East Jerusalem Update and Action #1

Many North American Jews are unaware of the tension building in East Jerusalem. The following report (based on interviews with Nasser Gawi, Sheikh Jarrah resident evicted in August, Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Director of RHR, and Maya Wind, RHR Intern, and my own eye witness) provides a brief overview of current issues related to Jerusalem that demand our attention. Our report spotlights areas which are both politically heated and ones in which human rights are most vulnerable. In an effort to keep you updated so that you can, in turn, provide balanced information to your constituents, RHR-NA will attempt to update you with regular news briefs.

SHEIKH JARRAH and THE HOLY BASIN: Just beyond the holy Kotel (Western Wall) and colorful shuk district that many of us love to visit, a once peaceful Palestinian neighborhood known as Sheikh Jarrah is presently under siege. The right wing Settler movement has actively encroached on Sheikh Jarrah and other neighborhoods such as Silwan, Altour, and Jabal Mukaber, just to the East of the Old City.  Each of these neighborhoods have special Jewish landmarks. Sheikh Jarrah has the tomb of Shimon haTzaddik; Silwan is considered the ancient City of David. With the sanction of the Jerusalem district courts, the Settlers actively demand to occupy this ring of neighborhoods they call The Holy Basin, to claim them as Jewish and build their urban settlement throughout.

The Settlers' Goal: Rather than negotiate the status of Jerusalem as part of a peace agreement, the Settlers aim to enclose the Old City of Jerusalem by a Jewish buffer zone with Jewish enclaves between and within Palestinian neighborhoods. This will effectively prevent Jerusalem from ever being divided or from ever being claimed as a Palestinian capital.  In other words, it will be the death knell for a possible Palestinian State from ever becoming a reality. If their design is accomplished, occupation and control of the Palestinian people will become a permanent yet unsustainable fact of Israel's existence.

Why is the Settler's takeover of the Holy Basin our business? For North American Jews who are invested in preserving Israel's existence as a sovereign, democratic state, we must stay awake: week by week, Jewish Settlers are pressing the Jerusalem courts to evict Palestinian families from their homes, with no reparations or alternate living situation in the picture. This means that more and more families are living in tents, on the street, displaced. There is no legal system to defend their democratic rights.

We who are committed to safeguarding a Jewish homeland based on democratic principles, one that "ensure(s) complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex," [the Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel, para. 13] should be vigilant to continue our support for a just society and let our voices be heard.

Most Current: As of March 3 when I write this report, four families (roughly 50 people) have been evicted in Sheikh Jarrah, and one has been "moved into," i.e. forced to share their home with Settlers who simply moved in, all with the district court's approval.  Apart from these displacements, there is plenty of tension on the streets. Verbal abuse goes both ways between the Settlers and Palestinian residents, but stone throwing, spitting and even an occasional beating are commonplace acts on the part of Settlers who walk a fine line of legality, making sure that they are never arrested by the biased police, while keeping life miserable for Palestinian residents.

Although it may be hard for North American Jews to believe, many of the Settler assaults happen on their way home from Friday night prayers. Because of this, a group of young Israeli activists have banded together with Sheikh Jarrah residents to stage weekly pre-Shabbat vigils for the past 3 months to protest the Settlers' takeover and protect residents.  While this remarkable surge of activism is independent of all formal organizations, several Israeli human rights organizations, including Rabbis for Human Rights, have been supportive of these efforts. At first these demonstrations had just twenty people, but soon grew to 200. The peaceful protest rally I attended last Friday (February 26th) was peopled by roughly 100 demonstrators, despite driving rain and hail.  Demonstrators held signs such as Don't turn Jerusalem into Hebron! and chanted things such as Gam bageshem, gam bakor, hafascism lo ya'avor! (Even in the rain and cold, fascism will not triumph) to loud drumming.

What you can do:

Click here to write to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and leader of the opposition in the Knesset, Tzipi Livni, asking them to put a stop to the evictions of families and home demolitions in East Jerusalem and to return the evicted families to their homes in Sheikh Jarrah.

Respectfully submitted,
Rabbi Tirzah Firestone