Jewish activists plan global protest against demolitions

Jewish activists around the world are preparing to take part this weekend in a “global Shabbat against demolition” of Palestinian villages.

Event organizers say the initiative is a response to a plea by residents of four Palestinian communities – Al Arqib, Umm el-Hiran, Umm al-Khair and Sussiya – the demolition of which is imminent.

“As Jews, we say emphatically that forced displacement, dislocation and demolition do not represent our values,” said a joint call to action put out by the anti-occupation collective All That’s Left, the Center for Jewish Nonviolence (CJNV) and the T’ruah organization.

“These demolitions represent a continued policy of systematic discrimination. As members of a people who have experienced expulsion, persecution and dispossession, we stand with all Palestinian communities facing eviction,” their statement said.

The event is expected to take different forms from community to community, with some resembling more traditional demonstrations and others comprising Jewish study sessions.

In Melbourne, organizers will shape their Shabbat around the “social-justice lens of Judaism.”

Participants will bring in Shabbat together, share a potluck dinner and take a group photo to upload to social media with the hashtag #Shabbat Against Demolition.

They will also hold discussions about the demolitions. The groups involved include Hashomer Hatza’ir and the Australian Jewish Democratic Society.

Australian organizer Carly Rosenthal, who visited Sussiya and other Palestinian villages last month with CJNV, will share her experiences with the group.

“This Shabbat is all about exemplifying the values of equality, peace, justice and morality. With the Shabbat, we hope to engage the Jewish community around the demolitions happening in these Palestinian communities, and rally together as Jews against the status quo of the occupation,” Rosenthal said.

Hearings on the demolition of Sussiya were halted last year, when villagers and the Civil Administration agreed to sit down and see if they could agree on a plan for the village, either in its current location or at a nearby site.