NEW YORK – With far-right members of the Israel Knesset joining the annual Celebrate Israel Parade in New York this Sunday, T’ruah, a rabbinic human rights organization, has declined to participate in the march to show solidarity with Israeli protestors and stand up for democracy.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, said:
“T’ruah will not participate in the Celebrate Israel Parade this year, in part because we refuse to march with the bigoted, anti-democracy ministers such as Simcha Rothman, Meir Porush, Amichai Eliyahu, Amichai Chikli, and fourteen others who will have places of honor at the event. This is the wrong year for a simplistic call to ‘Celebrate Israel,’ as extremists in government push forward a judicial coup, and as Israelis continue to take to the streets protesting the anti-democratic ideologies of the far-right government.
“The presence of far-right extremists at the parade is a concerning sign for American Jews who wish to stand in solidarity with Israelis and Palestinians experiencing violence and attacks on democracy and basic human rights. By attending the march, these ministers seek to normalize their violent, hate-fueled agenda, including a judicial coup that chips away at Israel’s democratic principles. For months, we have been warning of the impact this overhaul will have on human rights, democracy, and any hope of reaching a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. Already, this government has effectively de jure annexed the West Bank, upended a 2005 law in order to allow new settlement in the northern West Bank, and threatened the rights of LGBTQ+ people and non-Orthodox Jews. Legitimizing these extremist ministers is also a betrayal of the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have been protesting in the streets for more than five months to fight for democracy.
“The parade’s sponsor, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, is supposed to be an organization that unites Jewish New Yorkers, but this event does not foster unity. Nor can one claim that this event is an apolitical celebration when it welcomes ministers who are pushing forward an anti-democratic agenda. Participants in the parade, especially Jewish day schools and synagogues whose contingents feature families and children, might not be aware that their presence at the event could be interpreted as support for Israel’s extremist government.
“Part of honoring Israel’s 75th anniversary means holding the country’s leaders and decision-makers accountable and speaking out when they fail to live up to our shared ideals. By not attending the parade, and by joining with other American Jews and Israelis to protest the ministers at their speaking engagements on Sunday and Monday, T’ruah wishes to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to a democratic Israel that protects the human rights of all Israelis and Palestinians.”
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights mobilizes a network of more than 2,300 rabbis and cantors from all streams of Judaism that, together with the Jewish community, act on the Jewish imperative to respect and advance the human rights of all people. Grounded in Torah and our Jewish historical experience and guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we call upon Jews to assert Jewish values by raising our voices and taking concrete steps to protect and expand human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.