because J
Street has actively sought for years to be accepted by the same American Jewish establishment
(http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/01/us/jewish-coalition-rejects-lobbying-groups-bid-to-join.html?
_r=0) that If Not Now has attempted to target. Given J Streets cowardly statements that failed to
condemn Israels assault on Gaza (http://jstreet.org/blog/post/j-street-statement-on-the-currentcrisis_1), as well as how J Street has actively and categorically rejected BDS, theyre not an
organization that If Not Now should tacitly align themselves with. By doing so, If Not Now only
solidies the concerns that some activists have expressed to me about their purpose.
Rob Bryan, an activist who participated in several of If Not Nows public actions and organizing
meetings in New York since last summer, is among those who question the movements effectiveness.
I always felt like the heart of If Not Now was in the right place, Rob told me. But I think that If

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Not Now runs the risk of duplicating the kind of segregation that theyre trying to end. Fighting for
Palestinian liberation can involve the lessons and customs of Judaism, but its essential to dene the
occupation, embrace BDS, and forge alliances with non-Jews, especially with Palestinians, as well.
These concerns that certain characteristics could likely alienate non-Jews are not just indicative of
challenges that If Not Now inevitably faces in its tactics and presentation. Rather, when the
movement claims to advocate for Palestinians civil rights, and yet fails to substantially demonstrate
solidarity with Palestinian civil society, it indicates a serious problem of its purpose and goals.
Numerous progressive Jewish organizations that criticize Israeli policies already exist, some of
whom, including Jewish Voice for Peace, celebrated If Not Nows activism last summer. Recognizing
the need to distinguish themselves among these pre-existing groups, If Not Nows organizers have
done so by emphasizing their clear strategy: to specically target the American Jewish institutions
which uphold the occupation. Stated plainly as the movements theory of change, (https://scontentlga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.09/s720x720/10563098_686304784789826_6263151130248254930_n.jpg?
oh=8bc016c621db1b8b3602e8c6345a319a&oe=55A5C651) their overall strategy is straightforward
and essentially seems reasonable. In fact, its imperative that If Not Now continues to target the
institutional power that enables Israels crimes, the power which has historically been held by Jewish
communal organizations outside of Israel. However, the glaring problem remains that the movement
has continued to tacitly support (by association) the very same organizations whose power it seeks to
dismantle. Meanwhile, whats perhaps even more problematic is that If Not Nows organizers have
managed to completely avoid publicly supporting strategic, nonviolent Palestinian resistance.
A simple chant, inspired by an aphorism of Hillel the Elder, has been echoed in every If Not Now
public action since last summer: If we are only for ourselves, then who are we? My fear is thats
exactly what If Not Now will be: a movement that, regardless of pure intentions, only truly benets
ourselves. We are witnessing a moment in which American popular support for Israel nally appears
to be wavering, where progressives are especially disillusioned by Likuds victory in the Knesset
and are deeply disturbed by the Israeli political climate that enabled it to happen. Its an
unprecedented opportunity for American Jews to nally stand unequivocally with Palestinians in the
face of the institutions which oppress them. But as long as If Not Now fails to clearly and
unapologetically support the Palestinian cause, that opportunity will ultimately be wasted.

9 Responses
Cliff (/prole/cliff) April 21, 2015, 11:41 am

Occupation forever! For the Jewish motherland! Antisemitism, Holocaust, etc. etc.!
Liz18 (/prole/liz18) April 22, 2015, 10:01 am

The problems that exist on the left are very disconcerting. There is a lot of posturing, a lot of
self-righteousness. It seems more and more that it comes down to sifting through and nding
those on the left who are truly committed to justice and peace because it is the right thing to
do, not simply to make themselves feel good.
Giles (/prole/giles) April 22, 2015, 11:36 am

These Jewish Peace Groups are, for the most part, merely controlled
opposition.
For decades the subjugation and murder of the Palestinians (and others) by
Israel went on with no sign of any such organizations. Then about 9-10 years
ago knowledge of and criticism of Israels policies began to seep into the
American public and suddenly we have J Street, Jewish Voice for Peace, etc.
JeffB (/prole/jeffb) April 23, 2015, 3:06 pm

@Giles

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