Statement on the Palestinian Rally on May 15
The Jewish Community Relations Council and the Jewish Federation of Raleigh-Cary strongly condemn the antisemitic rhetoric at last week’s Emergency Protest for Palestine in Raleigh on Saturday, May 15.
We fully support the protestors’ rights to speak out and assemble, but we are appalled by the antisemitic language and imagery that was displayed by protestors last week.
Specific examples include:
The protestors chanting, “From the River to the Sea.” This phrase raises fear among many Jews, who recall reports of Arab political and military leaders bragging that they would “push the Jews into the sea,” in the years following the founding of Israel. It also references the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, implicitly rejecting the existence of the state of Israel.
Posters combining Israeli and Nazi imagery, such as one poster with Benjamin Netanyahu wearing a Hitler moustache and one with the caption “Israel, Hitler would be proud of you.” Such comparisons between the Israel/Zionists and the Nazis trivializes the Holocaust, diminishing the impact and horror of the Nazi regime’s genocidal campaign against Europe’s Jews.
Signs with imagery of the Palestinian flag filling Israel’s borders and one with the caption, “Israel? You mean Palestine.” These posters call for the erasure of Israel as a Jewish state.
Chants and images portraying the Israeli state and people as warmongering child-killers, such as the chant “Killing children is a crime” and a poster saying, “Hands off Palestinian children.” These references invoke memories of blood libel, the myth that Jews kill children and eat their blood.
Hearing these phrases and seeing these images makes Jewish residents feel threatened and afraid in our own city, especially at a time of rising antisemitism locally and nationally (it was only a few months ago that a Nazi flag was raised in Wake County).
The Jewish Federation believes deeply that most Israelis and Palestinians desire a peaceful solution to the conflict, and we pray for the day that Israelis and Palestinians will be able to live side by side in peace, security and freedom. We mourn every death as a tragedy, and we feel for every Israeli and Palestinian civilian loss.
The Jewish Federation in partnership with additional local organizations is hosting a virtual Community Gathering for Israel and Peace on Sunday night, which will use inclusive and welcoming language. We welcome ongoing dialogue regarding Middle Eastern policy, and we are prepared to speak in a public forum with representatives who are interested in thoughtful discussion.
We have representatives available for taped or live interviews:
Phil Brodsky, Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of Raleigh-Cary
919-676-2200 x 100
Phil.Brodsky@shalomraleigh.org
Judah Segal, Jewish Community Relations Council Chair
919-961-2203