A comment from someone attending the Shministim talk at UC Berkeley:

I was stunned by the power and effectiveness of their talk and by the responses to the questions posed to Netta and Maya. These young women had such well thought-out answers and responses to questions, from the “pro-Israeli” folks to the anti-Zionist doctrinaire leftists. There were hundreds of people, mostly young folks at this UC Berkeley event. Almost everyone was quite well behaved; there was no name calling or shouting others down. It was amazing to listen to this incredible meeting and discussion; this seems so rare these days. I can’t help but be impressed by these young articulate women.  They were not just preaching to the choir, but really sharing the history of occupation, early Zionist thought and ideals, growing up with the Israeli propaganda machine, what happens when one resists going into the Army, the psychology of Israelis’ fear of extinction and anti-semitism, the analysis of who profits from the occupation, life under occupation for Palestinians, differences between Hamas and Fatah, etc. What a talk in such plain language!

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UC Hastings, San Francisco, September 14, 2009 — For their first formal presentation on a national speaking tour, Maya Wind and Netta Mishly, two Israeli conscientious objectors, addressed an audience of about 80 in a classroom at UC Hastings School of Law. Using a Powerpoint presentation to show maps, slides and a brief video of an Israeli military TV ad, the two young war resisters also shared personal stories and updates on Israeli resistance to occupation, including the organizations they work for – Rabbis for Human Rights and the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions.

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At the Power to the Peaceful concert in San Francisco, Maya and Netta had an opportunity to speak with former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney.

All three have spent time in Israeli jails for their principled position against the Israeli occupation: Maya and Netta went to military prison for their refusal to serve in the Israeli army; Cynthia McKinney because the Israeli navy illegally seized the Free Gaza’s Spirit of Humanity ship in international waters as it was en route to Gaza with humanitarian supplies. Everyone on board the ship–including McKinney–was detained in Israel.

In McKinney’s own words from an Israeli jail: “I am now known as Israeli prisoner number 88794. How can I be in prison for collecting crayons for kids?”

“As a Jew, an American and a mother, the invasion of Gaza filled me with unbearable sadness. While Hamas’ attacks on Israeli villages are deplorable, Israel’s disproportionate response is unconscionable… In loving memory of our ancestors and for the future of our—and Palestinian—children, more American Jews should speak out and reach out.”
~ Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK co-founder

The High Holy Days are a time to review the past year, to acknowledge our moral strengths and weaknesses, and to turn toward the New Year with a renewed commitment to living our values. One part of that process of “teshuvah ve tzedakah”, turning and returning, is to tell the stories that powerfully illustrate the Jewish values of devotion to life and justice. During this period of intense reflection, two courageous young Israeli women who refused to serve in the Israeli army will share their stories in a national tour called, “Why We Refuse: A National Tour of Israeli Young Women for Peace,” from September 11 to October 11. Continue reading »

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 10, 2009

CONTACT
Rae Abileah, CODEPINK grassroots coordinator, 415-994-1723
Sydney Levy, Jewish Voice for Peace chapters and campaigns director, 510-465-1777
Israeli army resisters to tour U.S. college campuses this fall

Will spark debate, controversy over role in Israel-Palestine conflict

CITIES NATIONWIDE — Inspiring debate on college campuses nationwide on one of today’s most controversial international topics, the Israel-Palestine conflict, two courageous young Israeli women who refused to serve in the Israeli army, breaking Israeli law, will share their stories this fall on campuses in major cities in “Why We Refuse: A National Tour of Israeli Young Women for Peace,” from September 12 to October 10.
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You can hear an interview with Maya Wind on KPFK LA radio by clicking here. She is interviewed by Don Bustany of “Middle East in Focus.”  This interview originally aired on Sept. 9, 2009.

Netta was born and raised in Tel Aviv.  At the age of fifteen, she started to take an active part in the demonstrations against the wall in the West Bank. The brutal violence she witnessed there radicalized her.  At the age of sixteen, she was an organizer for an alternative education project that politically empowered youth and exposed them to radical ways of activism. It was in this project where the idea of the 2008 Shministim letter was born, with two other future members of the Shministim 2008, Sahar Vardi and Raz Bar David-Varon. Continue reading »

Maya Yechieli Wind, 19, grew up in Jerusalem during the second Intifada, where she was raised in a secular home but educated in religious schools. Her first experience with conflict resolution was at age fifteen in “Face to Face” – a dialogue group for Israeli and Palestinian youth. Continue reading »

“I know that the US is financing some of Israel’s actions in the Occupied Territories. I also know that many Americans believe that they are helping establish security in Israel. But this is not true, for real security will not be achieved by military means. Please help your government understand that by supplying weapons it is not helping the Israelis or the Palestinians. I would like to ask you to support those that are seeking peace for both Palestinian and Israelis.

–Maya Yechieli Wind

Hear her full testimony.

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September 2009 By Gabriel Matthew Schivone

This is a continuation of a discussion with Howard Zinn on activist education; the first part, “A Joyful Insurgency”, was published in the July-August 2009 issue of Z Magazine. Continue reading »