Why We Refuse

THE SHMINISTIM TOUR. Young Israelis speak their conscience

Breaking news: A new group of Shministim has formed. Learn more about Shministim 2010!

The new Shministim class of 2010

n63347377034_8932 A new group of Shministim has formed. Their letter of refusal, has already been signed by 88 young Israelis.

Learn more about the Shministim of 2010 here: http://www.shministim.com/

Join the Shministim 2010 facebook group.

Read what Haaretz has to say about them:
12th graders tell Netanyahu: We refuse to serve in IDF (Haaretz, Oct 12, 2009)

If you read Hebrew, you an check out these additional news items:

שמיניסטים סרבנים 2009: “לא נשתתף בדיכוי”
Shministim refusers of 2009: We will not take part in the oppression (Ynet, Oct 12 2009)

601872-5 מכתב השמיניסטים: “צה”ל הוא צבא הכיבוש”
The Shministim letter: The IDF is an occupation army (Walla, Oct 12, 2009)

ה88 בני נוער לנתניהו: מסרבים לקחת חלק במערכת הצבאית
88 young people to Netatanyahu: We refuse to serve in the IDF (Haaretz, Oct 12, 2009)

Recent

What are people saying about the Why We Refuse tour?

Here is what the press is saying about the tour:

“An elderly women in the audience who identified herself to the speakers as a Holocaust survivor thanked Wind and Mishly for their presentation, saying, if other young people use the way you do, we would live in a much better world.” – The Brandeis Hoot

“Maya, she’s infectious. I think she’s genuine in terms of her desire to see her own country well. I think if Israel is well, I think Palestinians will also be well, I think America will be well,’ said Michael Bitar, a Palestinian-American who attended the talk.” -The Indypendent Read more…

Shministim Remarks in South Africa

Read the text of the remarks delivered by Sahar Vardi, Yuval Ophir-Auron, and Omer Goldman at the Ashley Kriel Memorial Lecture Hall at the University of Western Cape in South Africa.

The Shministim at Staten Island

Refuseniks: The Shministim

By Thomas Good – October 12, 2009

Shministim is a Hebrew word meaning twelfth graders — but it means much more than that in the context of Israeli society and the occupation of Palestine. Read more…

Who’s afraid of young Israelis talking?

By Sydney Levy

Are Israeli youth allowed to speak about their views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Not always.

Some believe that the ideals of Israeli democracy and free speech stop at the border. Take the example of the young Israeli conscientious objectors — the Shministm — currently in speaking tours both in the United States and in South Africa.

Here’s Dan Klein, the North America campus director for StandWithUs, speaking to the JPost on the issue:

“I definitely understand that Israelis have the right not to agree with their government. That`s fine. Every citizen in a democracy has that right. But you take that up in your country. Once you take that abroad, what does that gain you?”

I do not understand the distinction he makes. Maybe Dan believes that news and information stop at the border, at any border. Or maybe he ignores the fact that the Shministim have already gathered a great deal of international attention while they were still in Israel: over 60,000 letters of support and counting, over 53,000 hits on their short film in Youtube, and a great deal of media attention in a good number of countries around the world.